heliweb magazine - january 2016
DESCRIPTION
In this issue: The Game Changers - Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters team up to control Texas wild hog population Crash Resistant Fuel Tanks - The industry responds Stop the Drone Panic Goodbye AgustaWestland - Hello FinmeccanicaTRANSCRIPT
CRASH RESISTANT FUEL
TANKS THE INDUSTRY RESPONDS
STOP THE
DRONEPANIC
JAN 2016 VOL 23
GOODBYE AGUSTAWESTLAND
HELLO FINMECCANICA
2 heliwebcom 䄀甀最甀猀琀 㔀
2 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
MONTHLY COLUMNS
amp FEATURES
DRONE REGISTRATIONWill it make a difference to
helicopters
Editors notes 6
The toolbox 8
The instructors station 10
Straight amp level 12
Helipix 22
Helinews 42
Rotorheads 50
Behind the lens 52
Whirly Girls 18
16 47CRASH
RESISTANT TANKSThe industry responds
LASER STRIKESOn the increase
24GOODBYE
AUGUSTAWESTLANDHello Finmeccanica
28STOP THE DRONE PANIC
32COVER STORY
THE GAME CHANGERSLast Shadow amp Paradise Helicopters partner
INSIDE
THE JANUARY ISSUE
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Ryan Masonryanheliwebcom
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Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Ali Masonaliheliwebcom
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Tim Pruitt Damon DuranSeth Lasko Daniel GriffithsScott Dworkin
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Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
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A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
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Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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Dallas Shop10570 Olympic Dr bull Dallas TX 75220
Toll Free 800-909-7616 bull Ph 214-351-1284Fax 214-351-1286 bull wwwactionaircraftcom
email maryactionaircraftcom
Mexico CityPh 52-55-2235-1516 bull Fax 52-55-2235-1515
email supportactionaircraftcommx
FAA CRS A9UR626JEASA Certificate EASA1455481
Specializing inRolls Royce 250 Series Engines
AOG Technical Services Available 247
Hablamos Espantildeol
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
by Earning Your Trust Every Day
Your Complete Aviation Insurance Resource
Toll Free 800-585-7004 USA amp Canada OnlyTEL USA 1+608-756-3632 bull FAX USA 1+608-756-2606
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
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January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
2 heliwebcom 䄀甀最甀猀琀 㔀
2 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
MONTHLY COLUMNS
amp FEATURES
DRONE REGISTRATIONWill it make a difference to
helicopters
Editors notes 6
The toolbox 8
The instructors station 10
Straight amp level 12
Helipix 22
Helinews 42
Rotorheads 50
Behind the lens 52
Whirly Girls 18
16 47CRASH
RESISTANT TANKSThe industry responds
LASER STRIKESOn the increase
24GOODBYE
AUGUSTAWESTLANDHello Finmeccanica
28STOP THE DRONE PANIC
32COVER STORY
THE GAME CHANGERSLast Shadow amp Paradise Helicopters partner
INSIDE
THE JANUARY ISSUE
4 heliwebcom
All material published remains the copyright of heliweb No part of this publication may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the publisher Editorials published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher Content within heliweb is believed to be true and accurate and the publisher does not assume responsibility for any errors Unsolicited editorial manuscripts and photos are welcomed and encouraged heliweb cannot be responsible for return unless submissions are accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope Photos submitted by mail or electronically become property of heliweb unless otherwise specified Copyrighted photographs must be clearly marked otherwise they become property of heliweb Deadline for all advertising is the first day of each month for the following months edition Information about rates requirements etc is available upon request
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PO Box 3134 Alpharetta GA 30023 PHONE 844heliweb FAX 904-623-4354
EMAIL infoheliwebcom
is a publication of Airborne Productions
PUBLISHER amp CHIEF EDITOR
Ryan Masonryanheliwebcom
DEPUTY EDITOR
Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Ali Masonaliheliwebcom
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPERS
Tim Pruitt Damon DuranSeth Lasko Daniel GriffithsScott Dworkin
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ben Foutsbenheliwebcom Brian Parsonsbrianheliwebcom
Lauren Brownlaurenheliwebcom
Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
GRAPHIC DESIGN amp ART DIRECTION
Troy DominyTroodon Design Cotroytroodonus
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6 heliwebcom
A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
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L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
RR-250 overhaul and repairParts bull Sales
Dallas Shop10570 Olympic Dr bull Dallas TX 75220
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Hablamos Espantildeol
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
Spreading The Wings of Insurance Protection to Helicopter Owners and Operators
fFALCONFALCONI N S U R A N C E A G E N C Y
Austin TX 1-800-870-0557Columbus GA 1-888-405-1055Dallas TX 1-800-880-0801Frederick MD 1-888-815-2471Houston TX 1-800-880-8822Kerrville TX 1-800-880-4545Lakeland FL 1-800-881-9688Las Vegas NV 1-888-552-7270Los Angeles CA 1-800-624-8856Scottsdale AZ 1-800-880-3597Soldotna AK 1-888-543-5548St Louis MO 1-800-880-8644
