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Nov
07
2022
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Posted by Admin
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“It’s not fake it until you make it , but keep working until you obtain it,” says the entrepreneur pilot who accelerated through the pilot ranks into management faster than a V-22 Osprey and decided that wasn’t enough. So, he bought four helicopter tour operations that fly from Montana to Mount Rushmore. That wasn’t enough. So, he’s starting up a fifth utility operation to balance his tourist-heavy holdings. Yet, if you’re expecting to meet some hard-charging, win-at-all-costs egomaniac, you’re in for a pleasant surprise and time.
Here, let’s introduce you to Mark Schlaefli president and owner of Dakota Rotors LLC, and (deep breath now): Black Hills Aerial Adventures, Rushmore Helicopters, Badger Helicopters (DBA Badlands Helicopters) and Yellowstone Helicopters. Coming this fall is the addition of a Part 133 and Part 137 certificate to Dakota Rotors to enhance their ability to deliver a full spectrum of services throughout the Midwest and Mountain West.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Black Hills Aerial Adventures
Dakota Rotors
Helicopter tour Operations
Categories:
Human Interest
Career Development
Company Profiles
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Oct
31
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The Mont-Blanc massif is a majestic range of mountains shared between France, Italy and Switzerland. Culminating at 4,808 meters above sea level, the Mont-Blanc summit is the highest of Western Europe.
It’s a true paradise for mountain lovers as it shows them different climates throughout the year, which makes it a place to visit for all seasons.
Mountains create challenges, such as the altitude, the lack of oxygen, the changing weather, the different surfaces (snow, ice, rocks) and limited accessibility. At the top of some summits, you can find huts for hikers, ski lifts. All these facilities need regular maintenance.
The only sustainable way to access them easily and quickly is to use helicopters. Fortunately, Chamonix Mont-Blanc Hélicoptères (CMBH) is strategically located at the bottom of Glacier of Argentière near Chamonix in Haute-Savoie, France. It was founded in 1992 by pilot and CEO Pascal Brun, who is known by the local community as the pilot with more than 30,000 flight hours.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Chamonix Mont Blanc Helicopters
High Altitude Flying
Utililty and Rescue Helicopters
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Oct
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates
As you might have seen in my July-August 2022 editor’s letter, we changed our brand from Rotorcraft Pro to Rotor Pro. The word “Rotorcraft” in our old brand served us well for more than a decade, but the industry is rapidly changing and it’s too narrow a focus when considering aircraft advances such as powered-lift, eVTOL, unmanned, and advanced air mobility.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Helicopter Industry
Helicopter Pilots
Helicopters and eVTOL
Rotor Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Oct
17
2022
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Posted by Admin
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According to the historical website marconiheritage.org, the world’s first air-to-ground wireless communications occurred on 27th August 1910 when Canadian aviation pioneer John Alexander Douglas McCurdy transmitted a Morse code message to Henry M. Horton, as McCurdy flew over the Sheepshead Bay race track in Brooklyn.
The first voice communications between an aircraft and the ground took place in 1915, when the Royal Flying Corps’ Captain C.E. Prince radioed Captain J.M. Furnival as he circled overhead. 'Hello Furnie. If you can hear me now it will be the first time speech has ever been communicated to an aeroplane in flight,” said Captain Prince. He then added, “Hello Furnie, if you can hear me dip your wings” -- and Captain Furnival waggled his wings in response.
[Read More...]
Tags:
aircraft communication systems
Flightcell Internationa
land mobile radios
P25 ground comms
Sikorsky R-4 helicopter
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Safety
Training
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Oct
10
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Combatting the pilot and mechanic shortage is on the forefront of the agenda for most helicopter companies today. Finding a solution to this shortage, with qualified candidates, seems to be evading even the most prestigious helicopter companies.
[Read More...]
Tags:
active duty military members intern program
DOD SkillBridge program
Military to Civilian Aviation
Categories:
Career Development
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Oct
03
2022
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Posted by Admin
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If you’ve ever witnessed a wildfire, you’ve likely seen the ubiquitous Bambi Bucket® dropping water on bright orange flames. The product turns 40 this year, and it has grown in both size and function over the decades. In this article, learn more about the product that has a simple appearance, but high visibility. It's garnered a tremendous international customer base and its popularity is continuing to grow with an increase in severe wildfires.
