Articles for tag VAST
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Mar
28
2025
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Posted by Admin
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In the mid-1980s, during my first tour as a young and inexperienced U.S. Army AH-1F Cobra pilot in Germany, I went through a near-catastrophic event that forever changed my approach to cockpit safety. It happened during a routine but fun training mission where I was performing low-level flight maneuvers in a loose trail formation with several other Cobras. I was at the controls in the back seat, flying in the trail position, focused on terrain using the peaks and valleys to try to remain clear of a notional surface-to-air missile threat. It didn’t get much better than this for an easy day of flying.
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Tags:
Safety First
Safety SITREP
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Jan
23
2025
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Posted by Admin
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In November, Amsterdam buzzed with excitement as EUROPEAN ROTORS 2024 brought together the brightest minds and top innovators in the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) industry. Co-owned by EASA and the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and powered by Vertical Aviation International (VAI), this premier European VTOL Show and Safety Conference was a thrilling event for rotorcraft professionals, enthusiasts, and industry pioneers alike.
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Tags:
Safety First
Safety SITREP
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Nov
18
2024
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Posted by Admin
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Questions: How to incentivize installation of systems and equipment having safety benefits in the current fleet? How to create a positive dynamic to enhance safety? Are there successful initiatives in other industries that could inspire the rotorcraft community?
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Tags:
Safety First
Safety SITREP
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Sep
23
2024
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Posted by Admin
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In the helicopter pilot training world, simulators can arguably be described as priceless assets, but for many, they remain a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. These systems offer a safe, controlled environment for pilots to hone their skills, practice emergency procedures, and enhance aeronautical decision-making without exposure to the risks of in-aircraft flight training.
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Tags:
Safety First
VAST
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May
27
2024
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Posted by Admin
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When a fatal aviation accident occurs, the tragedy takes a terrible toll on more lives than one can imagine. Not only are the lives of the victims lost, but the collateral damage heaped on hundreds of family members, friends, coworkers, and industry stakeholders is similarly devastating. Meanwhile, the in-depth and arduous efforts of the NTSB, FAA, involved parties, and other global aviation accident investigators have just begun. Their work comprises thousands of hours of investigating, interviewing, researching, and documenting the fruits of their efforts in a preliminary and final report. A report focused on telling us what happened, why, and how we can prevent it from happening again. The prevention component may include targeted recommendations emphasizing more urgent or critical actions that should take place to avoid a repeat event or address other deficiencies discovered during the investigation.
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Tags:
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Jan
25
2024
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Posted by Admin
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Wire-strike accidents consistently rank as one of the top causes of both total and fatal agricultural aviation accidents. A review by the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) of agricultural aviation wire-strike accidents from 2017 to 2021 revealed that 54% of the accidents involved helicopters. For reference, according to the latest FAA GA survey data, helicopters represent 23% of the total ag. aviation fleet and 20% of the hours flown making aerial applications. Regarding the location of the wires struck, 62% of the time the wire was in the field receiving the application; 38% of the time the wire was located along the edge of the field.
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Tags:
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Nov
16
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Come Collaborate to Improve Safety and Operational Excellence
Since time began, humans have come together to share stories and discuss ideas that can make the world a better place. In such a diverse community like that of rotorcraft and VTOL, we have lots of amazing people using a wide variety of machines to perform different tasks and activities.
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Tags:
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Sep
22
2023
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Posted by Admin
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I knew at age 16 I wanted to fly when I saw my first medical helicopter pick up a trauma patient in front of me. I began my career in air medicine at the ripe old age of 24 as a flight nurse at Lifeline in Rockford, Illinois. It was several years later that safety took on a new meaning when I later flew for AirLife-Denver in Colorado, and our program experienced a fatal crash that rocked me to my core. I was afforded the resources to heal and saw meaningful industry-wide changes develop over time. I still applaud AirLife’s leadership who first supported their people and then mined for lessons learned, sharing them broadly to enhance safety for all. When I became their le
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Tags:
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Jul
27
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.
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Dave McCarthy
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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May
23
2023
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Posted by Admin
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I recently assumed the USHST Industry Co-Chair position from Nick Mayhew, who has provided many significant contributions during his tenure. I want to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and objectives in my new role. But first, a look back at the journey. I first became involved with the IHST International Helicopter Safety Team in 2010. As a helicopter pilot with an airline background, I saw an opportunity to provide different aspects of safety, training, navigation and human factors to the vertical flight community. Not everything will translate, but many aspects do, such as evidence & scenario-based training, flight training devices, electronic flight bags and performance based navigation (PBN). At the onset, some of this seemed foreign, but is clearly recognizable today. Also, over time, the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) became the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) and the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) is now a regional organization in the global VAST organization. I have worked with the USHST’s Infrastructure Working Group, particularly on COPTER IFR/PBN, and we’ve seen important, transformative changes.
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Tags:
Chris Baur
Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First