Falcon Insurance is one of the largest independently owned insurance specialists in the country Our professional staff hasdecades of experience in aviation insuranceand we are uniquely qualified to provide insurance protection for helicopter owners and operators
We are dedicated to serving you with insurance coverage that sets the standard for the industry
Call today for same day quotes and coverage or visit our web site
w w w f a l c o n i n s u r a n c e c o m PO Box 291388 Kerrville TX 78029
Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
by Earning Your Trust Every Day
Your Complete Aviation Insurance Resource
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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off list price
R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
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January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
2 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
MONTHLY COLUMNS
amp FEATURES
DRONE REGISTRATIONWill it make a difference to
helicopters
Editors notes 6
The toolbox 8
The instructors station 10
Straight amp level 12
Helipix 22
Helinews 42
Rotorheads 50
Behind the lens 52
Whirly Girls 18
16 47CRASH
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24GOODBYE
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28STOP THE DRONE PANIC
32COVER STORY
THE GAME CHANGERSLast Shadow amp Paradise Helicopters partner
INSIDE
THE JANUARY ISSUE
4 heliwebcom
All material published remains the copyright of heliweb No part of this publication may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the publisher Editorials published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher Content within heliweb is believed to be true and accurate and the publisher does not assume responsibility for any errors Unsolicited editorial manuscripts and photos are welcomed and encouraged heliweb cannot be responsible for return unless submissions are accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope Photos submitted by mail or electronically become property of heliweb unless otherwise specified Copyrighted photographs must be clearly marked otherwise they become property of heliweb Deadline for all advertising is the first day of each month for the following months edition Information about rates requirements etc is available upon request
heliwebcom
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PO Box 3134 Alpharetta GA 30023 PHONE 844heliweb FAX 904-623-4354
EMAIL infoheliwebcom
is a publication of Airborne Productions
PUBLISHER amp CHIEF EDITOR
Ryan Masonryanheliwebcom
DEPUTY EDITOR
Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Ali Masonaliheliwebcom
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPERS
Tim Pruitt Damon DuranSeth Lasko Daniel GriffithsScott Dworkin
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ben Foutsbenheliwebcom Brian Parsonsbrianheliwebcom
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Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
GRAPHIC DESIGN amp ART DIRECTION
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heliwebcom
6 heliwebcom
A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
Bria
n Pa
rson
s
T h e t o o l b o x
L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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Hablamos Espantildeol
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
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January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
4 heliwebcom
All material published remains the copyright of heliweb No part of this publication may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the publisher Editorials published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher Content within heliweb is believed to be true and accurate and the publisher does not assume responsibility for any errors Unsolicited editorial manuscripts and photos are welcomed and encouraged heliweb cannot be responsible for return unless submissions are accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope Photos submitted by mail or electronically become property of heliweb unless otherwise specified Copyrighted photographs must be clearly marked otherwise they become property of heliweb Deadline for all advertising is the first day of each month for the following months edition Information about rates requirements etc is available upon request
heliwebcom
Heliweb is a proud member of
PO Box 3134 Alpharetta GA 30023 PHONE 844heliweb FAX 904-623-4354
EMAIL infoheliwebcom
is a publication of Airborne Productions
PUBLISHER amp CHIEF EDITOR
Ryan Masonryanheliwebcom
DEPUTY EDITOR
Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Ali Masonaliheliwebcom
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPERS
Tim Pruitt Damon DuranSeth Lasko Daniel GriffithsScott Dworkin
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ben Foutsbenheliwebcom Brian Parsonsbrianheliwebcom
Lauren Brownlaurenheliwebcom
Adam Johnsonadamheliwebcom
GRAPHIC DESIGN amp ART DIRECTION
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January 2016 5
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heliwebcom
6 heliwebcom
A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
Bria
n Pa
rson
s
T h e t o o l b o x
L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Y
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CY