SEI Industries of British Columbia, Canada, produces Bambi Bucket®. They have other product lines as well, such as military fuel systems and aviation transport systems, to name a couple. General Manager Mark Tayler has been with the company for 18 years, and said that they have popular products that solve a problem for helicopter operators in military and fire service applications. He added that their success is in their employees and how the company is managed.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Bambi Bucket
Bambi Bucket Pilot Training
SEI Industries
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Sep
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I recently retired as the Aviation Section captain for the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Florida. The Section has four helicopters, one fixed-wing aircraft, and 24 full-time personnel consisting of pilots, flight observers and mechanics. There are additional part-time personnel available on an as-needed basis.
RPMN: Tell me about your first flight or experience with helicopters.
My first flight in a helicopter was when I was assigned as an A-4 plane captain with VMA-131 in the U.S. Marine Corps. We flew on a CH-53 from Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Pennsylvania to Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. It was a fantastic experience. The pilots were Vietnam veterans who truly enjoyed their work and took time to explain what they were doing as well as how the systems operated on the aircraft. From that point on I was hooked on becoming a pilot.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Meet A Rotor Pro
Orange County Sheriffs Aviation Unit
Tony Minnis
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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Sep
19
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The village of Zermatt, Switzerland, is nestled at the base of the majestic Matterhorn in the midst of a renowned hiking and ski region. These amazing attributes combine to create one of the world’s most iconic vacation resorts.
The region is legendary amongst mountaineers. The Haute (High) Route, a challenging international hiking and ski route that takes several days to complete, runs from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. More than 400 kilometers of hiking trails wind through and out of the Matterhorn Valley, drawing year-round visitors. However, this alpine paradise also harbors potential dangers. Rockfalls, avalanches, invisible crevasses and suddenly changing weather can rapidly transform this dreamy region into a nightmare.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Agusta Bell 206A
Air Zermatt Aviation Rescue
Alouette III
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Sep
12
2022
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Posted by Admin
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“I never really thought I’d have the title “Vice President” in front of my name. Coming out of the Army as basically an A&P mechanic, I never really thought my career would reach this level; it’s a pretty daunting responsibility to be honest,” says Vice President Kip McDermott of night vision leader Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) in Boise, Idaho. His current responsibilities seem daunting for sure: working with government regulators all over the world, writing test plans, certification plans, and wrangling designated engineering representatives (DERs) up for engineering reports, overseeing a Part 145 repair station along with ASU’s Part 135 and Part 141 flight operations groups, as well as being responsible for supplemental type certificate (STC) certification and ASU’s highly regarded night vision goggle (NVG) lab would “daunt” any executive, but McDermott is confident he can handle his lengthy list. If he loses his grip, he says there’s help, “The saving grace of it all is that I’ve got good guys I’m working with; I don’t have to micromanage them (I’ve never been a micromanager and will never be.) They make my job easier; if I drop something, they pick it up.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
Aviation Specialites Unlimited
Executive Watch
Kip McDermott ASU
RotorPro Executive Watch
Categories:
Company Profiles
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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Sep
08
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The Mesa, Arizona helicopter manufacturer, emerges from bankruptcy ready to stabilize and support customers with an eye on future growth.
Brad Pedersen, the newly announced president of MD Helicopters LLC, is no-nonsense regarding the company's future. After three years of working through a bankruptcy process with a compilation of companies, Pedersen said that MD Helicopters is ready to focus on its core business – the customers and after-market support. The 35-year aerospace veteran said that the company is financially strong, and the bankruptcy was a collateralized loan fund that included ownership of several companies. It wasn't a bankruptcy borne of poor financial management.
By Jennifer Ferrero
[Read More...]
Tags:
Brad Pedersen
MD 500
MD 530F
MD Helicopter New Ownership
MD Helicopters New Leadership
MD Helicopters President Brad Pedersen
Categories:
Helicopter Event Coverage
Company Profiles