Rotary Wing Show – Helicopter News, Safety, Training & Pilot Stories

Helicopters make fantastic photo subjects! There is still something special about flying that captures the human spirit and the intrinsic movement and energy in a helicopter especially so. Mark Watterson has been photographing helicopters professionally since 2014. He shares some tips for how best to work with aerial photographers for a great product.  Mark has … Continue reading "RWS 101 – A...

Two US National Guard pilots are developing a new training tool to reduce the risk of and improve the fidelity of reduced visual environment training. IIMC, dust landings and white outs have all been the causes of both training mishaps and real world accidents and deaths. We talk about what it missing in the current … Continue reading "RWS 100 – Degraded Visibility Training with Tyson Phillips and...

It is not unusual for helicopter pilots to take a winding route to before they end up with a career in the cockpit. Tryggvi worked as a baggage handler, in flight operations and as a quality auditor before taking on a flying job. Now he is flying for the Icelandic Coast Guard on missions as … Continue reading "RWS 99 – Helicopter Flying in Iceland with Tryggvi Helgason" The post RWS 99 – Helicopte...

Before a helicopter approaches to an oil rig there are checks and safety procedures to be followed on the rig in preparation – the deck is cleared, cranes are moved out of the way and gas venting is stopped. When the landing rig is misidentified and an approach flown to the wrong landing deck the … Continue reading "RWS 98 – Wrong Deck Landings and Approach Detection with Jon Davis" The post RWS 9...

Jerry Grayson returns to the Rotary Wing Show with an update on his next adventure following a packed career in the cockpit as a SAR and film pilot. Now-a-days he keeps his feet on the ground but leverages his experience in the operation of drones – and he thinks it might be a good time … Continue reading "RWS 97 – A Possible Helicopter Career Plan B with Jerry Grayson" The post RWS 97 – A Possibl...

Richard (Rick) Howell started spinning spanners on aircraft in 1960 as a QANTAS apprentice. Since then he has flown all through Australia and PNG including a 29 year run as a pilot for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  Rick and his twin brother John both started in aviation at the same time which presented a number … Continue reading "RWS 96 – What I’ve Been Doing for the Last 60 Years wit...

Working in the helicopter media part of the industry Elan Head gets to talk to a wide range of people and over time has had the opportunity to take the controls of a wide range of helicopters. This gives her a unique vantage point to talk about the many roles that helicopters perform and some … Continue reading "RWS 95 – Adventures in Helicopter Media with Elan Head" The post RWS 95 – Adventures i...

Electronic news gathering or ENG is the term that those in the helicopter news corner of the industry use to capture their operations. As a platform to provide real time on-scene video at short notice over a city nothing so far beats a helicopter.     As consumers of news media we have become pretty accustomed … Continue reading "RWS 94 – News Helicopter Ops Over Los Angeles with Larry Welk" The p...

Most piston engine pilots will be at least passingly familiar with the theory behind the formation of carburetor icing. However most textbooks lean towards the operation of the carburettor in a fixed wing mounted engine. Helicopter engines, predominately the Robinson helicopter types but applicable to others as well, have their own unique challenges when it … Continue reading "RWS 93 – Carburettor...

As versatile as helicopters are there are still tight places where they just can’t land to get people in or out. For overwater flights, rescue teams and some utility operations that means using a hoist or under-slung line to reach someone. A hoist fitted helicopter is not always avaliable. Hence we have the considerations that … Continue reading "RWS 92 – Human External Cargo Helicopter Ops with J...

The general line thrown out there is that most helicopter pilots try to spend their careers staying away from wires – the guys and girls flying in the powerline industry get right up close as part of their job. David McColl is a powerline pilot in the US and has built up experience in a … Continue reading "RWS 91 – Helicopter Powerline Operations with David McColl" The post RWS 91 – Helicopter Pow...

The pace of consumer electronics development far outstrips that of aviation equipment and helicopter installed functionality. Electronic Flight Bags are becoming a fixture in cockpits throughout the industry. For about AUD$799 in 2020 you can bring a range of features with you into any legacy aircraft that would have previously either been impossible or would … Continue reading "RWS 90 – Electroni...

We first looked at night aerial firefighting in episode 65 when the capability had just finished the first trials in Australia. Now with two more fire seasons of experience fighting fires at night, Richard Butterworth is back to give an update on the continuing road map and what as been achieved so far.  Richard Butterworth … Continue reading "RWS 89 – Night Aerial Firefighting 2020 Update with Ri...

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" The post RW...

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" The post RWS 87 – Search and...

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" The post RWS 86...

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" The post RWS 85 – Buying a Helicopter...

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 … Continue reading "RWS 84 – Pilotage FLIR with Tony ‘Squid’ Norton" The post RWS 84 –...

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" The post RWS 83 – SH2 Sea Spr...

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" The post RWS...

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 Ja...

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 Natal...

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 H...

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 Heli...

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 Ro...