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HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
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Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 5
Aircraft Sales amp Acquisitions
copyCopyright - Avpro Inc - Aircraft Sales amp Acquisitions reg 2015 - All Rights Reserved
W W W A V P R O J E T S C O M
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heliwebcom
6 heliwebcom
A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
Bria
n Pa
rson
s
T h e t o o l b o x
L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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Specializing inRolls Royce 250 Series Engines
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10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
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u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
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He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
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we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
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donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
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be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
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Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
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Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
6 heliwebcom
A s I sa t i n a cha i r a t my desk las t week s ink ing deep in to the lea ther cha i r t ha t I remember purchas ing w i th t he ve r y f i r s t pay ing job I d id as an av ia t ion pho tographer I s ipped on my inc redib ly s t rong co f fee tha t was to ge t me th rough un t i l t he ear ly hours o f t he morn ing as many pub l i she rs o f ten do- I pondered the beg inn ing o f a new year and a l l o f t he accompl i shmen t s o f 2015 As the year began ne i the r myse l f - o r t he amaz ing team o f peop le tha t now su r round me and suppor t t he magaz ine tha t I now run had any idea o f t he ro l le r coas te r t ha t 2015 wou ld become
Even as I l e f t fo r a shoo t back in my home coun t r y o f Aus t ra l ia i n Apr i l I had no idea tha t i n a l i t t l e l e s s t han t wo mon ths I was abou t to board a ro l le r coas te r t ha t i s bo th the mos t exhaus t i ng th ing in t he wor ld as much as i t i s t he mos t exc i t i ng r ide you rsquo l l eve r ge t on Owning your own bus iness i s no t fo r ever yone - tha t i s fo r su re Bu t fo r t hose tha t can rsquo t s tand the g r ind o f t he n ine to f i ve and donrsquo t m ind ge t t i ng the i r hands d i r t y o r j ump ing f rom d izzy ing he igh t s w i th no th ing bu t some fabr ic s t rapped to the i r back t h i s i s t he r ide fo r you
My wi fe A l i has been te l l i ng me fo r many years t ha t I needed to s ta r t my own bus iness i f I was ever go ing to be t ru ly happy We me t when bo th o f u s worked in t he ho te l i ndus t r y p r io r to my law en fo rcemen t career and I was in charge o f a la rge ye t loya l t eam Her words to me over and over aga in have been ldquoyou ju s t need to s ta r t your own bus iness do ing someth ing you love t ha t rsquos when you rsquo l l be happy a t workrdquo ndash and she was r igh t (as a l l good husbands know on a lmos t ever y occas ion)
Ever s ince the day I s tepped in to a he l i cop te r to beg in f l igh t t ra in ing I knew tha t above a l l e l se I wan ted to work in t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y I f you had to ld me in 2007 tha t own ing a he l i cop te r i ndus t r y magaz ine was go ing to be tha t p lace I wou ld have wa lked away g igg l ing to myse l f t ha t you were s lowly s l ipp ing in to in san i t y However fa the r t ime has a funny way o f shap ing where you though t you wou ld be in 10 years and where you end up so here I s i t i n my cha i r wonder ing how a guy who though t he wou ld be a cop un t i l re t i remen t
Ryan MasonPublisher amp Chief Editorheliweb magazine
From the desk ofRy
an M
ason
age i s now a magaz ine pub l i she r and you know wha t - I wou ldn rsquo t g i ve i t up fo r any th ing
On Ju ly 13 th o f 2015 a swe l te r ing day in t he hea t o f downtown Hous ton i t was the f i r s t day o f t he ALEA show and I wa lked towards the conven t ion cen te r fo r wha t wou ld be the f i r s t t h ree days as t he new owner o f t he magaz ine We had spen t t he las t severa l days pour ing over our p ress re lease to make su re i t was per fec t and se t i t up to be re leased the momen t t he show opened bus iness cards i n my pocke t and abou t 50 pounds o f equ ipmen t hav ing been se t up ever yone a t t he show jus t as sumed I was he lp ing se t up fo r t he magaz ine be ing tha t I had prev ious ly worked fo r t he pub l i ca t ion fo r over a year
The p ress re lease wen t ou t and I cou ldn rsquo t have hoped fo r a be t te r response Vendors who I had worked w i th over t he years i n t he indus t r y as soc ia t ion s ta f f and even o ther pub l i she rs s topped by to w i sh myse l f and the team we l l L i t t l e was I to know tha t t he hard work had no t even begun
