podcast Archives - Page 7 of 12 - The Rotary Wing Show Podcast

December 4, 2016December 7, 2016

RWS 52 – Interview with Ken Vote Part 2

helicopter pilot ken vote — After a career in the Royal Australian Navy including time in Vietnam, instructing and anti-submarine roles Ken Vote was one of Australia’s early experienced EMS pilots.

Landing in the urban jungle of inner Sydney is a far cry from dropping off SAS troops in the jungles of Vietnam – Ken Vote has done both in his career as a Navy and EMS helicopter pilot.

>> Listen to Part 1 of this interview here <<

Ken started his helicopter career with the Australian Navy, spent time in Vietnam, instructed in the military and had a career in the EMS world. He was one of the senior pilots during a counter terrorism readiness operation to oil rigs in Bass Strait, survived a live fire SAS killhouse training run where he played the role of a hostage and has also flown off Australia’s last aircraft carrier.

I was put in touch with Ken by Craig Bowman – Bowie is flying an EMS bird in Western Australia – which is possibly the largest EMS area of coverage in the world in terms of square kilometers – that might be a story for another time. In researching this interview I also got in touch with one of the volunteers at the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia who knew Ken – he indicated that Ken is not known for being reticent in sharing memories!!

So I hope you enjoy this interview. I have cut it into 2 episodes for length so this is Part 2 that you are about to hear.

CareFlight pilots when the Dauphin arrived.
“Bloke in dark suit is Ian Galt VICPOL who endorsed us.” Ken Vote on far right.

In one of Ken's Sydney based roles he would often need to land in the street with co-ordination of local police and ambulance services. — In one of Ken’s Sydney based roles he would often need to land in the street with co-ordination of local police and ambulance services. “Me blocking Pennant Hills Road for an hour or so HIRT A109 Power circa 2007”

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Links from this week’s episode:
Support the show on Patreon
The Cancel Sarwatch Podcast

Video – Wessex Helicopters Blade Unfolding on HMAS Melbourne
[leadplayer_vid id=”583831FECDC4D”]

Ken and a T28 trainer. NAS Whiting Field Pensacola Florida 1966.

A clipping from the Navy News on 24 November 1967 showing Ken in front of a TH 13M Bell Helicopter after his first helicopter solo.

A Detachment of Wessex 31Bs at RAAF East Sale, having just completed a morning practice session (Op Bursa) Source: Fleet Air Arm of Association of Australia

In Darwin during a training contract with the Australian Army. Ken Vote (2nd from left) Craig Bowman (center) - Craig put me in touch with Ken for the interview — In Darwin during a training contract with the Australian Army. Ken Vote (2nd from left) Craig Bowman (center) – Craig put me in touch with Ken for the interview

Do you have a question about Ken’s career or EMS flying that you want to ask? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

November 25, 2016

RWS 51 – Australian Navy, Vietnam and EMS with Ken Vote

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Landing in the urban jungle of inner Sydney is a far cry from dropping off SAS troops in the jungles of Vietnam – Ken Vote has done both in his career as a Navy and EMS helicopter pilot.

So I hope you enjoy this interview. I have cut it into 2 episodes for length so this is Part 1 that you are about to hear.

I started off by asking Ken about a routine at an airshow in 1973 that he used to perform and the occasion that things didn’t go to plan.

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Links from this week’s episode:
Support the show on Patreon
Write up on Operation Bursa

Video – Wessex Helicopters Blade Unfolding on HMAS Melbourne
[leadplayer_vid id=”583831FECDC4D”]

Do you have a question about Ken’s career or EMS flying that you want to ask? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

October 25, 2016October 30, 2016

RWS 50 – The God Machine with James Chiles (Helicopter History)

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James R. Chiles has been writing about science and history since 1979.

The God Machine: From Boomerangs to Blackhawks, The Story of the Helicopter by James R. Chiles delves into the origins of the helicopter and the people that made them into the machines they are today.

It has been another long break between episodes but we are back this week with a stroll down memory lane looking at the early years of helicopter development and then stepping forward to some of the lesser known stories that James Chiles has captured in his book.

Of all birds, winged mammals, and insects, very few have mastered the skill of pausing in midair and going backward as well as forward, so anything capable of such flight is, ipso facto, a rare beast.

