The Helicopter Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Keith Moreland of Rotorcraft Services Group (RSG) to discuss the relationships, communication, and leadership principles that help keep aviation operating safely and effectively. Drawing on decades of experience supporting operators across the helicopter indust...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Joe LaRue of Prairie Air , recorded at Verticon 2026, to talk about how the rotorcraft industry is evolving at the operator level. Joe shares his path into aviation and how that led to building Prairie Air into a maintenance and operations-focused business cent...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Roy Knaus of Heli Austria to discuss the company's journey from a small family operation to one of Europe's most established helicopter operators. Roy shares the history of Heli Austria , founded by his father in the 1980s, and reflects on the growth...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, host Halsey Schider sits down with Todd Tetzlaff, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs and global relations at Enstrom Helicopter , to talk about how a legacy manufacturer continues to adapt in today’s market. Todd shares perspective on Enstrom’s long history in the industry and what...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with Ryan Walters to talk about his path from Army Ranger to pilot in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Ryan shares how his time in the Ranger Regiment shaped his perspective early on, and how working alongside the 160th durin...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with Sean Moretz—returning as the show’s very first guest more than 170 episodes later. Sean talks through how his role as a designated pilot examiner (DPE) has shaped his career, and how relationships built early in aviation tend to come f...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with JD Parsons of Colorado Highland Helicopters to talk about a different approach to flight training. JD shares his path from trucking entrepreneur to helicopter operator, and how that background shaped the way he thinks about flight scho...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with Jesse Munns, founder of Awakened, Iron and Soul, to talk about career transitions, mental health, and the realities of stepping back in aviation. Jesse shares his experience working in HEMS, describing the buildup of fatigue and burnou...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with Steve Soliz from Bell to discuss the evolving landscape of helicopter emergency medical services. Steve brings a global perspective to the conversation, breaking down how HEMS operations are adapting through advancements in avionics, a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schrader sits down with Cory Vinger to talk about the evolution of drone technology—and where his focus is shifting next. Cory shares his path from aerospace engineering and flight training into the early days of unmanned aviation, building experience in uti...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with Steve Cox, fighter pilot, airline pilot, and creator of the Cleared Direct YouTube channel, for a wide-ranging conversation about aviation, risk, and the lessons learned from real-world flying. Steve shares the path that led him from m...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, recorded live at European Rotors 2025 in Cologne, host Halsey Schider sits down with helicopter pilot and author Simon Whitinger for a wide-ranging discussion about operations, training, and knowledge sharing in the helicopter community. The conversation opens with...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , recorded at Verticon 2026, Halsey Schider sits down with David Smith, ceo of Robinson Helicopters , and Paul Fermo, president of Robinson Unmanned , to discuss safety, innovation, and where the industry is heading next. The conversation opens with a look at recent...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , recorded at Verticon 2026, Halsey Schider sits down with Francois Lassale, president and ceo of Vertical Aviation International , for a first conversation on leadership, safety culture, and decision-making in aviation. The discussion opens with Halsey sharing a fo...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! Recorded live at European Rotors 2025, this episode of The Helicopter Podcast features a conversation between Halsey Schider and Glen White from EuroSafety about helicopter training, safety culture, and the growing European market. The conversation begins with Europe’s expanding role in the global helicopte...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with longtime helicopter pilot and safety advocate Nick Mayhew to explore a career shaped by military aviation, hard lessons, and an unwavering commitment to safety. Nick shares his journey from the Royal Navy into helicopter operation...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider sits down with David Smith, ceo of Robinson Helicopters , during European Rotors in Cologne, Germany, for a conversation that blends storytelling, innovation, and the future of rotorcraft. The discussion centers on Robinson’s new book, Climb Hi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this two-part conversation on The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider continues his discussion with Michael Benton, turning the focus toward accident investigation, safety culture, and how aviation organizations learn after things go wrong.  Drawing from his experience as an NTSB party member and saf...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this two-part conversation on The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Michael Benton, whose career in aviation began in an unexpected place.  Before flight school, Michael served as a U.S. Army interrogator and Korean linguist, a background that shaped how he evaluates human behavior,...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , host Halsey Schider sits down with Dirk Petry, vice president of the light twin helicopters program at Airbus Helicopters, to discuss the unveiling of the H140 and what it takes to design a helicopter with life-saving missions at its core. Recorded around the exci...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , Halsey sits down with Jeremiah Griffith of Horizon Helicopters to talk about instruction, experience, and what it takes to operate safely in high-risk real-world environments. From utility flying and powerline awareness to decision making in training, Jeremiah sha...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Robyn Eagles, vice president of marketing at Robinson Helicopters , for an inside look at how one of the industry’s most recognizable manufacturers is reshaping its voice, visibility, and connection to the helicopter community. Fr...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Jamie and Jared from Hillsboro Heli Academy for a wide-ranging conversation about helicopter training, pilot culture, and what keeps people connected to the industry long after their first flight. The discussion explores how share...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey J. Schider sits down with Mark Wegele, director of operations for the Salt River Project, to explore how helicopters support critical infrastructure across the Phoenix region. Mark shares how SRP’s flight department uses helicopters for power line maint...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , Halsey Schider is joined by Dr. Frank Liemandt, Show Director, and Callum Clench, CEO of European Rotors , to unpack their takeaways from European Rotors 2025 in Cologne—an event that continues to grow in both scale and influence across the global helicopter indus...