Immedia te ly upon re tu rn ing f rom the ALEA show the hard work began Wi th the he lp o f peop le tha t I have known and t ru s ted in t he indus t r y we began pu t t i ng toge ther wha t I wan ted the magaz ine to look l i ke (wh ich i s s t i l l evo lv ing as we f i nd our p r in t iden t i t y ) I n t he same 30 day per iod be t ween the las t i s sue o f t he o ld magaz ine go ing ou t and the f i r s t i s sue under new managemen t we found ou t t ha t ou r new house wou ld no t be ready so we packed up our house and pu t ever y th ing we owned in s to rage and spen t t he nex t 30 days in a ho te l
Me des ign ing the magaz ine rsquos new look wr i t i ng con ten t and spending coun t le s s hours on the phone w i th f r i ends peop le in t he indus t r y and my assembled team t r y ing to make su re we had enough con ten t fo r my v i s ion o f v i r t ua l l y doub l ing the con ten t o f t he magaz ine in t he f i r s t mon th - mos t o f i t done s i t t i ng on a lap top by the poo l o f t he S taybr idge Su i te s ho te l t ha t ou r fami ly o f fou r was ca l l i ng home fo r t he longes t 30 days o f ou r l i ves Peop le th ink l i v ing in a ho te l i s g rea t you ge t your bed made fo r you b reak fas t ever y morn ing and d inner a few n igh t s a week Those peop le have never done i t w i th t wo ch i ld ren under 10 a l l wh i le t r y ing to assemble a new look magaz inehellip
Bu t we d id i t Th rough the hard work and dedica t ion o f my sma l l t eam o f awesome
con t r ibu to rs ed i to rs p roo f readers and the a rmy o f i ndus t r y p ro fes s iona l s who have o f fe red adv ice a long the way We D id I t No t on ly t ha t bu t we con t inue to do i t eve r y mon th bu i ld ing on the founda t ions o f wha t we s ta r ted to bu i ld a more power fu l i n fo rmat i ve and indus t r y chang ing magaz ine No t a day goes by where we donrsquo t con t inue to s t r i ve to ach ieve to be the magaz ine tha t i s chosen as an indus t r y favour i te We donrsquo t wan t to p roc la im i t we wan t peop le to FEEL i t
The magaz ine tha t when I was in f l igh t t ra in ing and cou ldn rsquo t ge t enough o f ever y th ing he l i cop te r t ha t I cou ldn rsquo t wa i t to open and see wha t was in s ide I don rsquo t j u s t hope to be tha t magaz ine I have the d r i ve and de te rm ina t ion to BE tha t magaz ine fo r t he indus t r y w i th t he he lp o f my awesome team o f p ro fes s iona l s
One o f t he th ings I l earned as a po l i ce o f f i ce r was to never qu i t and to a lways make a d i f fe rence Trans la t i ng tha t to t he he l i cop te r i ndus t r y i t means tha t we w i l l never s top purs ing the b ig s to r ie s and won t shy away f rom con t roversy i f t he re i s a s to r y tha t needs to be shared I f one p i lo t l earns some th ing f rom reading th i s magaz ine tha t may preven t t hem f rom mak ing a m i s take i t m igh t never be known bu t t ha t i s good enough fo r me
I t rsquos been a wh i r lw ind 2015 and I can rsquo t wa i t to see wha t 2016 br ings bu t I know tha t w i thou t t he team tha t suppor t s me ever y mon th in b r ing ing you the reader t h i s magaz ine and the suppor t o f my amaz ing fami ly t he re wou ld be no he l iweb For t ha t I am e te rna l l y g ra te fu l
To those o f you reading a l l t he way to the end remember th i s Somet imes you have to take r i s k s to ge t to where you wan t to be Somet imes i t i nvo lves a lo t o f sk in i n t he game and o ther t imes i t requ i res a lo t o f he lp f rom your f r i ends and your ab i l i t y to make o thers see your v i s ion to come a long fo r t he r ide In my case i t i s bo th and you w i l l a lways succeed when you have he lp suppor t and a hea l thy dose o f fear tha t d r i ves you Be tha t person to someone one day you rsquo l l be su rpr i sed a t where i t l eads youhellip
No such thing as impossible
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
Bria
n Pa
rson
s
T h e t o o l b o x
L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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Specializing inRolls Royce 250 Series Engines
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10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
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professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
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t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
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He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
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I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
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Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
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Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
C
M
Y
CM
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CY
CMY
K
HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 7
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
Bria
n Pa
rson
s
T h e t o o l b o x
L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
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email supportactionaircraftcommx
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Specializing inRolls Royce 250 Series Engines
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Hablamos Espantildeol
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
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We Earn Our Wings
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