James has been writing about science and history since 1979. He is a member of Invention & Technology Magazine’s editorial advisory board. He has published features and columns in publications including Smithsonian, Aviation Week, The Boston Globe, Invention&Technology, Audubon, Harvard, New York Daily News, New York Post, Air&Space, Popular Science, Texas Monthly, Mechanical Engineering, and Science Digest.

James’ particular niche is as a science and technology writer and researcher – he has written about many aviation and engineering disasters and given safety-focused lectures at a Who’s Who of professional organisations including NASA, US National Society of Professional Engineers, US Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Lockheed Martin and the US Chemical Safety Board amongst others.

In researching the history of the helicopter James was able to get some flight instruction with Harrison Ford’s instructor, interview members of the 160th SOAR, ride along on a powerline maintenance flight and talk with some of the ‘best sticks’ in the history of the industry.

"Water rescue practice near Los Angeles, where we jumped from a Huey into a lake. The guy on the right looking at the camera is me." ~ James Chiles — “Water rescue practice near Los Angeles, where we jumped from a Huey into a lake. The guy on the right looking at the camera is me.” ~ James Chiles

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Links from this week’s episode:
The God Machine book website
World Helicopter Day

Video – Early Helicopter Research Facilities
[leadplayer_vid id=”580F44A56A1E8″]

A modified OH-6 used for stealthy trips across the Laos border - one of many stories in The God Machine — A modified OH-6 used for stealthy trips across the Laos border – one of many stories in The God Machine Credit: Shep Johnson, airspacemag.com

On 4/13/67 a heavy wind storm, possibly a tornado, struck the Downing Heliport damaging 179 TH-55A helicopters.

Chiles has appeared in several History Channel programs or series that look at famous engineering or transport disasters.

Do you have a unique story from helicopter history that might be lost to the passage of time? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

June 13, 2016

RWS 49 – Toronto Traffic Helicopter with Dini Petty

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Dini Petty was tapped on the shoulder in a dinner to train as a helicopter traffic reporter and pilot in Toronto. — Dini Petty was tapped on the shoulder in a diner to train as a helicopter traffic reporter and pilot in Toronto.

Dini Petty forged her mother’s signature on a permission form for skydiving lessons when she was 17. By age 22, Dini Petty was flying above Toronto, Canada as the first female traffic helicopter pilot who was also giving traffic reports while flying.

Dini was tapped on the shoulder in a Toronto restaurant to fill a flying reporter role as part of the competition between Toronto radio stations at the time. Not only was she to report on the traffic but Dini was to be trained as a pilot and to do the job solo. Most of the other stations were using a 2 person crew – pilot and reporter.

Dini clocked up 5000 hours in a pink Hughes 300 in the traffic reporter role. In that time she had a number of scares which she talks about in the interview.

Dini posing at the controls of the helicopter that she flew as traffic reporter in Toronto.

After that much time over Toronto reporting on what would sometime be the same traffic build ups every day Dini made the career jump to a television news anchor and then host of her own daily talk show that ran on Canadian TV for 10 years.

As a young female pilot in the 1960s Dini faced some resistance to the status quo and perceptions at the time – from being taken seriously when reporting mechanical issues to regulator concerns about flying while pregnant. That she was a talented pilot and very persistent helped to change the opinions of those that she worked with.

Dini tells the story of a rescue search that she was involved in that makes for a great human factors and CRM case study when looking back at the chain of events.

The radio stations in Toronto were each operating their own helicopters to cover traffic news.

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Links from this week’s episode:
Dini’s Website
Cat Litter crowdfunded project
Dini’s Instagram
World Helicopter Day

Video – Dini Petty interviewing Harrison Ford
[leadplayer_vid id=”575DEAD30A14A”]

'Be remarkable' if you want people to talk about your company. A pink helicopter and flight suit certainly achieves that. — ‘Be remarkable’ if you want people to talk about your company. A pink helicopter, pink flight suit and Dini Petty certainly achieves that.

Magazine article covering Dini's flying role. This was the original blue colour of the helicopter before the radio station repainted it. — Magazine article covering Dini’s flying role. This was the original blue colour of the helicopter before the radio station repainted it.

PR shots in between traffic reports. Dini leveraged her celebrity from the traffic role into a career in television after 5000 hrs of flying overhead Toronto.

