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
The latest on the Bell 525 is a 2019 delivery date. However, with the offshore industry saturated with existing aircraft, a Bell spokesman stated it plans for a “soft” service debut. It will be interesting how the old school pilots will take to the fly-by-wire controls in every day operations. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
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Rotorcraft Checkride
Every two (2) years, all Flight Instructors are mandated to renew their highly coveted flight instructor certificate. Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides several paths to obtain a renewal, my preferred method is to attend a Flight Instructor Refresher Course or FIRC.
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Rotorcraft Checkride
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
There were also a number of notable accidents in the past months. The tour industry took several hits and an EC135 went in the water in Australia. While they all appear to be operations sided, it never hurts to regroup and ensure we are minding our Ps and Qs on the maintenance side. And here is one example that drives it home: http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/lax-maintenance-honolulu-b206/
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ROTORwrench
On October 20th, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published significant additions and alterations to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). Several changes can be found in 14 CFR 61.129 which identifies the aeronautical experience to meet commercial pilot certification requirements. The changes made to the existing regulation were welcome by many within the ab initio helicopter training industry. However, some of the changes to the regulation may have facilitated instructional coddling that’s proving detrimental to our commercial pilot cadre.
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Rotorcraft Checkride
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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My Two Cents Worth
After years of speculation, a new study released during Heli-Expo has confirmed there will be a shortage of helicopter mechanics over the next 18 years. I don’t know if that means “experienced” mechanics or just a head count, but with stated numbers of over 40,000 mechanics, now might be a time to brush off your resume.
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ROTORwrench
A couple months ago, an article in the newspaper caught my eye. The article was titled “The First Air Taxi Coming to Dallas”. Initially, I thought a new Part 135 helicopter operator popped up and this was an attempt to market themselves in the area. However, this was not the case. The article provided an overview of the relationship between Uber and Bell (formerly Bell Helicopter), and how their newly founded joint venture Uber Elevate would launch in Dallas around 2023. This got me thinking...
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Rotorcraft Checkride