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Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
8 heliwebcom
The Dirty Dozen
B r i a n P a r s o n s i s c u r r e n t l y t h e D i r e c t o r o f M a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y S h e r i f f s O f f i c e A v i a t i o n S e c -t i o n B r i a n i s a M a r i n e v e t e r a n h o l d s a c o m m e r c i a l p i l o t c e r t i f i c a t e a n d i s a l s o a R e s e r v e D e p u t y S h e r i f f f o r H i l l -s b o r o u g h C o u n t y P a r s o n s m a i n t e n a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i n c l u d e s f a c t o r y t r a i n i n g o n B e l l A i r b u s a n d M D h e l i c o p t e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o s e v e r a l e n g i n e t y p e s
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L e t m e f i r s t o f a l l w i s h e v e r y o n e a v e r y H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r
Th i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 27 t h N e w Ye a r I h a v e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h m y w o n d e r f u l w i f e K i m Th o s e o f u s w h o h a v e b e e n i n t h i s b u s i n e s s o f h e l i c o p t e r s f o r a n y l e n g t h o f t i m e k n o w t h a t i t t a k e s a p e r s o n o f g r e a t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t o s h a r e t h e s e a m a z i n g m a c h i n e s w i t h mdash f o r s o m e o f u s i t t a k e s t w o o r t h r e e t r i e s t o f i n d t h a t p e r s o n hellip I c o u l d n rsquo t
b e g i n t o c o u n t t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s
I h a v e h a d t o p o s t p o n e a d a t e c a n c e l a d i n n e r r e s e r v a t i o n o r l e a v e i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e m o v i e j u s t b e f o r e t h e b i g a c t i o n s c e n e b e c a u s e o f a h e l i c o p t e r i s s u e I t s e e m s t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g p u l l i n g i n a d i r e c t i o n a w a y f r o m w h e r e I r e a l l y w a n t t o b e I n e e d t o l e t h e r a n d t h e w o r l d k n o w h o w m u c h s h e m e a n s t o m e w i t h o u t g e t t i n g a l l s a p p y a n d s q u i s h y Th a n k y o u s w e e t h e a r t mdashf r o m t h e b o t t o m o f m y t o o l b o x mdash f o r a l l t h e t i m e s I s a i d I h a d t o g o a n d f o r s t i l l b e i n g t h e r e w h e n I r e t u r n e d
A s w e b e g i n t h e n e w y e a r H A I rsquo s H e l i E x p o i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r I f y o u h a v e n e v e r a t t e n d e d a n H A I e v e n t I h a v e t o s a y t h a t y o u a r e r e a l l y m i s s i n g a t r e m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e g l o b a l h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y a n d b e p a r t o f t h e c u t t i n g e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s i n a l l t h i n g s h e l i c o p t e r
O n e o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t m a k e s t h i s e v e n t s u c h a s u c c e s s i s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s a t t e n t i o n t o s a f e t y F r o m t h e f i r s t a r r i v a l o f t h e d i s p l a y a i r c r a f t a n d u n t i l t h e l i g h t s g o o u t a t t h e c l o s i n g s a f e t y i s i n t h e f o r e f r o n t o f e a c h a n d e v e r y m o v e m e n t i n t o a n d o u t o f t h e v e n u e w h i c h b r i n g s m e t o t h e q u e s t i o n Wh a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o m a k e y o u r m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m s a f e r N o t j u s t f o r t h e p i l o t s a n d o p e r a t o r s b u t f o r y o u a s a m a i n t a i n e r Th e l e n g t h s y o u g o t o m a k e y o u r s e l f s a f e w i l l u l t i m a t e l y s p i l l o v e r i n t o t h e o p e r a t i o n s a s p e c t s t h u s l e a d i n g t o a s a f e r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r e v e r y o n e
I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f H u m a n Fa c t o r s i n A c c i d e n t a n d I n c i d e n t s rdquo l i s t s o v e r t h r e e - h u n d r e d p r e c u r s o r s t o h u m a n e r r o r O n e t h i n g t h a t w e a l l a r e a w a r e o f i s t h e s t a t i s t i c t h a t m o s t a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d i n c i d e n t s a r e c a u s e d b y p i l o t e r r o r w i t h t h e l a r g e s t p e r c e n t a g e c o m i n g f r o m ldquo n o n - m i s s i o n rdquo a c t i v i t i e s l i k e r e p o s i t i o n i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i o n a l w o r k Th e c o m m o n t h r e a d b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t a n d m e c h a n i c i n o u r w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t i s t h e h u m a n f a c t o r w e a r e a l l s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e h u m a n c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y l e a d t o d i s a s t e r