Do you know anything to add to this interview by Dini Petty? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

May 30, 2016May 31, 2016

Extra – Impromptu Session at Rotortech 2016 About AHIA and Regulation Progress

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This is a recording from a session at the Rotortech 2016 expo on the Sunshine Coast. Vice President of the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA), Ray Cronin leads a discussion about regulation change and recent progress.

This audio is what you can call an extra from our normal interview series that I’m going to slip into the podcast feed and I’ll tell you why in a moment.

I’ll jump into a disclaimer right up front – the audio quality in parts is not great as I recorded it sitting in the audience but my suggestion is to persevere in the rough bits as there is some really interesting stuff in the discussion.

To set the scene, this is recorded on Sunday 29 May 2016, on the last day of the Rotortech Expo on the Sunshine Coast.

Johanna Osborne, Chief Pilot and Chief Flying Instructor (Rotary) at Airways Aviation speaking during the session prior.

Johanna Osborne, Chief Pilot and Chief Flying Instructor Rotary at Airways Aviation has just presented a talk titled “Global vision and an insight into the writing of our Part 142 application.” – about Airways Aviation’s approach to training and their experience in trying to conform with new regulatory requirements that are being rolled out in Australia that govern flying training, in particular the writing of an operations manual to meet the new CASA requirements.

So this will mainly be be of interest to Australian listeners, however those of you overseas I’m sure can take away some insights that you can apply closer to home in your own industries.

It is a really interesting insight into some of the background things that are happening at the industry representation level and at the regulator – if the discussion just stayed in the room and we didn’t share it further then there would be a lot more people in the dark about some of the things that are happening at the moment and perhaps some pessimism that things weren’t getting better when they do seem to be moving forward, if slowly, for the Australian industry.

Part of the aircraft parking area at Rotortech

The main voices you’ll hear, in order are:

Ray Cronin
Vice President, Australian helicopter industry association
Founder and managing director of Kestral Aviation

Rob Walker, Stakeholder Engagement Group Manager from CASA

and Rob Rich, AHIA secretary.

There are a couple of abbreviations or industry speak mentioned that I’ll give you a heads up on.

Part 141 and 142 are the regulations that cover flight training organisations – with the difference in very broad terms being the complexity of training offered – with Part 142 schools being able to provide additional ratings.

NPRMs – Notice of proposed rulemaking

MOS – Manual of Standards

Part 61 – Part of the Australian regulations that prescribes the requirements and standards for the issue of flight crew licences, ratings, authorisations, and rules for the logging of flight time.

So with all that out of the way, we pass over to Ray Cronin, Vice president AHIA as he takes the microphone for an impromptu session on regulation in the Australian flying industry.

A shoutout to the team at the Australian Helicopter Industry association though for what was a pretty good event running Rotortech 2016 this weekend. I had a great time and look forward to being able to get back for the next Rotortech expo in 2017.

The publication of this interview is with permission of the main speakers involved.

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Links from this week’s episode:
Australian Helicopter Industry Association
#rotortech hashtag Twitter stream

Be part of the conversation about this interview by leaving a comment below.

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016

RWS 48 – The Case For Full Down Autos with Glen White

Glen White from Eurosafety helicopter training

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Glen White has been providing recurrency and initial training to helicopter pilots around the world through his company Eurosafety since 2004. He is a strong proponent of the benefit of full touchdown autorotations in training.

Glen first learnt to fly in France in a Bell 47 before picking up roles in flight training, tours based in the Virgin Islands, ship operations, emergency services and as a factory pilot.

One of the things that struck him throughout his career was the lack of high quality post graduation check and training avaliable to many of the small to medium operators in the industry. Hence the idea for Eurosafety was born.

“I get to fly with the best pilots in the industry. It’s a privilege.” – Glen gets to conduct recurrency and initial training with pilots from law enforcement, EMS, utility and charter companies in a number of companies.

In this interview we chat about Glen’s early career, the case for full touchdown autorotations, tips for handling a range of emergencies and what you can do to improve your skills as a helicopter pilot.

