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Articles for tag Randy Mains




Nov
28
2022

Larissa Hamilton | My Aviation Story

Posted by Admin

When I came back to North America after nearly 30-years of flying overseas, my main goal was to try to put an end of what was in my mind an unacceptable helicopter accident rate in the USA, specifically, in the HAA industry.  While flying abroad, I witness a new paradigm, a much safer way to operate that if adopted in the USA would undoubtedly significantly lower the accident rate. [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Nov
28
2022

Rotorcraft Checkride…Thank You!

Posted by Admin

When Lyn Burks approached me with the opportunity to develop a column in Rotorcraft Pro magazine titled Rotorcraft Checkride, I really wasn’t sure if I was the right person for the job. My initial thought was to pass on the opportunity and allow a much better writer to handle the task. Lyn assured me that he had confidence in my ability to engage their readership in a meaningful manner and so I accepted his offer. Here we are 8 years later and I’m sad to say it’s time to pass the torch. [Read More...]



Tags: Randy Mains Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories: categoryRotorcraft Checkride



Oct
24
2022

Flight of the Phoenix Down Under

Posted by Admin

I am in awe of aviation mechanics. I have always admired their ability to fix complex and even not-so-complex machines by wading through, what are to me, confusing-to-understand thick, cumbersome maintenance manuals.   [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Sep
26
2022

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

Posted by Admin

I very nearly lost my life in a training accident while serving as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam but my training to expect the unexpected saved my life and the instructor flying with me.  I’d been ‘in country’ for three months when my instructor nearly killed us.  I was taking my check ride to become an aircraft commander in the Bell 205 Huey.  Imagine the irony of losing your life while training to save your life in an emergency only to die training for it.  It seemed nuts.  It also sounds like a line out of the book Catch-22. [Read More...]



Tags: My 2 Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Aug
26
2022

Things Have Come a Long Way

Posted by Admin

A friend of mine recently sent me a copy of a letter addressed to all copilots at American Airways dated 25 October 1930.   When I read it, I realized how far we’ve come in 92 years in the crew resource management world. In fact, quite a lot of what I read, I found shamelessly politically incorrect when compared to today’s thinking in our aviation world.  [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Jul
24
2022

Air Ambulance Helicopter Struck Ground During Go-Around

Posted by Admin

The title of this blog should be “Know your autopilot.”  As an ATP examiner having tested and examined pilots from over twenty countries, I have seen my share of pilots miss-handle the autopilot both in the aircraft and in the Level-D flight simulator and get themselves into trouble.  What I observed in most cases was the pilot flying would ‘punch off’ the autopilot just when they needed it most, mainly because they were not certain what the autopilot was doing.  Whenever they hit the autopilot disconnect button, I called it the “I’m going to kill myself switch” and watch the fun begin. [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Jun
26
2022

Fiery Crash in the Australian Outback

Posted by Admin

Let me pass along to you an important tip: Listen to a pilot you are replacing; if a pilot quits a job you’ve just accepted and tells you, “Hey man, the machine’s unsafe,” or “This is an unsafe operation.” Believe them.   [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



May
19
2022

Transitioning into an IFR Program

Posted by Admin

Hello Randy, quick question if I may.  I’m formerly the Director of Safety at MercyFlight in Central NY (Rochester/Syracuse), now I’m doing my Multi-Commercial fixed wing and CFI’s in Daytona Beach. My old program is going to be replacing 4 legacy BK-117's with new single engine IFR Leonardo 119's.  They will be phasing in the 4 new ships over a year to 18 months.  Is there a standard for when new platform training should occur so it isn't too far away from delivery ?  The concern is having crew take the training and have too much time pass.  It's common sense to do it close to delivery, just curious if there were any best practice documents, thesis, etc. that may have addressed the question. [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Apr
25
2022

Training Safely

Posted by Admin

Helicopter pilot flight training can be hazardous for reasons I will highlight in this article. I’ve been a flight instructor in the military, a senior instructor for Bell Helicopter in Iran teaching pilots how to be instructor pilots,  an instructor and a flight examiner for 13 years while working for the Royal Police Air Wing in the Sultanate of Oman, and a type-rating instructor and type-rating examiner in the Bell 412EP and Bell 212 while working for Abu Dhabi Aviation. While in Abu Dhabi, I trained and examined airline transport pilots hailing from more than 20 countries. In my 13,000-hour flying career, I have developed habits I use while training that I pass along to you to, hopefully, keep you safe.   [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth



Mar
28
2022

Surprise Startle Effect and Resilience

Posted by Admin

As an EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certified CRM instructor, I am required to attend an 8-hour class every three years to learn what is new or changed in the thinking of crew resource management.  During my last recertification that I attended at Global Air Training in Cheshire, England with 12 other CRM instructors who were similarly recertifying we were told the ‘hot topic’ in the industry was something called Surprise, Startle Effect and Resilience.  This topic was brought to our attention because there have been a series of accidents where this phenomenon was determined to be a major factor in the fatal crashes and something we should cover in any future CRM classes we were facilitating. [Read More...]



Tags: My Two Cents Worth Randy Mains
Categories: categoryMy Two Cents Worth


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