Push to Talk with Bruce Webb: A Helicopter Podcast

Perhaps you’ve been here before — flying, not long after takeoff, when you encounter low ceilings. Before departure, your weather app indicated everything was clear...You may have just become a a victim of Green Dot Syndrome, according to our guest today.  Matt Johnson flies for Metro Aviation, at an air ambulance program based in Southwestern Ohio. An accomplished pilot and pilot examiner, Matt i...

Lindsay Cunningham is a former accident investigator for Airbus. Today, she works as Managing Director for Helisim in the United States, where she facilitates the cutting-edge of simulation training. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Lindsey about the psychology of accident investigation; how to avoid false starts and misleading conclusions.

Rusty Sloane is a lecturer at Baylor University’s aviation program, where he prepares student pilots for careers in the airlines. A former coast guard helicopter pilot, Rusty spent several years flying with me here at Airbus.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Rusty about finding one's place as a pilot, a student, a leader, and everything in-between. We’ll look at the truth behind the pil...

Chris Baur (US Helicopter Safety Team) returns to the show to speak about the power of volunteer work in aviation — how we can take the lessons we’ve learned at any level of experience, use them to enrich the lives of others, and, in doing so, enrich our own lives as well. 

Perhaps nothing today exemplifies the strides our industry is making more than the Airbus RACER , an experimental compound helicopter that made its first flight in April of this year. With reported ability to reach unprecedented speeds while maintaining groundbreaking efficiency, RACER is changing aviation as we know it. As the chief test pilot for Airbus, Herve Jammyrac is front and center in the...

Jeff Trang is a lifelong test pilot. His flying played a part in certificating some of the most widely-flown airframes today. For several years, Jeff was my boss here at Airbus; today, he’s the head of the National Test Pilot School, a civilian test pilot training institute in the Mojave desert.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Jeff about his life, his work, and what it means to serve as a l...

Krista Haugen is the director of patient safety for Global Medical Response. While working as a flight nurse in 2005, Krista survived a helicopter crash; an experience that emboldened her to speak up. Today, Krista is a fierce advocate for all things human; from accident prevention, to stress management and trauma recovery, her compassionate insight is key in moving the air medical industry forwar...

1. Act safely, even when no one is watching.   2. Accept that it could happen to you   3. Always follow the rules  4. Abide by personal minimums   5. Always steady, never impulsive   6. Own the outcome and speak up   7. Never cut corners   8. Never say "Hey, watch this!"  9. Regularly use simulated training environments    10. Believe that zero fatal accidents is achievable     Nick Mayh...

Eleonora Avi is an aviation psychologist based in Italy. The same year Eleanora earned her degree in psychology, her mother was rescued by a Helicopter Air Ambulance — an event that inspired Eleonora to give back to the industry by helping pilots understand the inner-workings of their minds.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Eleanora about her unique and fascinating field; how can we recogniz...

Frank Kanauka is a helicopter pilot and former army aviator.  In this conversation, Frank and I will discuss his early training in the Warrant Officer program during the Vietnam War, and the events leading up to his survival of a mid-air collision in Cambodia. 

Personal and private flights account for the largest percentage of helicopter accidents — despite making up just 3% of hours flown. So how can we fix this? Our guests today are Scott Tyrell — a former FAA accident investigator — and Arvid Albanese — a business owner and private pilot. As co-sponsors of the personal/private segment of the US Helicopter Safety Team, Scott and Arvid promote safety id...

Chris Hill is the senior director of safety for Vertical Aviation International — formerly, HAI. In his role, Chris seeks out new ways to promote and adhere to safety culture.  In this conversation, Chris and I will examine the importance of open dialogue in safety; why we should feel motivated to share the lessons we’ve learned from our shortcomings, and withhold judgement from others doing the s...

Chris Baur of Hughes Aerospace returns to the show to tell us about The Hughes App, a new all-in-one flight aid, complete with maps, charts, camera feeds, weather data, risk assessment functions, and many more flight supplements. 

Alida Soemawinata is a helicopter pilot from Australia. In her current position, Alida flies medical services in Borneo, delivering doctors, supplies, and other aid to remote villages across the island.  In this conversation, I’ll speak with Alida about her career and outlook on aviation. She’ll talk about her operations in Borneo, including her experience flying the the Bo 105. We’ll look at the...

Marcus Bauer is a pioneer of accident reconstruction — using a painstaking process, Marcus builds virtual recreations of accidents, down to the most crucial details. His work has helped international authorities, manufacturers, and operators, identify the root cause of accidents, so they might prevent similar ones in the future In this conversation, I’ll speak with Marcus about his unique line of...

With the increased popularity of drones and UAVs, our airspace is only getting busier. Knowing this, how can pilots keep the highest level of awareness in a more crowded environment?  Our guest today is Mike O’Donoghue. Mike is an aviation consultant based in the UK. With decades of experience as a pilot and examiner, Mike studies how emerging technologies can support the human element of aviation...

In this special episode of Push to Talk, I’m speaking with three remarkable women from across the helicopter industry as part of Women in Aviation Worldwide week.  1) Stephanie Bell is the director of key accounts at Collins Aerospace. Raised by a father who built and flew experimental helicopters, Stephanie developed a love for engineering that she carries with her today. I’ll speak with Stephani...

Those of us who have enjoyed a life in aviation need to face a simple truth; that all the safety knowledge in the world is useless if we don’t successfully pass it down.  Our guest today is J Heffernan. J is a lifelong aviator with a wide variety of experience, from flying in presidential unit HMX-1, to working in safety roles at HAI, Sikorsky, and Air Evac Lifeteam. Since 2018, he’s helped run He...

Bill Hopper is a  maintenance instructor at Air Evac Lifeteam, an EMS provider based in Missouri. With decades of experience as a pilot and maintainer, Bill spends his time moulding the next generation of aviation professionals. In this conversation with Bill, we’ll examine an instructor’s relationship with their students. Bill will tell us about his approach to teaching, and the values he finds m...

Fred North has worked as a stunt pilot and aerial coordinator on some of highest-grossing films of the last twenty years. From Marvel, to James Bond, and Mission Impossible, his aerial performances have helped blockbuster movies bring to life their most thrilling moments.  In this conversation with Fred, we’ll look at his unique profession from a pilot’s perspective. Fred will walk us through his...

In this final installment, Bruce and Chris discuss ways pilots can prevent and recover from spatial disorientation during flight. For more information, and for a full list of Helicopter Safety Enhancements, please visit https://ushst.org/h-se-details/

In this third episode, Bruce and Chris look at the science of aerodynamics and how to implement it during flight. For more information, and for a full list of Helicopter Safety Enhancements, please visit https://ushst.org/h-se-details/

In this second episode, Bruce and Chris discuss how to manage risk during flight. For more information, and for a full list of Helicopter Safety Enhancements, please visit https://ushst.org/h-se-details/

In this four part mini-series, Bruce Webb and Chris Baur are taking a deep-dive into four different safety enhancement concepts researched and published by the US Helicopter Safety Team. In this first episode, Bruce and Chris look at HSE 19A: Improving Safety Culture. For more information, and for a full list of Helicopter Safety Enhancements, please visit https://ushst.org/h-se-details/

After a two-month hiatus, Push to Talk will return in January with a new batch of conversations featuring  more insightful figures across the world of aviation.  Thierry Couderc is the Vice Chair of the European Helicopter Association. In this conversation, Thierry and I will speak about aviation regulation in a changing world. Theirrey will tell us about his work integrating drones into European...