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Feb
09
2011
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Posted by Admin
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Actually “we” probably do…or at least one or two of us need a little firmer guidance from the FAA and/or our operator. When I started flying patients in dire need about forty-one years ago we had very few restrictions. Of course, it was a combat zone and we were very young and bold. Many years later after losing far too many friends who bravely pushed into the jaws of death, even in peacetime, it is clear to me that one doesn’t become “old and bold” unless we restrict ourselves and exercise restraint and good judgment on every single flight, no matter how critical. It has also become clear to me that a few of our peers need adult supervision from time to time.
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Categories:
Safety
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Jan
29
2011
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Posted by Admin
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ARTICLE&VIDEO
GOMER - Flyin in the Gulf of Mexico:Part 3
In the previous two articles and video supplements I covered the required qualifications and training involved for pilots who wish to work in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In this installment, my intent is to explore a few issues that impact the lifestyle of a pilot working in the GOM and some tips for adjusting to this unique work environment.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
Helicopter Sectors
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Jan
26
2011
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Posted by Admin
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This is a preliminary report of a survey completed by 568 active helicopter EMS pilots in September and October of 2010. The solicitation to pilots to participate in this survey included the following introductory statement:
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Categories:
Safety
Regulatory
Helicopter Sectors
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Jan
20
2011
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Posted by Admin
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As I sit outside a restaurant talking with Pat Cox and Pete Riedl in the gorgeous So Cal weather, I can’t help but think about flying helicopters. I wonder aloud why I chose to drive and not fly down to the Robinson plant in Torrance, California.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Jan
12
2011
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopter Specialties Inc (HSI) is a Part 145 maintenance, repair, overhaul and custom completion company located at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, Wisconsin. Their niche is helicopter medical conversions and custom completions. One of their more unique products are custom isolettes systems used for transporting infants.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Jan
05
2011
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Posted by Admin
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For the majority of helicopter flight schools, their honest efforts to meet students’ goals of attaining FAA Certificates at various levels are based on the principles of Maneuvers Based Training (MBT). This system was developed during the era of the Wright Brothers, specific to airplanes, and teaches a pilot to “fly” to a Practical Test Standard (PTS) defined by the FAA. Although pilots who learn to fly through MBT can “fly” the helicopter within the parameters for which they are trained, it is no doubt an antiquated training model by modern day standards.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
Training
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Dec
28
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Lyn Burks - Recently while in Kona Hawaii on helicopter related business, I swerved off my intended course and popped into a local helicopter operation called Paradise Helicopters. Compared to some of the larger tour operators I have visited over the years, this operation had a true “mom and pop” look and feel. I later found that the outward image of quaintness mixed with a smidge of “Leave it to Beaver” family values was by design. However, scratching through that facade revealed a thriving, hardworking, all around skids-meet-the-ramp helicopter shop.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Dec
15
2010
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Posted by Admin
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Interview by Brad McNally, Contributing Editor - As we wrap up the Rotorcraft Pioneers Series I was lucky enough to have a chance to talk with one of the few people who have been involved with helicopters in North America from the beginning, Mr. Sergei Sikorsky. He’s crossed paths with more than few of the people profiled in the Pioneers Series and I had the chance to ask him about helicopters, his father’s legacy and his encounters with some of the people I profiled.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Human Interest
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Dec
08
2010
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Posted by Admin
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One name more than any other is synonymous with helicopter development, Igor Sikorsky. Often regarded as the father of the helicopter, Sikorsky was actually an incredibly talented aeronautical engineer who twice established himself as one of the world’s greatest designers of fixed wing aircraft before he built a successful helicopter. After designing, building and flying the first successful North American helicopter, Igor Sikorsky led the company which still bears his name through over forty years of helicopter innovation.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Human Interest
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Nov
29
2010
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Posted by Admin
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GOMER: Working in the Gulf of Mexico - Part 2
Article, Photos, & Video by Lyn Burks
In my experience, if you would like to see how serious a helicopter operator is about safety, then look no further than its new hire or recurrent pilot training programs. On one hand, there are programs which barely meet the FAA minimums, with their training program loosely packaged between the covers of Part 135 Operations Specifications. On the other, there are operators who go beyond the OpSpecs and fill the training “tool box” with innovative techniques and dedicated people.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
Becoming A Pilot
Safety
Helicopter Sectors