[Tweet “AS350B3E helicopter is a monster, nothing better for utility work”]

On the way down for another autorotation

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In this week’s episode:
3:50 Timothy and Tabitha
5:20 Getting a start in aviation in France in a Bell 47
6:50 Flying tours in the Virgin Islands
8:40 Landing on Navy ships in support of the Aegis radar program
9:50 FlightSafety and Eurocopter factory pilot
11:20 EMS S-76 Children’s Hospital Dallas and Tri-state Careflight AS350B3 and BK119
11:50 Mountain rescue incident
14:00 Gap in market for post-graduation check and training
16:00 Overseas training locations and culture
19:00 Types of training and helicopters covered
20:40 Trained reaction to engine failure
21:50 Switching between clockwise / anti-clockwise rotor systems
24:30 Autorotational training – touchdowns vs power recoveries
32:00 Training to runway rather than grass, carbide skid shoes
33:50 Damage to runway surface from run-ons – none
35:50 A typical recurrency day format
38:30 AS350, H130, AS355, EC120, BO105CBS, BO105LS, EC135 Augusta 109E,C,F Bell 260L/F, Bell 205 Types covered (2016)
42:40 Prevalence of engine failures in statistics vs focus spent on in training
46:50 1000s of autos in a year, a very mild event
49:00 Auto method in the AS350 – 100’ flare height
50:00 Common errors during autos
53:20 Hydraulic failure and impact into highrise
54:20 Stuck pedals
58:10 How to be a good pilot and constantly get better
1:01:30 iSafety app for emergency training
59:45 Episode Sponsors trainmorepilots.com

Links from this week’s episode:
Eurosafety Website
Eurosafety Facebook
Eurosafety YouTube
Eurosafety Instagram
World Helicopter Day

[Tweet “No better helicopter to teach an auto. My mum could do an auto in a Bell 47″]

Glen talks through an autorotation touchdown in a AS350
[leadplayer_vid id=”5742E4C049FBC”]

HAI Video – Autorotations: Reality Exposed
[leadplayer_vid id=”5742E475E5987″]

Class in session for a AS350 ground theory day

Know your machine's systems - graphics and training aids can greatly improve recall — Know your machines systems – graphics and training aids can greatly improve recall

Glen teaching on an AS350B2 initial course

Australian Defence Force Testing of Squirrel Autorotation Flare Height

What’s your take on full down autos in training? Be part of the conversation about this interview by leaving a comment below.

May 21, 2016May 21, 2016

RWS 47 – First Around the World Solo and Australian Regulations with Dick Smith

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around world helicopter solo dick smith — Dick Smith has set a number of records and world firsts in aviation

This is Episode 47 of The Rotary Wing Show and our main interview today is Dick Smith, the first person to fly a helicopter solo around the world plus a bunch of other aviation first and records.

For Australians, Dick Smith is someone that doesn’t need too much of an introduction. He is very active in a number of areas and for such a long time such that most people in Australia would at least know who he is but I’m sure don’t know many of his aviation feats.

For the sake of our international audience though I’ll give you a bit more of an extended version of Dick’s bio.

Dick and his wife Pip built up and sold two quite large businesses here in Australia – Dick Smith Electronics and Australian Geographic.

As you’ll hear about coming up Dick was the first person to fly solo around the world in a helicopter which included the first crossing of the Atlantic in a helicopter. Then later on the first person to fly a helicopter around the world from East to West against the prevailing winds.

He was the first person to fly a helicopter to the North pole and has also flown around the south pole in a fixed wing. In the hot-air balloon world he was first to complete a non-stop crossing of the Australian continent and to pilot a balloon from New Zealand to Australia.

The helicopter that Dick Smith flew around the world is now part of the Powerhouse Museum collection in Sydney.

[Tweet “If the cloud gets too low you just land and have a cup of tea”]

Some additional dot points…

1986 Australian of the Year
2015 Companion of the Order of Australia ‘community services and devotion to flying’
‘awarded for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large’
2nd highest appointment in order of Australia honours system
1992 – United States’ (Charles) Lindbergh award. The Award, “is given annually to individuals whose work over many years has made significant contributions toward the Lindbergh’s concept of balancing technology and nature.
http://lindberghfoundation.org/lindbergh-award Other notable awardees – Harrison Ford, Burt Rutan, David Suzuki, Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary, James Doolittle, Jacques Cousteau
1990 -1992 Chairman of the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority
1997 – 1999 Deputy-Chairman and Chairman of the Board CASA

At time we go to air in May 2016 – Dick has recently attended an industry meeting in Tamworth about the state of general aviation regulation and Part 61 here in Australia so we get to chat about that too.