I rsquo m s u r e a t o n e t i m e o r a n o t h e r e a c h o f u s h a s e n c o u n t e r e d a t l e a s t o n e o r t w o o f t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s o r a l l o f t h e m L i s t e d i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r a r e ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo Fa t i g u e s t r e s s c o m p l a c e n c y c o m m u n i c a t i o n a w a r e n e s s d i s t r a c t i o n l a c k o f k n o w l e d g e t e a m w o r k l a c k o f r e s o u r c e s p r e s s u r e l a c k o f a s s e r t i v e n e s s a n d n o r m s a r e a l l t a k e n f r o m t h e I C A O C i r c u l a r 24 0 ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo i s a l i s t d e v e l o p e d b y M r G o r d o n D u P o n t ( G o o g l e h i m mdash a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g i n d i v i d u a l ) w h i l e h e w a s w o r k i n g w i t h Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a D u P o n t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e s e t w e l v e f a c t o r s a r e t h e l e a d i n g p r e c o n d i t i o n s f o r g e t t i n g i n t o t r o u b l e
I t h i n k t h a t i f o n e w e r e t o t a k e a c l o s e l o o k a t e a c h o f t h e s e p r e c u r s o r s t o u n s a f e a c t s i n d i v i d u a l l y h e o r s h e w o u l d f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o m i n i m i z i n g t h e s e s a f e t y r e l a t e d i s s u e s t o b e q u i t e s i m p l e Wh a t I h a v e f o u n d i s t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a m e a n s t o i d e n t i f y a n d c o r r e c t c a n b e t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t L o o k a t f a t i g u e i f y o u w i l l h o w d o y o u m i n i m i z e f a t i g u e R e s t s i m p l e e n o u g h r i g h t B u t h o w c a n w e r e s t w h e n w e h a v e t h e a d d e d s t r e s s o f c o m p l e t i n g a t a s k o n s c h e d u l e a s w e l l a s t h e p r e s s u r e t o b e o n b u d g e t w h e n w e r u n o u t o f r e s o u r c e s b e c a u s e l i t t l e J o h n n y w a s d i s t r a c t e d b y a p h o n e c a l l a n d m i s s e d t h e Fe d e r a l E x p r e s s p i c k u p I c o u l d g o o n b u t I t h i n k I m a d e m y p o i n t
I t rsquo s n o t s o s i m p l e a f t e r a l l H o w d o e s o n e i m p l e m e n t a m e a n s t o c o m b a t a n y s a f e t y i s s u e F i r s t o n e h a s t o r e c o g n i z e t h e u n s a f e c o n d i t i o n E v e r y o n e i s m o s t l i k e l y t i r e d w e a l l h a v e p u l l e d s h i f t s i n t o t h e w e e h o u r s o f t h e m o r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d e a c h a n d e v e r y r e q u i r e d t a s k p l u s d i s c r e p a n c i e s a n d w e w i l l m o s t l i k e l y d o i t a g a i n I t s j u s t a m a t t e r o f t i m e b e f o r e M r M u r p h y c o m e s c a l l i n g a n d a p p l i e s h i s l a w t h a t a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d
g o w r o n g w i l l g o w r o n g H e a l w a y s d o e s a n d a l w a y s w h e n y o u l e a s t e x p e c t i t
E a c h a n d e v e r y o n e o f y o u k n o w o u r e n v i r o n m e n t f o r w o r k i n g o n t h e s e m a c h i n e s i s e n g u l f e d i n ldquo Th e D i r t y D o z e n rdquo d a y i n a n d d a y o u t A s m a i n t a i n e r s w e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a d i s c i p l i n e t h a t g o v e r n s h o w w e a d d r e s s e a c h h u m a n f a c t o r a s t h e y a r e e n c o u n t e r e d r e c o g n i t i o n o f s y m p t o m s a n d a m e a n s t o d e a l w i t h e a c h o n e We h a v e t o r e l y o n e a c h o t h e r i n c l u d i n g m a n a g e m e n t t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t a r e m a d e w i l l i n c l u d e a l e v e l o f s a f e t y t o r e d u c e t h e e x p o s u r e t o u n s a f e a c t s
Fo r t u n a t e l y t h r o u g h t h e ldquo F A A S Te a m rdquo o r Fe d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n S a f e t y Te a m w e h a v e a v a i l a b l e e d u c a t i o n a l t o o l s f o r b o t h AT M s a n d P i l o t s Th e t e a m rsquos m i s s i o n s t a t e m e n t i s t o ldquo I m p r o v e t h e n a t i o n rsquo s a v i a t i o n a c c i d e n t r a t e b y c o n v e y i n g s a f e t y p r i n c i p l e s a n d p r a c t i c e s t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g o u t r e a c h a n d e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e s t a b l i s h i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s a n d e n c o u r a g i n g t h e c o n t i n u a l g r o w t h o f a p o s i t i v e s a f e t y c u l t u r e w i t h i n t h e a v i a t i o n c o m m u n i t y rdquo
Th e s a f e t y c o u r s e s a v a i l a b l e a r e t y p i c a l l y f r e e o f c h a r g e a n d c a n b e f o u n d o n l i n e a t f a a s a f e t y g o v g s l a c A L C c o u r s e _ c a t a l o g a s p x
I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e a n y o n e w h o i s i n v o l v e d i n a n y k i n d o f a v i a t i o n -r e l a t e d e n d e a v o r t o v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a n d s i g n u p f o r t h e a v a i l a b l e c l a s s e s A s a b o n u s f o r AT M s s o m e c l a s s e s a r e a p p r o v e d f o r t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n s p e c t i o n A u t h o r i z a t i o n r e n e w a l
A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o n s a f e t y t o o l s c a n b e f o u n d a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e l i c o p t e r S a f e t y Te a m w e b s i t e a t w w w I H ST o r g
L e t s a l l m a k e 2 016 t h e s a f e s t y e a r e v e r
January 2016 9
RR-250 overhaul and repairParts bull Sales
