Author: Randy Mains
Are you interested in becoming a writer? A young helicopter pilot by the name of Taylor heard me speak at Helisuccess in Las Vegas and sent me an email saying he, too, had an interest in writing and wanted to know what the writing process was like for me, what was the tipping point where I decided to write and WHY. Here is my answer to him.
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My Two Cents Worth
Crew Resource Management (CRM) gives us the tools to make safe, prudent decisions; it’s something I wish I’d had while flying a JetRanger on a seismic survey contract in Papua New Guinea. Knowing what could hurt me would have prevented my nearly being eaten by a huge crocodile.
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Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
Hello Sir, we met a few years ago in Las Vegas when you spoke at Helisuccess and I have been a follower of your teachings ever since. One aspect of your most recent post regarding scud running with the R-44 video raised a nagging question for me. As a very conservative pilot, who has spent most of my time in the wire environment, I have discovered that the error chain starts way before the pilot enters the cockpit. It appears that many chief pilots or managers publicly preach safety, but when it comes down to the brass tacks, they often chastise their pilots who have the maturity to just say "No" often bending or do not follow their own Safety Management System, SMS and Standard SOP manuals and instead tell their pilots – “You should have at least given it a try.”
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My Two Cents Worth
A gentleman on my professional Facebook page, claimed a certain unit was “the best aviation unit in the world.” While we pilots often make strong claims, I got to thinking: What criteria would qualify a unit to be considered one of the best in the world?
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My Two Cents Worth
On the 13th of June flight nurse Jonathan Godfrey, posted the following missive on his Facebook page. Jonathan is an air medical helicopter crash survivor and stanch air medical safety advocate in the industry. His post serves to remind others in the business to stay vigilant and not to be lulled into a sense of complacency. What he so eloquently says in his message is worthy to be reposted here for his observations apply to anyone in our business. Here is what Jonathan said.
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My Two Cents Worth
It’s tragic when several pilots point out safety concerns to management, nothing is done to remedy the problem, and people lose their lives because the problem was not addressed.
A possible example occurred on 11 March 2018 when a Liberty Helicopters’ FlyNYON aircraft crashed in New York’s East River causing five people to lose their lives by drowning. Details in a New York Times article on the tragedy stated: “Pilots for the company that operated the flight warned their bosses about dangerous conditions, including equipment that could make escape difficult.”
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My Two Cents Worth
I recently received an email from a Mr. Jay Humphrey, a helicopter pilot who flew combat in Afghanistan. He wrote because he’d read my column in the March/April issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine entitled “Listen and Learn.” Reading my article caused him to recall something he’d heard and then used to get himself out of a jam when he was overloaded during a combat rescue mission. I want to pass along his technique to you as it just might come in handy for you one day. I have used it on occasion and I can vouch for him. It does work.
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My Two Cents Worth
In aviation we listen and we hopefully learn. When I arrived in Vietnam, I listened intently to the old guys to try and gain wisdom that would hopefully keep me alive. One bit of advice did save my life after dropping off four recon team members in an LZ that was a 100-foot hover hole in the jungle.
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My Two Cents Worth
Have you ever used someone’s good idea to illustrate a point and it EXPLODES right in your face because you had never considered an alternative answer? It happened to me when I spoke at Helisuccess in Las Vegas last year. Let me explain.
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Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
That’s a question Rick Weatherford, copy editor and staff writer for Rotorcraft Pro, asked me recently. Rick casts a discerning editorial eye over everything I write for the magazine, so I suppose he became curious about what motivates me.
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Categories:
My Two Cents Worth