[Tweet “The helicopter lanes in Sydney were copied from those in London”]

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In this week’s episode:

01:20 Goal of the Rotary Wing Show
02:20 iTunes review feedback
03:33 Dick Smith Bio
07:30 Getting into helicopters
08:30 Trying to learn to fly a helicopter
10:00 First solo circuit
11:20 Selecting the engine to take around the world
13:40 Australian helicopters had to operate as fixed wing traffic
15:40 Planning the around the world route
17:15 Ross Perot, Jr. and Jay Coburn, Spirit of Texas + Hercules support first around the world
18:30 Finding a container ship in the fog for refuel
22:50 Refueling on a rolling ship deck
25:00 Close calls and frights
27:40 Monsoons through Burma, beach landing
30:00 What was trying to achieve at CAA/CASA position
35:10 Average age of the Australian general aviation business owner
36:30 Part 61 reform process
37:50 Cost of doing aviation business in Australia
40:30 Biannual flight review requirements increased
42:20 Changes are not addressing any known safety issue
45:40 GA airfields sold off and being used for non-aviation activities for revenue streams
47:20 Dick’s current helicopters and flying
49:50 Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel – opening of the roof top helipad
52:00 Flying under the Sydney Harbour bridge
56:00 World Helicopter Day

56:40 Episode Sponsors trainmorepilots.com

Links from this week’s episode:
Dick Smith biographical details
April Fools joke – Iceberg in Sydney harbour

BBC documentary with film that Dick Smith recorded during the first solo circumnavigation of the globe in a helicopter
[leadplayer_vid id=”573E8B9CCFB06″]

Grabbing some 'crew rest' on way around the world. — Grabbing some ‘crew rest’ on way around the world.

[Tweet “Had to cut through Cold War Russian buffer zone due to fuel “]

Dick is still a frequent flyer getting behind the controls of several fixed and rotary wing types to get around Australia.

[Tweet “Atlantic crossing done without heater to save weight”]

Be part of the conversation about this interview by leaving a comment below. What would be the part of the world that you would most like to fly over?

May 7, 2016May 7, 2016

RWS 46 – Chickenhawk with Robert Mason

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The Vietnam war has been called the helicopter war. They were used as troop carriers, gunships, medevac, heavy lift, observation and aerial trucks. Chickenhawk author Robert Mason shares some of his memories of flying the Huey in this episode.

They fundamentally changed the way that war was fought. Probably nothing is more iconic from that period than the Bell UH-1 Huey. The Huey was the first turbine helicopter to enter production for the US military and brought a significant boost to capabilities over existing machines.

The first flight of the UH-1 was back in 1956 – October this year(2016) will mark 60 years of Huey models flying. So someone is going to have to organise a big party for that one!

If there is one book that people associate with helicopters in Vietnam and especially the Huey then it would most likely be ChickenHawk by Robert Mason. In fact it is probably one of the most recommended books on helicopters in general. If you look around the web wherever someone has asked for helicopter book recommendations then there is a high chance that Chickenhawk is mentioned.

A typical flight formation on the way back from an assault. Photo Credit: R.Mason

[Tweet “The helicopter bible – Chickenhawk by Robert Mason”]

It has 471 reviews just on Amazon with 85% of those being 5 star. And obviously amazon is a fairly recent invention given the book was published in 1983.

The author Bob Mason deployed to Vietnam with 1st Cavalry Division and their 450 Hueys at the opening of the Vietnam war.

In Chickenhawk he covers his helicopter training and his 12 month tour of Vietnam as a ‘slick’ pilot on Hueys where he flew over 1,000 air assault missions.

A big thanks to show listener Lee Rilea for prodding me for a long time now to track Bob down.

It is my very great honor to be able to introduce you to Bob Mason and to find out a bit more about his experiences.