Dallas Shop10570 Olympic Dr bull Dallas TX 75220
Toll Free 800-909-7616 bull Ph 214-351-1284Fax 214-351-1286 bull wwwactionaircraftcom
email maryactionaircraftcom
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email supportactionaircraftcommx
FAA CRS A9UR626JEASA Certificate EASA1455481
Specializing inRolls Royce 250 Series Engines
AOG Technical Services Available 247
Hablamos Espantildeol
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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Call today for same day quotes and coverage or visit our web site
w w w f a l c o n i n s u r a n c e c o m PO Box 291388 Kerrville TX 78029
Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
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Your Complete Aviation Insurance Resource
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
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Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 9
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10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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Falcon Insurance is one of the largest independently owned insurance specialists in the country Our professional staff hasdecades of experience in aviation insuranceand we are uniquely qualified to provide insurance protection for helicopter owners and operators
We are dedicated to serving you with insurance coverage that sets the standard for the industry
Call today for same day quotes and coverage or visit our web site
w w w f a l c o n i n s u r a n c e c o m PO Box 291388 Kerrville TX 78029
Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Y
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CY
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HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
10 heliwebcom
So you want motion
Laur
en B
row
n
T h e i n s t r u c t o r s rsquo s t a t i o n
If yoursquore going to do something do it right That
statement is applicable in many situations but is
especially important when discussing features
of training simulators With such a large differ-
ence in price between helicopter simulators on
the market today it can be difficult for an inter-
ested buyer to understand what sets one apart
from another There are many thingsmdash from
the flight handling packages the approval
level the quality and replication of hardware
and so forth but just to focus on one thing at
a time lets consider the element of motion
The motion feature of simulators at the ATD and FTD
level of approval seems to be commonly misunderstood
by consumers Large full-flight simulator manufactures
such as CAE for example can achieve motion that
is nearly identical to the actual aircraft but the cost
for these simulators can easily reach millions of
dollars For the general aviation flight school and
training center level budget that price is simply not
feasible Many people feel that if a sim doesnrsquot have
motion then it is leaving a large feature to be desired
However more often than not the opposite is true
Adding motion capabilities to a training simulator is one of
the most expensive things a manu-facturer can do The labor
programming hardware components motors and so forth
contribute to this time-consuming costly effort Often when
motion is accomplished by a manufacturer and added as a
feature to their sim it does not have a long range of travelmdash
sometimes as little as a few inches off the ground The sim
may not be capable of moving on the correct axis that an
actual helicopter or airplane does causing confusion to
inexperienced pilots motion sickness for participants and
a generally unlikeable training experience The cost of
adding the motion also causes the final cost of the trainer
to exceed most of the ATDFTD marketsrsquo budgets
In talking with numerous instructorsmdashboth helicopter and
airplanemdashmany agree that the motion of their schoolrsquos
ATD or FTD is distracting to students during training
some even disable the feature all together Others
complain that the motion of their sim has deteriorated
over time causing sporadic or rough movement but
fixing just that aspect of the otherwise working sim is
deemed too expensive to fit into their budget While
there are proponents of having motionmdashand there is a
benefit to it if itrsquos used appropriately and in certain types
of lessonsmdashit appears by and large that the motion
options available to ATDFTD type simulators are just
not at a level of fidelity to make it a worthy investment yet
When people discuss adding motion to their sim the
goal is typically to add realism People want to feel
like they are hovering hover taxiing correcting for
winds and so forth Feeling realism is not achieved
solely by adding motion but also by how immersive
the simulator environment is as well Is the simulator
in a cockpit enclosure Are there people talking
nearby that take away from the training experience
Is the instructor well versed in how to operate the sim
or is the lesson being broken up by instructor station
inputs All of these elements can affect a training
lesson in a simulator more than people realize I
believe there should be great importance placed on
the simulatorrsquos surrounding and especially on properly
training instructors on how to use the equipment An
effort should be made by sim operators to ensure
students are training in an environment conducive
to the most realistic training experience possible
