Push to Talk with Bruce Webb: A Helicopter Podcast

Each year more than half a million patients in the US are transported by air ambulance. EMS flight teams face the unique challenge of navigating the inherent risks of flight with the added stresses that come with emergency care. So how can we provide them the safest environment possible to deliver their critical services? Paul Ward is the assistant vice president of safety programs at Intermountai...

Ashlyn Carter is a systems safety and mission assurance expert at Boeing. With a masters in industrial organizational psychology, and prior experience with Airbus and CAMI, she’s is a sterling example of the rising generation of human factors experts who are poised to take on the challenges of our rapidly-changing world.

Eoin Walker is the HEMS segment promoter for Airbus, and host of The Pre-Hospital Care Podcast. With years of experience as a flight paramedic, Eoin has seen firsthand how good communication cools even the most heated scenarios. In this conversation, Eoin will let us in on how he’s been able to harness his communication through his life and career, and what we can do to follow suit. How we can &qu...

Adam Bernhardt is the Head of Safety and Well-Being for Airbus in the Asia-Pacific region, an area that covers more twelve countries including Australia, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Adam understands the subtle touch needed to advocate for safety across such a diverse region.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Adam about the ways he works across nations and cultures that may have differing —...

In a little over one week from recording this episode, VAI’s VERTICON is set to take place in Atlanta, GA. Pilots, mechanics, instructors, operators, manufacturers, and more will converge in one place to celebrate the state of vertical aviation…and to deliberate on its future as we enter the middle part of this century.  Joining me in this episode is François Lassale, the new President and CEO of...

Dr. Roni Avissar is an atmospheric scientist, helicopter pilot, and professor at the University of Miami. His research is crucial to the modern field of weather analysis. In a unique twist on the role weather plays in aviation, Roni conducts his field research using a specially-equipped helicopter, often flying extremely low to the surface to collect data. His work has been funded by NASA, NOAA, a...

Jesse Munns has flown helicopters for almost twenty years, doing everything from offshore to EMS. Some time ago, Jesse began experiencing a heavy strain in his personal life; after pushing himself past his limit, Jesse made a rare but commendable decision — he voluntarily relinquished his medical certificate. He had the awareness to know that he was putting himself and others at risk. In this epis...

Wendell Dunaway is a former training manager at Safran, where he oversaw the education of hundreds of technicians each year. Wendell knows firsthand how community can nurture skills and build understanding. In this conversation, Wendell will explain how the guidance of five life coaches — five mentors designated to five different areas of his life — has kept him from stagnating, and how we can rel...

A native of the Swiss Alps, Simon Wittinger is the author of The Mountain Flying Handbook. First published in 2020, the book is a comprehensive guide to operating at high altitude. It’s been praised by the helicopter community at large, and even been endorsed by EASA.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Simon about the process of writing the book. He’ll take us inside his experience as a mounta...

Since 1998, Maurice Sabourin has been a part of an elite team specializing in the repair of aircraft blades at Airbus. Their work falls somewhere between the skill of a mechanic and the finesse of an artist. In this episode, Maurice will give us an inside look at the work of a blade tech. We’ll follow the process of blade repair, from it’s initial damage to it’s return to service. We’ll learn tech...

From lead-acid, to NICAD, and lithium-ion, the evolution of aircraft batteries has always been a balancing act of weight, power and reliability. Getting that balance right is essential. Today, I’m speaking with Chris Holder of Concorde Battery about the work their company is doing to provide dependable power to the industry.  We’ll look at the development of aircraft batteries over time, common mi...

Dwight Robinson is the deputy chief pilot of flight testing at Airbus. Last year, his flying career was almost cut short when he was hospitalized with Atrial Fibrillation. But despite losing his medical, and battling the effects of his condition, Dwight made a decision. One way or another, he told himself, he was going to fly again.  Against all odds, he did just that. In roughly a year, Dwight wa...

