The Helicopter Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider welcomes Robinson Helicopter Company CEO David Smith back to the podcast for an update on a period of significant change for the company. At the centre of the conversation is Robinson's growing role in military flight training and the selection of the R66 for the U.S. Ar...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Jim O'Neill of Bristow Group , an experienced helicopter rescue paramedic, winchman, and winch operator whose career has taken him from the infantry to decades of helicopter search-and-rescue operations. Jim takes Halsey inside a challenging rescue near Di...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Chad McIntosh and Bailey Gackstetter of Great Lakes Helicopter and HeliSIX in Ontario, Canada, for a conversation about flight training, building helicopter pilots and the value of learning inside a working aviation operation. Chad and Bailey explain why choosi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Beau Prine of Aviation Academy Louisiana to discuss a career shaped by military aviation, maintenance excellence, and a passion for developing the next generation of aviation professionals. Before entering aviation education, Beau served as a CH-53 crew chief i...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with fighter pilot, author, and content creator C.W. Lemoine to talk about an aviation career that rarely followed the obvious path. Growing up in Louisiana, C.W. dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot, only to be told early on that his eyesight would likely prevent hi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ryan Vandehei, a former Coast Guard helicopter pilot, to talk about his path into military aviation, the realities of Coast Guard flight training, and some of the personal challenges that have come with the journey. Ryan shares what drew him to the Coast Guard...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! Aviation insurance can often feel like a complicated process, but behind every policy is a conversation about risk, experience, and finding the right solution. In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast , Halsey sits down with Ryan Konrath of Wings Insurance and Michael Puglisi of IAT Insurance Group to expl...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Matthias Wendt, a dentist from Germany who has turned his passion for helicopters into an innovative STEM outreach effort designed to introduce young people to aviation. Matthias’ connection to helicopters started through curiosity rather than a career path. De...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Raphael Yver, director of sales and support at Guimbal , to explore the story behind one of the most distinctive helicopter manufacturers in the industry. Raphael shares the remarkable journey of company founder Bruno Guimbal, whose passion for engineering and...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this special update episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider welcomes Jason Hill back to the show to discuss one of the biggest milestones in Hill Helicopters ' journey—the successful first run of the GT50 turbine engine. Two years after Jason's first podcast with Halsey in which share...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with longtime friend and fellow Air Evac Life Team pilot Graham Ritter for a conversation that goes far beyond flying helicopters. The two reflect on their time training together at Air Evac and how their careers, families, and perspectives have evolved over the yea...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ty Burlingham, chief pilot, and Mark Paulson, director of maintenance at Precision , to discuss what it takes to grow a successful helicopter operation while maintaining the culture and standards that got you there. Ty shares his unconventional path into aviati...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! When Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the southeastern United States, entire communities were cut off by flooding, landslides, and destroyed infrastructure. In those critical first days, civilian helicopter pilots from across the country stepped up to deliver supplies, rescue stranded residents, and sup...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ian Lumpp, executive sales director at GlobalAir.com , to discuss the role business aviation plays in the broader aviation ecosystem and the challenges the industry faces moving forward. Ian shares insights from his involvement with the National Business Aviati...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast , brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS ! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Andre and Kimberly Hutchings, co-founders of Volo Mission , to discuss what it takes to develop skilled external load pilots and build a culture of safety, leadership, and continuous learning. Drawing on decades of experience in helicopter operations and traini...

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...