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Aug
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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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.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Aug
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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My first encounter with helicopter maintenance was just after separating from the U.S. Air Force. I was attending Alabama Aviation and Technical College and my instructor helped me land a job at Fort Rucker maintaining U.S. Army helicopters. It was love at first sight and that love for helicopters is still strong today. Thinking back on the countless ways helicopters have shaped my professional belief system, I am reminded of the everyday obsession I have with tool control. You see, in the Air Force I had to check-out and check- in my toolbox every day. Every time I removed a tool a numbered chit went in that empty spot and stayed there until the tool was returned to its proper place. My chit number is still committed to memory after all these years. Tool accountability was then—and is now—a big deal.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Aug
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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As a Part 135 operator, much flexibility is given to develop an FAA approved training program specific to that operator. Although there are national norms related to the amount of training time an operator may spend on ground or flight training modules, the modules themselves are well defined. Where the flexibility exists is in the standard of the maneuvers flown with the FAA Practical Test Standards (PTS) often used as a minimum. In cases where an operator desires a different outcome for a maneuver in a more restrictive manner, this may be included into the FAA approved training program for that specific operator.
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Tags:
Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Jul
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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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.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Jul
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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When you hear the acronym FOD, what is your first thought? Do you hear it as Foreign Object Damage or Foreign Object Debris? Either is correct depending on when it is found. Debris is certainly the preferred option as finding the foreign object before it can cause damage is optimal.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Jul
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The helicopter industry is quite resilient to the ebb and flow of issues such as the economy, disasters, and even global pandemics. Operators have developed strategic methods to continue producing revenue streams by diversifying their operations and having the ability to alter operational capabilities to match changing industry requirements. However, in today’s market, the single most detrimental operational limitation to an operator is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Jun
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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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.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Jun
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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As helicopter owners, pilots, and mechanics we must consistently be advocates for safety and always meet or exceed the standards. Personal safety and prevention of equipment damage are of utmost importance. The number one concern in the aviation business today is the rising cost of insurance. The rapid rise in insurance is directly due to injuries and equipment damaged. So, how do we mitigate the risk thereby decreasing premiums? Here are some simple and basic measures that will aid your flight and maintenance operations in keeping safety as the top priority.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Jun
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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In recent years, the ability to find an expert within the helicopter field appears to have gotten easier. With every social media post of a helicopter related issue, so-called helicopter internet “experts” are full of detailed explanations. In many cases, details of an incident or accident are not even available, yet commentary inferring factual information about a helicopter-related event is often provided.
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Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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May
19
2022
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Posted by Admin
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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.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth