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Dec
18
2023
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Posted by Admin
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There is a monster in the hangar. I’m not sure how it got in but it’s high time it left. The monster’s name is Distractions. We must focus to minimize and eliminate Distractions, or it can be financially costly or even dangerous. The Aviation Human Factors Dirty Dozen listed on www.FAASafety.gov defines distractions as anything that draws your attention away from the task at hand. It goes on to say that distractions are the number one cause of forgetting things, including what has or has not been done in a maintenance task.
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Nov
16
2023
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Posted by Admin
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When I first started my civilian aircraft maintenance career many years ago, my friend and mentor Buddy Evans told me that as aircraft mechanics we are not afforded the luxury of a mistake. I understood what Buddy was saying but I thought, how can we, as humans, not make mistakes? It’s in our nature. “To err is human,” is the famous quote credited to Alexander Pope in the 1700’s. I soon realized that what Buddy was trying to communicate to me was that I must take every precaution to mitigate the risk of errors.
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Nov
16
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Transitioning from military to civilian life can be a difficult process, especially when it comes to finding structure. Trust me, it is stressful no matter how prepared you are, and I can guarantee at some point you will ask yourself, “What have I done?” After spending years serving in an environment with clear rules and expectations, it can be overwhelming to enter a world with less structure and more ambiguity. Military service is an experience unlike any other, and transitioning from active duty to civilian life presents many challenges. After leaving the structured environment of military life, veterans may struggle to adjust and find purpose in a new setting. The transition can be even more difficult for those who entered the military fresh out of high school, as they may need to learn basic life skills for the first time.
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Mil2Civ
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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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Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Oct
27
2023
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Posted by Admin
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As the pilot straps in the helicopter, he or she begins to go through the checklist and starts moving switches to their proper positions. Battery on, fuel pump on, and throttle set. The last thing a pilot does before he engages the start switch is to look over his shoulder and yell, “Clear!”
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Oct
27
2023
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Posted by Admin
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It should come as no surprise that unintended entry into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) has plagued our industry sector for decades. Thankfully, wonderful organizations like the USHST, HAI, and others have relentlessly tried to curb the problem. However, at least weekly, I read a news blurb about another helicopter that crashed after the pilot “encountered diminishing weather conditions.” The certificate level and experience level of those involved in these accidents vary. Each of these tragedies begs questions: How did they get into that situation? Given the situation, were they prepared for it once they found themselves there? Obviously, these are rhetorical questions, given the outcome of the numerous news stories. Many factors can be deduced to explain this situation. Still, I think most would agree that properly learning the warning signs of potential IMC scenarios and how to adequately control the helicopter by reference to instruments is lacking.
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Matt Johnson
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Oct
27
2023
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Posted by Admin
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As an industry, we fall victim to the questionable behavior of our brethren pilots and their sometimes-misguided follies. Not directly, but in the form of increased regulatory oversight, increased insurance premiums, and a sense by the public that helicopters are just unsafe! The evidence for such a belief is derived from the countless hours of helicopter crash videos found online. Not to mention the movies that often use a helicopter crash as the go-to ending for a high energy chase finale.
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My 2 Cents Worth
Randy Rowles
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Sep
22
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Everyone has heard about these technologies that promise to reshape our industry. But no one knows exactly how that reshaping will occur. Each step forward depends on a multitude of factors, including engineering breakthroughs, federal and state regulations, commercial contracts, government budgets, and even consumer demand.
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AUVSI
Uncrewed
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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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Sep
22
2023
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Posted by Admin
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In recent months, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has joined forces with the Veterans Administration (VA) in a collaborative effort to identify pilots who, whether intentionally or unintentionally, have failed to accurately disclose receiving disability benefits.
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Mil2Civ