Tag: helicopter

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RWS 112 – What Do Army Loadmasters Do and an Amazing Story of Flood Rescue in the Town of Eugowra Nov 2022 with Kylle Fenton

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Kylle Fenton is an Air Crew Officer (ACO) involved in air rescue and ambulance operations supporting NSW, Australia communities. He is more accustomed to being the one to bring the resources, rescue and safety to others in “the worst day of their life”.  In this episode Kylle tells a gripping story of when he and his family needed that rescue support returned during the flooding of the Township of Eugowra in Nov 2022. 

This episode is being pushed out the door half cooked so that you can hear it sooner. Please forgive any short comings in the polish.

Before Kylle was part of the HEMS world he had years of experience as a Blackhawk loadmaster in the Australian Army with time in special operations and as a loadmaster instructor. We discuss this career path and the many, many tasks that a loadmaster can find themselves doing.

Important – please look at the link below to the GoFundMe page for the Fenton family discussed in the podcast episode.

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>>> GoFundMe campaign for Fenton Family and Eugowra Residents <<<

Brisbane Helicopter Drinks 10 Dec, Bracken Ridge Hotel: RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aussie-private-helicopter-pilots-group-brisbane-christmas-drinks-tickets-467070359017

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Help yourself remember and share it with others by making a comment about it here below.

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RWS 111 – Rescue Helicopter Crew Duties to 4300km R22 Ferry Through Remote Australia w/ James Koens

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James Koens is a Check and Training Aircrew Officer on very expensive rescue/aeromedical helicopters. He also finds time to be a helicopter charter pilot, Army Reserve aircrewman, volunteer rural firefighter and a podcast host.

This episode is being pushed out the door half cooked so that you can hear it sooner. Please forgive any short comings in the polish.

In this episode James talks about some of the challenges of operating complex missions in the world of helicopter rescue and ambulance services. We then change track and discuss what James has learnt from ferrying small helicopters across remote parts of Australia.

Important – please look at the link below to the GoFundMe page for the Fenton family discussed in the podcast episode.

4300Kms, 30hrs, 16 fuel stops, a Robinson R22, and a whole lot of nothingness – From James’ LinkedIn post comment

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>>> GoFundMe campaign for Fenton Family and Eugowra Residents <<<

Brisbane Helicopter Drinks 10 Dec, Bracken Ridge Hotel: RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aussie-private-helicopter-pilots-group-brisbane-christmas-drinks-tickets-467070359017

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Help yourself remember and share it with others by making a comment about it here below.

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RWS 86 – Going for Height and Film Flying with Fred North

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Fred North built his early helicopter hours travelling from town to town in France selling joyflights. Now he works on some of the biggest films in the world.

Even if you are not an avid movie goer it is still very likely that you have seen some of Fred North’s work. Fred has been involved in many of the largest Hollywood Blockbusters in recent times either flying helicopter stunts or providing the aerial filming platform. There is a lot that goes into setting up a filming sequence. Fred talks about some of the challenges in this episode. 

Fred North has one of the biggest followings on Instagram for a helicopter pilot. His short clips and still photos from behind the scenes of filming show helicopter action sequences that you just don’t otherwise see in normal ops.

Some of Fred’s film credits include:

Armageddon
Gladiator
Borne Identity
Da Vinci Code
The Incredible Hulk
Tropic Thunder
Inception
Fast and Furious – several including Hobbs & Shaw
Total Recall
Mission Impossible
Point Break
Captain America : Winter Soldier
All the Transformers films
Pacific Rim
Wolverine
Bad Boys for Life
Guardians of the Galaxy

See more here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636005/

The type of flying that Fred North does today is not something that helicopter pilots start out doing. Fred is no exception. He built his first hours quickly by travelling from town to town in France selling tickets for joyflights in a Bell 47 and then backing up and conducting the flights.

In the interview Fred also talks about his experiences as a support and film pilot for the Dakar Rally through Africa for a number of years. There is a good navigation tip in there for remote operations around purposely laying off heading so that when you hit a straight across track feature such as a road that you know which way to turn.

Helicopter pilot mothers the world over appear to share some similar concerns when their children decide on that particular career. Fred’s mother insisted that he wear a parachute when he went for the helicopter altitude record. If you want to know what goes into getting a helicopter to 42,500ft then you will also get to hear Fred talk about that campaign and some of the things unplanned events that happened on that flight.  

Source: fred-north.com

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fred-north.com – more information about height record flight

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_YzJ8MFsE5/
Source: fred-north.com

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 86? Don’t forget Fred’s offer to answer your questions on a future episode. Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below or leave a question for Fred.

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RWS 85 – Buying a Helicopter with Stephen Boyce

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Stephen Boyce has been marketing and selling helicopters since 2011 leveraging his own wide industry experience in the process.

In the market for a helicopter or just want to know some of the ins and outs of the process? Stephen Boyce has been working in helicopter sales since 2011 and flying them since 1994. Helicopters are high cost purchases and almost always a case of buyer beware. Should you buy new or used? How do you determine what models hold their value? How does buying for private use differ from a commercial business case? Some of the things that Stephen talks about in this episode.

Stephen’s helicopter career has seen him collect commercial licenses under 5 different regulators, 18 different type ratings, 7500+ hrs, VFR, IFR, Multi-engine experience and time in the Arctic. You can see some more of Stephen’s background on his LinkedIn profile.

Growing up Stephen’s Dad was a fixed wing pilot and the family lived in PNG for a number of years with Stephen riding his bike on the local runway between flights. 

One of the stories that Stephen talks about in this interview is how he came to land a job in the Arctic flying a Bell 214ST in support of US early warning radar bases pointed over the North pole towards Russia.

For most of the interview though we get into some depth on the different considerations and steps that go into buying a helicopter. This is a really good primer on the topic and includes discussion on foreign currency rates, different models, contracts, pre-purchase inspections, inclusions, finance gotcha’s for helicopters out of country, shipping and more.

Stephen Boyce with a Bell 214ST at Resolution Island – remote north east Canada

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Heliskiing, off-shore, medivac, vertical reference, environmental surveys, fire ops, tourism – some of the operational experiences that Stephen has had in his career and allowed him to collect a number of different type ratings.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 85? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 84 – Pilotage FLIR with Tony ‘Squid’ Norton

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Tony Norton talks about some of the features and operating considerations of FLIR as a pilot vision system. 

Forward Looking Infra-red (FLIR) systems have been around for a while and used in a search or surveillance function normally by an operator with a control panel. A small number of aircraft are now incorporating FLIR as a pilot vision tool, tracked to the pilots head, as another way of seeing at night or through obscurants such as smoke or dust. 

Tony is currently the senior aviation instructor and and standards pilot for Australian Army Aviation. He is approaching 20 years of military instructing and 10 years as a graduate of the National Test Pilot School in the US. 

In Episode 82 Tony shared some of his experiences going through test pilot school and his career in the Army. In this episode we concentrate on the capability that FLIR provides and its use as ‘pilotage FLIR’ for extending the vision cues available to helicopter crews.

We also look at the specifics of how that plays out for pilots of the MRH90 ‘Taipan’ which is the Australian Army variant of the NHIndustries NH90.

FLIR is probably most easily explained in comparison to night vision devices. Where NVD/NVGs amplify visible light in dark settings FLIR devices work by detecting the heat given off by objects and the variation between objects.

The wavelength of infrared that thermal imaging cameras detect is 3 to 12 μm and differs significantly from that of night vision, which operates in the visible light and near-infrared ranges (0.4 to 1.0  μm). 

-Wikipedia

It’s surprisingly difficult to find good demonstration images for the FLIR output online however there are a number of videos here below on the page that give an idea of the capability.

Along with the FLIR pod, the other major difference for the MRH90 install is the TopOwl helmet. The aircraft can track the motion of the helmet to know where the pilot is looking. This is used to drive the FLIR pod to align with the pilots sight rather than a controller using a manual joystick. Integral to the TopOwl helmet is the projection system which allows NVD or the FLIR image to be superimposed in front of the pilot’s vision – allowing the pilot to look through the image and select between the different input as well as overlay HUD information.

One interesting effect of that is that the pilot can look ‘through’ the cockpit instrument panel or the floor to where the FLIR sensor is pointing as it has an unobstructed picture from outside the aircraft.

The technology brings with it a number of human factors considerations that crews need to train for and work through during a flight. Two quick examples are that only one pilot can steer the sensor and see the FLIR image on their visor at a time (different visual information between pilots and also crew in the rear) and that the eye point of the pilot is now no longer from their own head position but from the front of the aircraft.

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FLIR pod out of the aircraft with aperture visible. Photo: Leonardo Company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo3sMOgGPCQ 
Elbit Brightnite FLIR Demo

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 84? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 83 – SH2 Sea Sprite with Jim Palmquist

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Ditching a rapidly yawing helicopter into the open ocean is one of those experiences most of us would happily pass on. Jim Palmquist and his crew onboard a SH2 Sea Sprite survived just such an event during his time as an aircraft carrier search and rescue pilot. The Kaman Sea Sprite is a unique helicopter about which Jim goes into more detail.    

‘Plane guard’ is the term used for the search and rescue role of embarked helicopters on a flat top aircraft carrier. The helicopter crews are there to be on the scene as soon as possible should one of the carrier aircraft or ship crew end up in the water. The idea is not to end up in the water themselves! 🙂 

A left front view of a Helicopter Light Anti-submarine Squadron 30 (HSL-30) SH-2F Sea Sprite helicopter preparing to land on the helicopter pad of the destroyer USS NICHOLSON (DD-982).

 

 

 

After what was later found to be a crack tail rotor gearbox mounting plate the SH2 Sea Sprite that Jim was captain of experienced severe in-flight vibration followed by loss of yaw control. The crew and aircraft entered the water shortly after and thankfully all the crew were able to to the surface safely.

One of the unique features of the Sea Sprite was the design of a trailing flap on each of the main rotor blades. The blade was flown up and down by adjusting the angle of the flap rather than adjusting the pitch at the blade root as other helicopters do.

The SH-2 Sea Sprite also had a small part to play in the introduction of dedicated helicopter gunships to the US fleet during Vietnam. Jim also tells this story in the podcast and how the AH-1 Cobra ended up be selected. 

Jim went on to fly the OH-6 with the Army National Guard and these days volunteers at the American Helicopter Museum. 

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American Helicopter Museum website. The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center’s mission is to Preserve rotary-wing aviation history, Educate society on helicopters and their missions & Inspire future generations.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 83? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 82 – Test Flying and Lessons Learnt with Tony ‘Squid’ Norton

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The bulk of Tony Norton’s career has been spent as a Qualified Flying Instructor and Test Pilot in the Australian Army.

If your perfect day sounds like flying a glider in the morning, testing the HV curve in a Kiowa at lunch and then jumping in a Swedish jet interceptor in the afternoon then Tony ‘Squid’ Norton can tell you what it’s like!   

Tony is currently the senior aviation instructor and and standards pilot for Australian Army Aviation. He is approaching 20 years of military instructing and 10 years as a graduate of the National Test Pilot School in the US. 

This is a good chance to not only find out about test pilot training but to get an instructor’s slant on it in terms of how some of the approaches that the test flying world takes can be incorporated into everyday helicopter training. 

“This engine is going to fail on me. How am I going to get out of it? Then fly that departure or that approach.”

NTPS at Mojave Airport in California, very close to Edwards, AFB. Sonic booms are a daily event.

If, strangely, you have wondered how calculus can be applied to flying then Tony can tell you that too. The test pilot course syllabus is very math and engineering heavy more so than a place where pilots go to develop their flying skills. 

Tony has extensive Blackhawk experience and has been the senior instructor for Army on the MRH90 type. He spent 3 ½ years posted as a test pilot for the RAAF’s Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) and has provided test flying support since then. 

One of Tony’s test tasks at ARDU was MRH90 Dust ops techniques development, as well as NVG ops/formation flight for the type.

On the side Tony also lectures at Griffith University on their aviation degree program and is a professional fish farmer.

In this episode we cover:

  • Early military years and deployments
  • Test pilot course and why Tony specifically wanted to attend the NTPS
  • Risks faced in test flying and some history
  • Things that you learn on Test Pilots course that you don’t get exposed to in helicopter training
  • Test pilot lessons that can be incorporated into basic training

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National Test Pilots School website. This is the only civil test pilot school in the US and was the first outside of the military in the world. It is located at Mojave Airport in California.

Example of FLIR improving visibility through smoke.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 82? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 81 – Helicopter Job Market USA (2020), Visas and FAA License Conversion with Jared Friend

Jared Friend Hillsboro Aero Academy US Helicopter Pilot Job Market

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Jared Friend Hillsboro Aero Academy US Helicopter Pilot Job Market
Jared Friend is GM of Hillsboro Aero Academy Helicopter Training. He tells of operators now reaching out to schools looking for pilot candidates such is demand growth in the US.

A few years can make a big difference and that is the case now in Jan 2020 for the helicopter pilot hiring market in the USA. For the first time in a while the minimum hours/experience for job adverts are starting to decrease and operators are looking for new hires.  

Jared Friend is the General Manager of the helicopter school division of Hillsboro Aero Academy. Jared’s career has see him move from flying S-61 helicopters straight out of training to instructing, news and other flying roles before returning to flight instruction and leadership roles at Hillsboro where Jared first learn to fly himself.

The helicopter pilot job market is looking like it is starting to improve in the US with Jared now actually fielding calls from operators and chief pilots looking for suitable candidates around the 1000 hour mark with some operators even taking on pilots with reduced hours under placement programs that some schools such as Hillsboro have put in place.

Some of the market drivers are likely to be the fixed-wing airline pilot shortage starting to compete with those pilots that might have entered the helicopter market, some transfer of rotary to fixed-wing positions and the start of expansion in the oil and gas industry again after a very slow period. 

Brand new CPL(H) holders still need to bridge that experience gap to get to that 1000 hour mark. The US market is setup that most helicopter pilots get these hours through instructing as their first job. Jared’s feedback is that because of the movement of instructors onto utility, oil and tour operators that there is ample opportunity for new pilots to pick up these instructing roles.

Internationally the helicopter pilot job market is still hit and miss but its promising to see the job growth in the US at least.

In this episode we cover:

  • Pilot hiring market in the US at Jan 2020
  • Skills in demand
  • Visa options for international pilots looking to work in the US
  • Conversion of overseas licenses to the FAA
Jared spent a number of years flying Bell 206 in the electronic news gathering role.

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F1 Visa information – Hillsboro Aero Academy’s website has additional information not just on the F1 Visa but other international options.

FAA website Overseas License Page – Starting point for converting your overseas license to an FAA one

A young Jared in the S-61 (Civil version of Sea King). He went straight from training on the Robinson R22 into these large helicopters.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 81? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 80 – Influencing a Positive Aviation Culture with Natalee Johnston

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There are differing and some very academic definitions for what culture is. I like – “the way we do things around here”.  This is a chat about organisational culture and how it impacts on aviation and specifically helicopter operations. 

Natalee Johnston spent most of her time in the Royal Australian Navy as a Sea King pilot. A fatal crash of a RAN Sea King ‘Shark 02’ in 2005 brought with it an increased focus on culture within that Unit and the larger Navy Fleet Air Arm. As Natalee progressed in her career through pilot instructing positions, Flight Commander, Fleet Air Arm Flight Safety Officer and SQN Executive Officer roles she was observer many of the changes and the programs put in place from the findings of that accident investigation.

Now out of the Defence Forces Natalee is taking that knowledge and applying her background in the safety field for civilian organisations with a focus on human factors and the influence of culture on company or organisation performance.

Flight 2, 817 squadron on the flight deck of HMAS KANIMBLA with Seaking 10 and Seaking 22, on return to Australia from OPERATION PADANG ASSIST.

In this episode we cover:

  • Natalee’s Defence career and how she got a start flying helicopters
  • Culture – what is it / definitions / is it measurable
  • Why it is important and its impact on safety outcomes
  • What are the elements that make up culture
  • What individuals or leaders can do to influence a better culture
  • Culture as a competitive advantage
  • Women in Aviation organisation – goals / scholarships
Sea King Shark 22 – At work Shoalwater Bay

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assimilatedsafety.com – Natalee Johnston’s consulting company

2005 Sea King Crash Investigation – the executive summary from the Board of Inquiry highlights some of the causal themes that lead to an increased focus on ‘culture’ as a safety indicator/opportunity.

Women in Aviation – Australian Chapter – information about mentoring, events and scholarships provided by this organisation.

‘Just Culture’ concept is mentioned in the podcast. The video below is an expansion on that idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWjgqDANWA

Life on the outside of Defence. Natalee trying her hand at plank driving.

Natalee with MRH90 crew for a flight into Milton Public school March 2018

WAI Australian Chapter March 2019 at Women in Aviation International conference

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 80? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 79 – Tackling Helicopter Aircrew Distractions with Kimberly Hutchings

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Kimberly Hutchings juggles flying helicopters, running a longline training school, family, being a physical trainer and speaking on safety for high risk industries.

Have you ever taken your eyes inside the cockpit to check a notification or had your preflight inspection interrupted by a phone call? Distractions of all kinds are increasingly a problem for aircrew and they are starting to show up in safety stats. 

Picture for a moment – you are aircrew on a helicopter pre-1995 conducting a preflight on the ramp. For someone to distract you from your task they would have to come out onto the ramp and yell at you to get your attention. Chances are that unless something really important was up that your pre-flight would be uninterrupted.

In 2019 when you preflight you are likely to field calls from Mum asking why you haven’t called in a week, your wife/husband checking to see who is picking up the kids that afternoon and your boss wanting to know if you can work on Saturday. Then there are the social media post notifications, vibrations to let you know a new email has arrived and a recommendation from YouTube that PilotYellow has just posted a new video you might want to watch.  

And that’s just on the ground. Bluetooth headsets, ipads and selfie taking passengers bring a new level of challenges to our ability to focus.

Distractions are enough of an aviation hazard now that the US NTSB include it as the first item on their Most Wanted List.

Kimberly Hutchings is a helicopter pilot, helicopter business CEO, speaker who holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Masters of aeronautical science specialising in Human Factors and Safety systems and a Masters of Management w/ Organizational Behaviour and Leadership.

Kimberly regularly speaks to groups and companies around the dangers of loss of focus, distractions, emotional intelligence and mindfulness.

In this episode we look at what the problem is, how helicopters compare to other forms of transport and strategies to prevent our attention being pulled away from critical tasks.

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Volomission – Vertical Reference and Longline Training.

Kimberly Hutchings on LinkedIn.

NTSB Most Wanted List – more info on Distractions and the other top US aviation safety concerns.

Training at the Volomission ranch in Texas. Kimberly and her husband Andre run a dedicated external load and vertical reference school.
Helicopters are more like cars than aeroplanes when it comes to distractions from passengers.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 79? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.