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Nov
28
2022
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Posted by Admin
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When I came back to North America after nearly 30-years of flying overseas, my main goal was to try to put an end of what was in my mind an unacceptable helicopter accident rate in the USA, specifically, in the HAA industry. While flying abroad, I witness a new paradigm, a much safer way to operate that if adopted in the USA would undoubtedly significantly lower the accident rate.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Nov
28
2022
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Posted by Admin
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When Lyn Burks approached me with the opportunity to develop a column in Rotorcraft Pro magazine titled Rotorcraft Checkride, I really wasn’t sure if I was the right person for the job. My initial thought was to pass on the opportunity and allow a much better writer to handle the task. Lyn assured me that he had confidence in my ability to engage their readership in a meaningful manner and so I accepted his offer. Here we are 8 years later and I’m sad to say it’s time to pass the torch.
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Tags:
Randy Mains
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Oct
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Have you ever heard your mother or grandmother quote John Wesley saying, “cleanliness is next to godliness”? Turns out that quote is effective in aircraft maintenance as well. I like to think that cleanliness is the twin brother to order, and all aircraft maintenance requires cleanliness and order to attain the highest level of professionalism.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Oct
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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I am in awe of aviation mechanics. I have always admired their ability to fix complex and even not-so-complex machines by wading through, what are to me, confusing-to-understand thick, cumbersome maintenance manuals.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Oct
24
2022
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Posted by Admin
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As the pilot shortage becomes more of an issue within all segments of aviation, an increasing number of pilots that have not flown in several years are returning to the flight deck. One such group that is reentering the pilot fold are former military aviators. In some cases, these pilots left the military and did not obtain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot certificates prior to discharging from their military service.
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Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Sep
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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As a young helicopter mechanic at Carraway Hospital, one of the first jobs assigned to me by my mentor was washing the helicopters every day. One reason was to display a positive and professional image for the hospital. The other reason as he explained was to provide another avenue to put eyes on and inspect the aircraft. I quickly learned this was sound advice.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Sep
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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I very nearly lost my life in a training accident while serving as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam but my training to expect the unexpected saved my life and the instructor flying with me. I’d been ‘in country’ for three months when my instructor nearly killed us. I was taking my check ride to become an aircraft commander in the Bell 205 Huey. Imagine the irony of losing your life while training to save your life in an emergency only to die training for it. It seemed nuts. It also sounds like a line out of the book Catch-22.
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Tags:
My 2 Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Sep
26
2022
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Posted by Admin
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As the proud owner of a 1940 Piper Cub, I enjoy flying an aircraft that takes me back in time. From the moment I see that bright, yellow beauty, I’m encapsulated in an era when flying was a peaceful get away to a privileged few. Of course, my flight activities in my Cub are now conducted among more modern and better performing aircraft. Could the disparity of performance and regulatory allowance between my Cub and other aircraft create a potential safety hazard?
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Tags:
Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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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