[Tweet “22yrs old, aircraft captain of a Huey in Vietnam, flying into hot LZs and saved a bunch of people”]

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In this week’s episode:
01:05 Vietnam the helicopter war and the Huey
03:50 Chickenhawk book reviews
05:35 Bob Mason interview
07:30 First time saw a helicopter hovering when doing fixed wing flying
10:30 Humans predestined to fly – no logical survival basis
11:45 Training helicopters – Hiller 12C, H-19
14:10 Vertol H-21 ‘Banana’ 21 seats but would never be able to carry that many
15:10 Hueys in 1st Cav Division
17:50 Never see that many helicopters flying again
18:30 A typical air mobile mission
22:31 30-45 min flights to get to assault locations
24:00 Chest protection wasn’t available for first months
25:20 Formation stories – lead ship had lost radio comms
28:05 9 SQN RAAF
28:35 Missed approach formation lead
31:10 Taking out a IVSI gauge with a pistol
32:25 Huey blades vs tree branches
34:15 Bullet holes
36:30 Jinking around to dodge bullets
38:00 Flying rate of effort and hours in a day
40:33 Casualty rates – WW2 vs Vietnam
43:30 Night flying – formation via cockpit lights, 4 ship formations, no moon
47:20 Overloaded departure with low RRPM downhill
49:10 CBS news clip – medevac of CBS president
50:20 Tail rotor impact on landing in dust cloud
55:10 Battle of Ia Drang
56:20 Advice with regards PSTD and dealing with stress reactions
59:35 TH-55A trainer and tuck under in autorotation crashes
1:02:30 Medals DFC
1:03:40 Getting back into a Huey after 47 years
1:12:15 Video of Jerry Towler talk to historical association
1:13:00 Reviews on iTune – thank you!
1:13:35 Episode Sponsors trainmorepilots.com

Links from this week’s episode:
Robert Mason’s Website
Helicopter loss numbers – Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
Chickenhawk Book on Amazon

To have your copy of Chickenhawk signed:
“To mail me a copy to sign, send a book with a prepaid return shipper envelope, to:
Robert Mason
P.O. Box 1517
High Springs, FL 32655”

[Tweet “For a bigger mission we might take 80 – 100 helicopters”]

Bong Son Valley, February 1966. Preacher Yellow flight is on final during an air assault in the valley. It's exciting when you know you're going to be landing where that smoke is. This was taken from the left cockpit seat of Yellow Two. Photo Credit: R.Mason — Bong Son Valley, February 1966. Preacher Yellow flight is on final during an air assault in the valley. It’s exciting when you know you’re going to be landing where that smoke is. This was taken from the left cockpit seat of Yellow Two. Photo Credit: R.Mason

A forward base somewhere in the middle of no where. We've just dropped off a load of everyone's favorite treat, good old C-rations. Photo Credit: R.Mason — A forward base somewhere in the middle of no where. We’ve just dropped off a load of everyone’s favorite treat, good old C-rations. Photo Credit: R.Mason

Yankee Air Museum Historic Presentation Night Presents Jerry Towler

Bob Mason flying the Mosquito XET 2008

[Tweet “I can’t walk past a helicopter without acknowledging them – they are kind of magical.”]

Be part of the conversation on this interview by leaving a comment below. Let others know what you think of the book Chickenhawk.

April 6, 2016April 6, 2016

RWS 45 – Rosemary Arnold – First Australian Female Helicopter Pilot – Part 2

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Rosemary Arnold sporting a pink flight suit in a Hughes 500

In 1965 Rosemary Arnold became the first Australian female helicopter pilot, the first female helicopter pilot in the southern hemisphere and Whirly Girl No.99 In this episode listen in as Rosemary tells the story of her 50yr+ career in aviation.

You can find Part 1 of this episode here.

In Part Two we continue to follow Rosemary’s career through all the way into her eighties where she is still very much involved in aviation as an author and marriage celebrant performing helicopter weddings over Sydney Harbour.

There is also some life advice tucked in there at the end for anyone feeling the crunch from the current oil and gas downturn or having difficulty cracking that next flying gig.

[Tweet “Keep your standards high – you are only competing against yourself.”]

