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Articles for tag My Two Cents Worth




Aug
29
2024

Power-On Autorotative Descent Training…Limiting One Risk by Increasing Another

Posted by Admin

About a year ago, I was conducting pilot training for a Part 135 company, which was a relatively new customer. Prior to FAA approval to conduct this training, I conducted a review of their Part 135 training program to determine their differences from our training. Most often, a VFR Part 135 helicopter operators training program is going to be quite like another. Of course, some differences will always exist. The question is whether those differences require additional training and checking. [Read More...]



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



Jun
26
2024

Harrison Ford’s FAA Exam… and My Great Regret

Posted by Admin

In 1997, I was a relatively new FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) in the South Florida FAA District Office. On a beautiful Saturday in December, I was asked to complete an FAA private pilot added-rating exam for an applicant at a helicopter flight school at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE). As I had done many exams for this school, there was nothing unique about this day. At least, that was my thoughts prior to my arrival. [Read More...]



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



Apr
29
2024

Flight Training in Today’s Simulated World

Posted by Admin

As the quality and cost of flight simulation decreases, the regulatory limitations on its use within the flight training industry remain stagnant. Looking much like it did decades ago, the credits offered on the use of simulation provide very little in the way of aeronautical decision-making (ADM) and focus on simulation versus flight-hour credits on limited aircraft-based maneuvers. Does this maneuver, credit-based simulation model truly capture the capabilities of the flight training simulation available today?  [Read More...]



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



Feb
23
2024

Radar Altimeters and 5G Exemptions…For Safety or Convenience?

Posted by Admin

The introduction of radar (also known as radio) altimeters to the helicopter industry began as a highly accurate tool to validate actual height above ground during Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight operations. Like the fixed wing world, a helicopter being flown on an IFR approach needs accurate information on height above ground to continue to a safe landing.  [Read More...]



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



Aug
28
2023

FAA Oversight | Dysfunctionality Perfected!

Posted by Admin

Many facets of our lives, both personal and professional, changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. One significant entity within the aviation industry, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), took great strides in protecting their staff by providing a path for most FAA employees to work from home. During the pandemic, connecting with an FAA staff member once the communication process was developed and released seemed to be simple and functional. As an operator, we were pleasantly surprised by the expeditious email and phone call returns that were occurring in this new FAA work-from-home world, but this was all about to change. [Read More...]



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



Jun
26
2023

Be There for Others

Posted by Admin

For many of us, the daily grind of life presents a real struggle. Not because it’s hot outside or the work we do is exhausting. It’s because of battles being fought within us outside of the public eye. For some, these battles started many years ago and continue to influence day-to-day behaviors and thoughts. People are affected by events and life experiences and react to them in different ways. I believe that you can only truly understand someone when you know and understand their past.    [Read More...]



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



Feb
27
2023

Hey FAA, IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE! | Aviation Management Experience Deficit

Posted by Admin

The general aviation industry is hemorrhaging pilots to the airlines, and it doesn’t appear that this practice will slow soon. For decades, helicopter pilots were not a targeted market for the airline industry, but times have changed. Qualified and highly skilled helicopter pilots have their own path to airline selection from both military and civilian backgrounds. This situation has placed a strain on the helicopter industry to obtain and retain qualified aviation management personnel.  [Read More...]



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



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



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



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


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