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Sep
02
2019
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Posted by Admin
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There are some helicopter search and rescue (SAR) missions that are just impossible.
A prime example of this was the crash of a Dehavilland DHC-2 ‘Beaver’ on Alaska’s Thunder Mountain on 4 August 2018. Flown by Rust’s Flying Service, the sightseeing plane had one pilot and four tourists onboard when it accidentally turned into a high-hanging glacier in Denali National Park.
At 1,800 hours, the pilot managed to get a satellite call to Rust’s Flying Service; asking for help before contact was lost. After many reconnection attempts, the pilot was reached once more. He reported being trapped in the wreckage with two possible fatalities onboard. Then contact was lost.
The National Park Service (NPS) dispatched its AS-350 B3e high-altitude rescue helicopter from its base in Talkeetna to the crash location reported by the Beaver’s emergency transmitter. “We had no ability to get to the site at that time, since snowy, windy weather had settled onto the mountain,” said Nic Strohmeyer, an NPS aviation helicopter specialist. “So our SAR helicopter had to return to base.”
[Read More...]
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
26
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Several times a year, I’ll field a question about aircraft records. Not the Chuck Yeager type, but those binders, stacks, or sometimes just boxes of documents and paper products that record the maintenance performed on an aircraft.
The specific topic may vary a bit, but one topic that continually repeats itself concerns the FAA required format for these records. While there is FAA guidance on the content and form for each maintenance entry made into these records, there is no mandated format, i.e. physical form, on which that entry should be written.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Regulatory
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Aug
19
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Becker Avionics has been innovating high-quality products since 1945 when Max Egon Becker created his first aircraft radio receiver. Within three years, he was building luxury car radios for Mercedes.
“Max was a great innovator and great thinker,” Becker Avionics USA President Luis Gonzales related. “He had a passion both for automotive racing and flying.”
Becker’s focus on the general aviation market, especially gliders, naturally led to equipment attributes that all pilots desire. “It required them to build light equipment that was very reliable,” explained Lee Benson, a senior consultant for Becker USA. “That continues in the ethos of Becker today.”
Becker remains a high-tech family company, now under the direction of Max’s son, Roland, with a focus on digital avionics technology. It creates and manufactures communications, navigation, surveillance and search-and-rescue equipment for general aviation, air traffic control, law enforcement, and military operations throughout the world. “He took the company to that next level,” Gonzales said.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Aug
12
2019
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Posted by Admin
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“Lyn, when making a decision to accept a flight, I want you to place no more value on the patient than you would a sack of crap.” My response, “Huh? Wait . . . what? Can you say that again?”
[Read More...]
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Aug
05
2019
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Posted by Admin
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I gave a CRM class at a helicopter air medical flight program recently and something occurred that reminded me why it’s imperative that pilots know their aircraft.
The incident happened when I was given a tour of the hospital’s aircraft by the program director and one of the pilots on duty who was a former Black Hawk pilot in the Army. The aircraft looked brand new and I could see it had everything a pilot could ask for to help them while flying in VMC or IMC conditions.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Training
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Aug
05
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Transitioning into the civilian world is stressful for everyone, and this stress causes apprehension and procrastination about preparing for your transition. While others may passively wait for change to happen, or actively avoid change until the last minute, the best strategy is to control your future, which will help reduce stress as a side effect. Feelings you may have about your transition are not yours alone, everyone that has transitioned before you, myself included, have had these feelings. Everyone feels stress during transition; even those that have everything lined up for them feel some sort of stress. Some of the most obvious causes of stress are loss of identity and loss of structure.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
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Jul
29
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Given all the attention being paid to drones these days, one might think that they are all that is happening in law enforcement rotorcraft aviation.
This isn’t the case. Yes, drones are a big trend in law enforcement aviation, but they aren’t the only trend. Here’s what else is going on, based on what law enforcement aviation officers, and equipment suppliers are telling us.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Jul
22
2019
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Posted by Admin
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“Screw Plan B!” exclaims HAA pilot Markus Siebert.
Those are not words commonly uttered by a pilot who must have backup contingencies in mind for the unexpected. But Siebert is no common pilot. In addition to being an HAA pilot in Berlin, he’s also the managing director and founder of HeliEFB, a 21st century technology startup that helps helicopter pilots and operators cut through 20th century paperwork, by using an intuitive iPad app as an electronic flight bag.
First, let’s quickly put his ‘screwy’ quote in context before one gets the mistaken impression that the thoughtful German entrepreneur is an aggressive “Red Baron” von Richthofen. Siebert wasn’t referring to flying, but rather giving sound advice. “If I was going to give someone career advice, it would be that you should find your passion and try to work in that area. Your chance of succeeding will be much greater if you’re doing something that you’re passionate about. It should be your sole focus. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that when you start developing a Plan B for when you don’t succeed, you’re losing focus on your first priority. You should not do that. It’s costing you time and energy. Screw Plan B! Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a Plan B, if something goes wrong in the cockpit, but when you’re trying to find a career, then go for it! Don’t say, “Well, I can also become this or that. No, you can’t; you’ll lose focus. If you want to become a pilot, then focus on being a pilot.”
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
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Jul
01
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Ever get all torqued up reading a helicopter maintenance manual because you couldn’t remember the difference between a re-torque and a torque check? I did, until I had their definitions tattooed on my — well, that’s another story.
In the meantime, let’s work out their definitions here. Because not understanding the difference between a “re-torque” and a “torque check” can lead to potentially disastrous consequences.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Training
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Jun
24
2019
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Posted by Admin
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It’s no surprise that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is involved in protecting our nation’s borders and rescuing people from natural disasters. Probably fewer people know that CBP’s varied duties also include enforcing Temporary Flight Restrictions at NFL Super Bowls and other major events.
While TFR enforcement duties are similar no matter what the national security special event – from a Republican National Convention to a NATO Conference – there’s nothing quite like the annual Super Bowl that attracts more than one million people to the game and related events throughout the week.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors