Today’s topic is First Solo flights. If you are a student getting ready for your first helicopter solo this is the episode that you want to hear.If you are an instructor sending students solo then you will also definitely want to listen to this one. For everyone else there are some good risk management considerations … Continue reading "RWS 88 – First Solo Flights with Peter Holstein"

We spend a lot of time training for emergencies in the air but how much do you know about what happens next or what kicks into gear if you go missing? Luke Brandley is an ex-Huey pilot now working as a Senior Search and Rescue Officer with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). He and … Continue reading "RWS 87 – Search and Rescue at AMSA with Luke Brandley"

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 … Continue reading "RWS 86 – Going for Height and Film Flying with Fred North"

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 … Continue reading "RWS 85 – Buying a Helicopter with Stephen Boyce"

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 … Continue reading "RWS 83 – SH2 Sea Sprite with Jim Palmquist"

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 … Continue reading "RWS 82 – Test Flying and Lessons Learnt with Tony ‘Squid’ Norton"

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

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 … Continue reading "RWS 80 – Influencing a Positive Aviation Culture with Natalee Johnston"

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 … Continue reading "RWS 79 – Tackling Helicopter Aircrew Distractions with Kimberly Hutchings"

For many military aviators their careers at some point end up being a case of ‘up’ or ‘out’ – either promoted to more non-flying roles or transitioning out into the civil industry.  Landing that first non-military position can sometimes be hard as you establish yourself again and reorient to the new environment and civil market. … Continue reading "RWS 78 – Military to Civilian Transition for Helicopter Pilots with Tarryn Ryan"

Hoist operations open up a wide range of additional roles for helicopters. They allow us to get people and equipment into and out of locations which would otherwise be inaccessible or too dangerous to land. Rob Munday and David Callen from SR3 Rescue Concepts help talk us through some of the considerations. The helicopter industry is … Continue reading "RWS 77 – Helicopter Hoist Operations with Rob Munday and David Callen"

A bit of change of format for this episode of the Podcast. I’m re-sharing a recording made for the flight school website where I instruct. This one is all about some of the financial assistance that the Australian Government provides that can also be used towards the gaining of a commercial helicopter licence. * This … Continue reading "RWS 76 – Funding Helicopter Training Using VET Student Loans (Australia Only)"

As an ex-Kiowa helicopter pilot, survival instructor RAAF fixed wing instructor, jet and 737 pilot Mike Atkinson has had opportunities to experience a range of aviation operations.  So what does he do in his spare time? in 1932 two German seaplane pilots found themselves off course and out of supplies in the Kimberley region of northern … Continue reading "RWS 75 – Adventures and Survival with Mike Atkinson"

Pete’s MD500 is in hilly terrain when a passenger’s hoodie departs the cabin and goes straight through the tail rotor. Listen to what happens next in this recording captured by Doug Williams at his house with Pete Gillies. Extra puppy noises included 🙂 In a machine that by design generates significant torque – losing helicopter … Continue reading "RWS 74 – Pete Gillies Talks About Tail Rotor Failures"

In this interview Doug Williams captures a conversation at his house with Pete Gillies about teaching autorotations. Pete shares a story that highlights the differences, especially in turbine helicopters, between touchdown autorotations with the engine idling and with an engine completely off. Have you ever flown an auto with the engine completely off – be … Continue reading "RWS 73 – Pete Gillies Talks About Teaching Autorotations"

Tiltrotor technology aims to push the envelope on helicopter top speeds while retaining the ability to land and take-off vertically. The Leonardo AW609 will be the first civilian tiltrotor design to undergo FAA certification and brings with it some unique mission profiles. Dan Wells started his flying career on the AH-1 Cobra before transitioning to … Continue reading "RWS 72 – AW609 Tiltrotor with Dan Wells"

Part 2 of the interview with ex-Australian Army and current Search and Rescue pilot Kevin Humphreys looking at the topic of aircrew mental health. In this episode the focus shifts from Kevin’s military career to his personal experience with mental health challenges, the recovery process and what other aircrew can take away for their own … Continue reading "RWS 71 – Aircrew Mental Health with Kevin Humphreys – Part 2"

Kevin Humphreys is a veteran of a number of overseas military deployments on Blackhawk and Chinook, currently a check and training pilot on AW139 helicopters and an ambassador for a number of mental health charities. He joins us in the interview today to share some of his flying experiences and his personal story of struggling … Continue reading "RWS 70 – Aircrew Mental Health with Kevin Humphreys – Part 1"

Learn about multiengine helicopter operations in this episode. A great primer for those that have only flown single engine machines and hopefully a useful refresher others. Putting this together has been a great refresher for me personally as it is just over 10 years since I last flew anything with a second engine. Thankfully though … Continue reading "RWS 69 – Multi-Engine Helicopter Considerations with Jim Vince"

World Helicopter Day 2018 is this Sunday! Wishing everyone in the industry a fantastic day for it as we celebrate what we do and the machines we love. A big thank you to Mike Young from aircrewinterview.tv for being kind enough to allow the syndication of this interview with RAF pilot Paul Kennard. The audio [...]

6834 nautical miles south west of London in the South Atlantic some amazing helicopter stories were being lived out during the Falklands War. Many of these were even unknown to the other aircrew flying in the same operational area. Harry Benson was there as a 21 yr old pilot and many years later has interviewed [...]

A podcast that I get a lot of value from is the Jocko Podcast which deals in leadership, mindsets, ju jitsu, military history and has nothing to do with helicopters… or does it. In this episode I chat with Adrian Park a former Australian army helicopter pilot and now EMS pilot who has a special [...]

Helicopters are amazing assets to have working in a bush firefighting role. Every year around the world they contribute to lives saved and property damage avoided. Now for the first time in Australia we are starting to see the move into night time firebombing operations. Richard Butterworth is head of training at Kestrel Aviation based [...]

Imagine you are sitting in an apache cockpit during a refueling operation. Suddenly the world outside, in every direction you look, is one giant fireball. You can feel the heat cooking through through the windshield. What do you do next? That is the situation that today’s guest Boyd ‘Skip’ Tackett found himself in. He received [...]