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May
24
2010
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopter pilots are no different than members of any other profession. They, like the others, are human, process oxygen, and possess an ego which drives them to believe “I’m better than so and so.” I call this the “My daddy can beat up your daddy” syndrome.” “Look at me…”.
I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an expert on the human condition. I do, however, believe that we have a responsibility to insure that those who come into this profession behind us deserve the benefit of our great wisdom. That may seem to be an egotistical statement in and of itself, but hear me out.
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May
10
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Rex Alexander - Warning and caution signs that every heliport should have to enhance safety and reduce liability.
Ever since the first helicopter landed and took off from a heliport, we as an industry have worked hard to make the heliport environment as safe as possible. Whether it is obstruction lighting to illuminate surrounding hazards, a safety net surrounding an elevated heliport, or a windsock to indicate the wind direction, many organizations have done everything feasible to insure safety at their heliports.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Safety
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May
04
2010
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Posted by Admin
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Kigali, Rwanda - The Law Enforcement Division of Los Angeles Helicopters and Akagera Aviation work together to train Rwandan pilots for the Kigali police department. Akagera recently purchased a new Robinson R44 police helicopter and initiated an Airborne Law Enforcement program for Kigali, the capitol city of Rwanda. The ship is turnkey and complete with the latest and most up to date Police equipment including microwave downlink ability and the latest FLIR systems.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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May
04
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Matt Zuccaro - As you are aware, safety is my favorite topic, as I believe it ultimately affects everything we do in our industry — both in the present and for the future. With this in mind, you would think all owner/operators would have a laser focus on this issue, making it their number one decision criteria. In a perfect world that would be true, but last time I checked not everything we want occurs in the bright reality of day-to-day operations. However, it does not have to be that way.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Safety
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May
04
2010
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Posted by Admin
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J.R. Aviation is the leading helicopter operator and flight academy in the Midwest, and has been proudly serving the Greater Louisville area since 1992.We offer training for all FAA Certificates and Ratings, from Private through CFII and ATP.We offer flexible scheduling as well as some of the best training in the country in both ground and flight training.Our training is even more enhanced by one-on-one ground and flight training.This gives our students the full attention of the Certified Flight Instructors (CFI’s), and the ability to move at their own pace and learning style.Our CFI’s are highly experienced not only as instructors but in Commercial Operations as well. We strive to teach our students a greater technical understanding of what is going on in the helicopter.This teaches the student to anticipate, rather than react to aerodynamic issues with the aircraft.We stress the importance of energy and power management, rules and regulations and what is the right and smart thing to do.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Apr
27
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Jenna Shepard - There are two main threats to EMS helicopter pilots – weather and darkness, but this really shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 1988, the National Transportation Safety Board investigated 59 helicopter emergency medical services accidents and concluded that low visibility, often caused by poor weather conditions accounted for 61% of all crashes. Since then, little has changed.Although the commercial aviation industry requires that an aircraft be outfitted with everything from weather tracking technologies like onboard radar and GPS to collision avoidance tools, these same requirements are not made of the medical helicopter industry. Furthermore, at a time when air medical companies are being scrutinized due to the sheer number of EMS helicopter crashes and a lack of critical onboard technologies not yet mandated by the FAA, one company is making big strides in the right direction by focusing on weather safety.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
Safety
Helicopter Sectors
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Apr
20
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Kerry Sullivan - The article by Susan Parson in the March issue titled “Personal Minimums: A Development Guide” provides a systematic way for pilots to determine realistic safety margins for weather. The EMS operator I fly for requires its pilots to develop their own personal weather minimums which are to be more restrictive than those contained in the Operations Specifications. I have found more restrictive minimums necessary because I do not believe the generally used weather minimums are adequate to keep me out of Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC). Despite strict weather minimums, detailed weather products and annual training in weather and pilot decision making we still have all too-frequent incidents of IIMC. As we are all painfully aware, some of these IIMC occurrences result in fatal accidents.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
Safety
Helicopter Sectors
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Apr
13
2010
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Posted by Admin
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Written &Video Feature:Advanced Helicopter Training with FlightSafety International
By Lyn Burks - Having been in the helicopter industry for a little while, I have been fortunate enough to experience many levels of training. While recently attending an S76C++ transition course at FlightSafety International (FlightSafety), I am reminded of the stark differences between the "haves" and the "have nots."
My reference to "haves" and "have nots" is not meant to be deprecating to those who offer or attend helicopter training at traditional facilities. It’s really more of an analogy which notes the difference in the level of training provided by FlightSafety as compared to other training providers I have experienced. The present model of our training industry is what it is, and this article will not change it.
[VIEWVIDEOANDARTICLENOW]
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
Company Profiles
Training
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Apr
06
2010
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Posted by Admin
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I used to laugh at the chopper jockeys
And those things they travel in
I joked about how slow they are
And the way they pound the wind.
Some o' the guys got hoppin' mad
Guess it hit a sour note
Especially one called "Shorty"
Man, I always got his goat.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Humor & Poetry
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Apr
06
2010
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Posted by Admin
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By Lyn Burks - In previous career development articles we left off with the importance of the resume, along with several tips for “spooling up” your resume to a higher level of professionalism. Assuming you did everything right and your resume has convinced the hiring authority that you may be the person for the job; you may now be facing a new hurdle. The phone interview.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development