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Aug
14
2023
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Posted by Admin
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One dark night on the San Diego coast, my crew was launched for LE to intercept a drug-laden “panga” en route from Mexico to the U.S. We got the intel from our command center and launched into the blackness to find our panga. As we headed west over the Pacific Ocean with our radar scanning the surface of the water and our night vision goggles tuned up, we encountered declining ceilings at 1,000 feet AWL. We continued our search pattern at 700 feet and as the evening got cooler, the ceilings got lower. When we went down to 500 feet AWL, we discussed our hard deck of 200 feet AWL and termination of the search. We went down to 300 feet and finally at 200 feet we reached our limit and returned to base. The risk to my crew in declining ceilings was not worth the gain of finding the drug runner.
[Read More...]
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Aug
07
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Sweden is a gem among Europe’s nations and its the largest amongst the Scandinavian ones. It is a country with unique Nordic charm, an incredible archipelago made up of over 24,000 islands and a land with more than 100,000 lakes. Sweden is a unique blend of tradition and progress. Known for its high standard of living and its developed economy, it also has a strong commitment to social welfare, democracy, environmental sustainability, and nature preservation.
However, do not let the progressiveness of this culture fool you. They live by a special philosophy named Lagom. Translated that means “moderate”—not too little, not too much; just the right amount. Since the days of the Vikings this philosophy has existed. However, the Vikings of old have been replaced by today’s modern heroes – the pilots of the Swedish National Police (SNP) Air Support Unit. They are the team of expert pilots who keep Sweden a safe and wonderful place to live.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Patria Helicopters AB
Polisflyget
SNP Air Unit
SNP fleet Bell 429
Swedish National Police Aviation Unit
Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
Safety
Training
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Jul
31
2023
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Posted by Admin
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He walked into my office as a confident 22-year-old with the ink still wet on his newly issued Airframe & Powerplant certificate that he proudly carried in his pocket. The young man looked at me and said, “I want to be a helicopter mechanic”. After a brief discussion, his enthusiasm and seemingly sense of life’s direction convinced me to take a chance on him. I placed him under the supervision of a 38-year master helicopter mechanic. My instruction to the young man was “learn from him.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
A&P mechanic
Helicopter A&P Mechanic
Helicopter Maintenance Training
Categories:
Training
Safety
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Jul
24
2023
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Posted by Admin
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I want to be remembered for only one thing: my contribution to aviation. – Howard Hughes
There’s no doubt that Mr. Hughes is remembered in our industry for his contributions . . . or at least I hope so. I cannot help but wonder how many young aviators of this generation do not realize that the iconic MD 500 family of aircraft was originally developed by the Hughes Tool Company in the 1960s. Since then, there have been several owners of the OEM, thousands of aircraft manufactured, and even more pilots and mechanics trained, thereby keeping this workhorse in the game throughout several sectors of the helicopter industry.
With new leadership at MD Helicopters, this iconic brand is sporting an enhanced emphasis on training as a component of its aftermarket services.
"The primary goal since I came on was to improve our aftermarket, which encompasses spares, overhaul, repair and training," related Brad Pedersen, MD Helicopters LLC president and CEO since August 2022. "Training has sort of been a secondary function of the business; we want to make it a primary."
[Read More...]
Tags:
MD Helicopters President Brad Pedersen
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Jul
17
2023
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Posted by Admin
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NTSB report notes iPad linked to CH-47D crash
[Read More...]
NTSB Examination Summary - Exemplar helicopter and iPad-Rel.pdf (1.16 MB)
Categories:
Safety
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Jul
17
2023
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I'm North American new business manager for Loft Dynamics. My task is to introduce our new FSTD in the U.S. With my background at FlightSafety, I’m uniquely equipped to home in on specific helo markets who operate AS350s: public safety aviation, air medical, and commercial operators. They badly need an affordable AS350 simulator, and we have it.
[Read More...]