Rosemary Arnold with Australian Astronaut Andy Thomas

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In this week’s episode:
02:10 Campaigning for public use helipads – creation of Helicopter Association of Australia (HAA)
05:38 First Australian helicopter airshow 1977
06:20 First public helipad in Sydney at Piermont wharf
09:30 Gas pipeline inspections in a Hiller 12E using street directory
12:30 Intercepted by army helicopters
14:20 Running takeoff to get out of pad
15:30 Adventures in Indonesia
21:00 First Officer gig on DC-3
22:30 Tour leader Oshkosh airshow
24:20 Sold car and boat then went into debt to finance Bell 47
25:30 Job offer in US and down to last 90c and hunger pangs
29:30 Setup own company in the US
34:19 Helicopter weddings over Sydney Harbor
39:35 World’s longest blind date
42:01 Aviation degree at age 70 then lecturing a week later – Aviation History
45:50 First females above Australia encouragement awards
48:40 Mixing with aviation students starting their careers
52:30 What happened to original Bell-47
54:00 ‘Think Aviation’ book – careers in aviation other than pilot
59:40 Episode Sponsors trainmorepilots.com – Facebook advertising tip

Links from this week’s episode:
Rosemary’s Website
World Helicopter Day – can you help out as a volunteer?

[Tweet “#Helicopters would deafen the Koalas – reasons for not allowing #Sydney helipads”]

[Tweet “#Helicopters would blow the leaves off the trees – reasons for not allowing #Sydney helipads”]

Rosemary-Arnold_bell47J-helicopter — Rosemary flying her Bell 47J – 1 seat in front and 3 across the back bench seat

Be part of the conversation on this interview by leaving a comment below.

March 30, 2016March 30, 2016

RWS 44 – Rosemary Arnold – First Australian Female Helicopter Pilot – Part 1

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Rosemary Arnold was the first and then only woman helicopter pilot in Australia for 12 years.

It is a career full of firsts – as well as the above, Rosemary was the first Australian woman to own her own helicopter charter company, be appointed a Chief Pilot, perform a helicopter air-display and be a consultant to rescue helicopter committees.

Rosemary also founded the Helicopter Association of Australia and organised the first helicopter airshow in Australia.

At age 70 she completed a Bachelor of Aviation and the next week was back at the university as a lecturer in Aviation History.

In 2012 Rosemary was awarded the Nancy-Bird Walton Memorial Trophy “for the woman who has achieved the most noteworthy contribution to aviation in Australasia”.

As you’ll hear in this interview – at almost every step of her career Rosemary had to overcome challenges and obstacles in her path. It is a story and example of incredible resilience and self belief.

Now 80-something years young, she is still full of life and operates her marriage celebrant business offering couples the chance to tie the knot in a helicopter over Sydney Harbor Bridge. Rosemary has authored several books about her career and pioneering Australian female aviators.

[Tweet “I didn’t know women could fly and especially someone that was a mother”]

Rosemary in a Hughes 500 during a trip across the US

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In this week’s episode:
01:00 Helicopter Easter Egg Drops
01:50 World Helicopter Day 2016 – can you help?
03:11 Listener mailbag
05:10 Case of mistaken identity
05:50 Rosemary Arnold – first Australian female helicopter pilot
08:00 First flying experience in a Sunderland flying boat – Gordon Peter Taylor
12:30 Taking flying lessons (fixed wing)- in secret
15:10 My god a woman pilot we’ll all be killed
16:00 Bell 47 J2A – hot pink uniform and floral paint scheme ‘Triple Happy Helicopter’
19:50 Following of joy ride passengers
21:00 Taking helicopter lessons – Licence no. 10
26:40 Media coverage and Whirly Girls
29:25 First commercial Hughes 500 helicopters and trip across USA
32:51 Gas turbine course
34:10 Denied endorsements by DAA (early version of CASA)
35:40 Solo’ing in the Bell 47 and CoG issues solved by carrying dog
38:35 Challenging weather and getting over the range
41:10 Hovering waiting for storm to pass
44:40 Other pilots and meteorologist backed up in court
47:50 Episode Sponsors trainmorepilots.com

Links from this week’s episode:
Rosemary’s Website
World Helicopter Day – can you help out as a volunteer?

[Tweet “276 passengers in one day at the Dubbo airshow – 4 seat Bell 47”]

[Tweet “So stressful that I landed at 7:30am and asked the mechanic for a Scotch”]

Rosemary and daughters who acted as her ground crew in front of Bell 47 VH-THH with its floral paint scheme.

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