Articles for category My Two Cents Worth
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Nov
17
2020
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Posted by Admin
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With the advent of the Corona-19 virus pandemic, the workforce world-wide has had to adapt to an alternate way to approach their job. I am no different as I teach and facilitate a 5-day CRM Instructor course. Training to be an effective CRM instructor relies on learning how to become an effective facilitator, a skill I teach in my Instructor classes. To be a successful facilitator, facilitation techniques must be practiced on others to achieve the desired result of changing adult behavior. With the raging pandemic curtailing in-person interactions, learning to be a facilitator in aviation in a virtual setting is something the aviation industry has had to adapt to.
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My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
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My Two Cents Worth
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Oct
19
2020
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Posted by Admin
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When I was chief pilot at San Diego Life Flight air medical program, on my time off, I enrolled in a seven-month EMT class. There have been several incidents since taking that class where I’ve had to use those skills to lend assistance to people in need. That is one reason I think everyone should take, at very minimum, a first-aid course. You never know when you may be in a position to be of medical assistance or to even save a life.
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M2C
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
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My Two Cents Worth
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Sep
18
2020
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Posted by Admin
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I recently received an email from a CFII by the name of Matthew Goodrich who felt compelled to write after reading my article, Knowing it’s time to hang up the Headset that appeared in the July/Aug 2020 issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine. Matthew wrote to say: “Great article Randy. You mention basic criteria for passing/failing a pilot in a checkride. Do you think instructors should evaluate the same basic criteria (judgment) when endorsing someone for checkride? Or do you think instructors should focus on clear standards and leave judgment of the bigger picture to examiners? It's likely not as black and white as I'm asking.
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My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Aug
24
2020
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Posted by Admin
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A recent incident the FAA is investigating involving Harrison Ford that occurred this past April at Hawthorne Municipal Airport in California, prompted me to ponder the question that we all may need to address at some point in our flying career as we age: Will you know when it’s time to hang up your headset?
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My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
Last July of 2019, the United States Helicopter Safety team, (USHST) put out a press release stating: Helicopter industry headed for highest fatal accidents in more than a decade. To stem the surge of fatal accidents, the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team called on helicopter operators, pilots, instructors and mechanics to rely on safety basics and place a priority on them. The safety organization called for pilots, instructors and others with a stake in helicopter safety to focus on SEVEN key actions that will save lives based on past accident reports. Here are the seven key actions that are worth remembering:
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My Two Cents Worth
Two of my readers offered their unique views regarding the last column I wrote for the April/May 2020 issue of Rotorcraft Pro entitled Honoring that Sacred Trust. In the article I talked about the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash addressing some of the facts taken from the preliminary NTSB report, one of those facts being the accident pilot had over 8,000 flight hours and held an instrument instructor certificate.
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My Two Cents Worth
During this time of social distancing and staying in place and away from people as much as possible, I find it’s also a time of reflection on my career so far. An incident in my garden recently reminded me of an occurrence that took place when I was flying in Papua New Guinea.
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My Two Cents Worth
“Sacred trust.” That is what your passengers give you every time they get into your helicopter to go on a flight. By their very actions they are saying to you, “I am literally placing my life in your hands.”
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My Two Cents Worth
Randy, I concur with all your points you bring up about the Ohio Survival Flight 14 accident that you detailed in your January / February 2020 column entitled “Case Study.” I flew for Survival Flight 4 base out if Batesville Arkansas next to their HQ for 9 months. During my time there, I experienced pressure to fly; I was admonished for bringing up maintenance issues as well as questioning the crew endurance policies that were routinely violated by the Lead Pilot. I retired from the Army as CW4 IP, ASO in 2009.
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My Two Cents Worth
As helicopter pilots we often never know the impact we can make on a person’s life. That thought came to mind when I read my good friend’s excellent book, The Sky Behind Me written by Byron Edgington, which I can recommend without reservation.
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My Two Cents Worth