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Jan
25
2024
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Posted by Admin
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Wire-strike accidents consistently rank as one of the top causes of both total and fatal agricultural aviation accidents. A review by the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) of agricultural aviation wire-strike accidents from 2017 to 2021 revealed that 54% of the accidents involved helicopters. For reference, according to the latest FAA GA survey data, helicopters represent 23% of the total ag. aviation fleet and 20% of the hours flown making aerial applications. Regarding the location of the wires struck, 62% of the time the wire was in the field receiving the application; 38% of the time the wire was located along the edge of the field.
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Safety First
VAST
Categories:
Safety First
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Jan
25
2024
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Posted by Admin
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Recently I was asked to be the guest speaker at DavinciSKY Leadership Conference. My topic was titled, “One Way to Excellence.” Just before I spoke to the group, I met with some of the linemen that worked for the company. DavinciSKY is a business with a long-standing history in the electrical power industry. These are the guys that hang underneath the helicopter or work from the skid to clear power lines.
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Dec
18
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Have you ever noticed an airship hovering over a sporting venue near a major airport? There is no chaos or mayhem to the orderly flow of aircraft, all operate safely while following prescribed procedures to allow such activities to take place. In previous years, these sporting venues would have had countless aircraft safely operating in and around each other simply due to the vigilance in procedural development exercised by the aviation industry in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The system worked!
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My 2 Cents Worth
Randy Rowles
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Dec
18
2023
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Posted by Admin
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The CFI exam is one of my most enjoyable flight exams to administer. Yes, it is a long one! I get it; I, too, remember what seemed like the longest day of my life, starting with a few hours of discussing the FAAs Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI) concepts and then several deep dives on concepts related to our unique skill set. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of seeing a passionate applicant achieve that level of success is very rewarding.
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Matt Johnson
Rotocraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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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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Tags:
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