Last March, the US Helicopter Safety Team launched their Peer Pilot Program — an online resource for pilots to seek help with the inner turbulence they might face. Through the program, users can speak with a trained industry “peer” who will listen to the user, and guide them through their concern — personal, professional, and otherwise. These sessions are free, and completely confidential.  In thi...

Dr. Ivan Pupulidy is an expert on safety in complex systems and high risk environments. He’s been a featured speaker for TEDx, and his new book “Human Organization And Potential” has been called “a roadmap toward a new era in workplace safety.” In this conversation, I’ll speak with Dr. Pupulidy about aviation safety reform; how we can can discard the ideas that have been holding us back, and empow...

Carl Ockier is the senior expert for flight test engineering at Airbus. Over the last 25 years, Carl has been instrumental in developing some of the most iconic Airbus helicopters, including the H145 and H135. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Carl about his work engineering aircraft; from the nitty-gritty technical details, to his larger ideas about humans and our relationship to the machines...

Nick Sinopoli is the creator ICARUS, a smart view limiting device that is revolutionizing IFR training. With a screen visor mounted to a hat or helmet, ICARUS allows its user to seamlessly move between levels of visibility, with a peripheral range not possible with earlier training tools. I spoke with Nick about ICARUS, and why it’s making such an impact in the industry…but I was just as intereste...

Unintended flight into IMC is one of the most severe risks we face as pilots. If you haven't been there, it's a hard thing to fathom — flying into the clouds, quickly losing all orientation.  Our guest today is John Roberts. John is the Senior Training Manager at the Transportation Safety Institute. In a previous career, John flew helicopters in the army, where he retired with the rank o...

This is the fourth and final episode of our mini-series on Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow. In it, we focus on his insights into human behavior and how we can apply them to aviation. We'll discuss anchoring and "the possibility effect" — how we undervalue likely outcomes while overvaluing unlikely ones.

This is the third part of our series exploring the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, and how it relates to aviation. In this episode, we’re looking at cognitive ease and our tendency to mistake correlation for causation.

This is the second part of our series exploring the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, and how it relates to aviation. In Episode 1, we laid the groundwork by introducing our two modes of thought: System 1 — the fast, instinctive system — and System 2 — the slow, logical one. Today, we’re looking at heuristics; the mental shortcuts our minds use to make quick decisions.

There has been perhaps no greater influence on my views of human behavior than Daniel Kahneman’s 2011 book, Thinking Fast And Slow. In the book, Kahneman — a psychologist — makes the case that human behavior is driven by the interplay of two differing modes of thought: System 1 — the fast, instinctive system — and System 2 — the slow, logical one. If you’ve listened to this podcast, you’ve almost...

Larry Chappell knows more about classic Airbus helicopters than perhaps anyone alive today.  Having started with the company in 1983 — before MBB merged with Areospatiale to create Eurocopter — Larry has a remarkable amount of insight about helicopters, and how they work.  In this episode, Larry will give us an overview of his extraordinary career, from flying in the the deserts of Iran to the Ama...

As aviation propels into the second quarter of this century, we’re learning more than ever that the best aircraft designs consider the humanity of aviators — their strengths, their shortcomings…their very nature.  Raphael Paquin and Fabien Bernard are experts in human factors engineering. They work together at Airbus in France, where they find new ways to bring flying closer to the human experienc...

Seth Buttner has investigated over 400 accidents in a career spanning 30 years. Formerly with Cessna, Seth works today as the senior investigator for Airbus Helicopters. In this conversation, Seth will trace his career back to the start. How did a boy piecing together a model airplane in his father’s office go on to work accident cases in Chile, Russia, and beyond? Also, we'll talk about the...

In this solo episode, I'm looking back in history to the first fatal heavier-than-air accident, and the insights we can draw from Orville Wright and the death of Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge. Along the way, I’ll look at a few other historical accidents, and how they might apply to those of us flying today.