Tags:
AS350 Simulators
flightsafety
Loft Dynamics
public safety aviation
Woody McClendon
Categories:
Human Interest
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Jul
10
2023
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Posted by Admin
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There are too many unique and interesting facts about Orange County, Florida, to list here, but let’s start with a few and see where it goes:
Did you know that Orange County’s land was part of the first land to come up from the sea millions of years ago, and it is known as Orange Island. Orange County's Rock Springs location is a Pleistocene fossil-bearing area and has yielded a variety of mammal remains, including giant sloth, mammoth, camel, and the dire wolf dating around 1.1 million years ago.
Also, the county was named Mosquito County by Andrew Jackson from 1821 up until Florida was made a U.S. State in 1845, at which point it was renamed Orange County. No doubt, that change helped tourism!
In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California. Oddly enough, this new theme park on the West Coast of the U.S. would be the genesis of a population explosion on the other side of the country in the growing State of Florida . . . except that it almost didn’t happen. In an effort to replicate Disneyland in California, Walt Disney began what was called the “Florida Project” and began purchasing and developing land in the Orange County area in the 1960s. Unfortunately, Walt Disney died on 15 December 1966, during the initial planning of the complex.
After Walt’s death, his older brother, Roy O. Disney, came out of retirement to make sure Walt's biggest dream was realized. Magic Kingdom was the first theme park to open in the complex in 1971, followed by Epcot (1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (1989), and Disney's Animal Kingdom (1998). It was loyal Roy who insisted the name of the entire complex be changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World.
In 1840, the county population was 73. In 1960, it was 263,000. Today, Orange County has a resident population of 1.4 million people and welcomes more than 75 million visitors annually, making it the No. 1 destination for tourism and travel in the entire world.
What does all this have to do with helicopters? Well, although very large and diverse populations can be culturally rich and interesting, they can also mean more crime. Fortunately for residents and tourists, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) has a long history of aviation-supported law enforcement. Granted, not as far back in history as its Pleistocene fossil era, but still a rich history nonetheless.
[Read More...]
Tags:
aviation-supported law enforcement
B206L4
Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO)
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Jul
03
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Todd Powers is now the VP of Sales for GPMS, a pioneer in predictive HUMS (health usage and monitoring systems) for aircraft. He’s also an active commercial pilot who flies part-time for a half-dozen of his customers to whom he sold helicopters in his previous sales role at Airbus. Yet despite his long and successful career in aviation, he first rebelled against working in the industry.
He rejected the industry as a career after his father, a recreational fixed-wing pilot and an administrator at Iowa Lakes Community College, created a college curriculum customized to usher his son into an airline pilot seat. “He started it the year that I was a high school senior and it’s still a pretty big program today. The first year of college, you get your private certificate and instrument ratings, and then in your second year, you get your Commercial and CFI. And then it was on to Great Lakes Airlines, (then a feeder for United Express airline) That was the path he had set for me, but it wasn’t my path.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
GPMS
Rotor Pro Executive Watch Todd Powers
Todd Powers
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Jun
27
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Remember the “defund the police” movement that began back in 2020? I remember thinking at the time, “This really seems like a dumb idea.”
I recall learning “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” while taking a college psychology class. It’s a theory comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. I remember that safety/security is the second most important foundational layer.
Where does that security come from in our daily lives? I believe it starts with the individual. However, there are limits on what we can do as individuals. As a society, the rule of law is the foundation for our security, and it’s the law enforcement agencies on the streets—and in the air— who do the actual work of enforcing those laws to protect us.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Defund the Police
Refund the Police
Rotor Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Jun
19
2023
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Posted by Admin
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After a job interview, you should send a formal thank you note to everyone that was involved in that interview, and it wouldn’t hurt to thank the recruiter and those that coordinated the meeting as well. Sending a thank you note after an interview shows that you're a professional—a “pro.”
After your interview, you should send a thank you note to the interviewer immediately. When writing your note, there are a few things to keep in mind:
[Read More...]
Tags:
Career Development
Follow Up Email
Follow Up Interview
Military to Civilian
Networking
Categories:
Career Development