Motion may seem like a feature that alone adds
realism but as mentioned if it is not done well or if
the sim has other factors in the environment surrounding
it that are distracting students from training motion
may only serve to distract from the lesson When
considering a simulator for purchase rental lease or
just use as a student pilot my advice would be donrsquot
get caught up in the features list at a glance Yoursquoll want
to actually fly the trainer shoot some approaches see
how the instruments react program a route in the GPS
and assess some of the more valuable features that
you or your instructors will actually use with students
Sometimes at trade shows or during demos people only
fly a sim for a couple minutes and for that amount of
time the motion may not be distracting it may even
seem fun but when you are in a training lesson for a
longer duration of time possibly with clouds as the only
thing in the visual trying to program a GPS or track an
ADF unrealistic sim motion is the last thing you want
to be feeling and is probably in fact distracting from
the learning task at hand I urge people that want to
incorporate simulators into their curriculum to actually
fly them during their test flight in the same way it will
be flown with their students There is definitely a long
list of features to compare between simulators but
unless you are in the market for one near the million
dollar mark take your time do your research take a
test flight and give real consideration to whether or not
motion is essential to reaching your operationrsquos goals
Lauren in currently the Director of Operations for Elite
Simulation Centers in Orlando Florida Lauren started
writing to show the benefits of simulation technology
with the industry to show that with a combination
of simualtion traning and real world applocation
simulators are a valuable asset to ant flight school
or operator Lauren in a commercial fixed wing
pilot and aims to complete her rotorocraft addon
January 2016 11
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We are dedicated to serving you with insurance coverage that sets the standard for the industry
Call today for same day quotes and coverage or visit our web site
w w w f a l c o n i n s u r a n c e c o m PO Box 291388 Kerrville TX 78029
Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
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u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
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(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
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Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
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Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 11
Spreading The Wings of Insurance Protection to Helicopter Owners and Operators
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Falcon Insurance is one of the largest independently owned insurance specialists in the country Our professional staff hasdecades of experience in aviation insuranceand we are uniquely qualified to provide insurance protection for helicopter owners and operators
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Call today for same day quotes and coverage or visit our web site
w w w f a l c o n i n s u r a n c e c o m PO Box 291388 Kerrville TX 78029
Jim Gardner President1640 Powers Ferry Road Bldg 14 Ste 300 bull Marietta GA 30067
678-278-2100 bull Fax 678-398-7038wwwjagardnercom
We Earn Our Wings
by Earning Your Trust Every Day
Your Complete Aviation Insurance Resource
Toll Free 800-585-7004 USA amp Canada OnlyTEL USA 1+608-756-3632 bull FAX USA 1+608-756-2606
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WE BUYbull Light and medium turbine helicoptersbull Parts components and inventoriesbull Distressed and run-out airframes
Check out our website
HELICOPTER PARTS SALESCheck Out our Huge Inventory
Over One Million Items
We have a large inventory of quality parts from reputable sources for outright sale and exchange
ACCESSORIES bull COMPONENTS bull INSTRUMENTSAirbus Helicopter Bell Helicopter MDHC Schweizer
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12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
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Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
12 heliwebcom
On AutorotationsS t r a i g h t a n d l e v e l
Ben
Fout
s Throughout your training to be a professional
pilot you are faced with learning how to
autorotate a helicopter There are good ways
to teach it and bad In consideration of the fact
that nearly ninety percent of training accidents
in the helicopter industry occur while practicing
autorotations I am of the opinion that there is a
lack of standardization and safety protocol on the
maneuver and it needs to be addressed It is not
uncommon now for flight schools to restrict or even prohibit
autorotation training as part of their normal curriculum In
those cases the training is given only by a chief instructor
and typically right before a taking a checkride What
his knee-jerk adverse reaction to the problem creates is
pilots getting licensed without the proper readiness and
skill needed to perform safely The problem exists in a
different form on the fixed-wing side of pilot training as
well with very few students receiving adequate training in
upset attitude recovery and spin training The end result
will be weakness as pilotsmdash all stemming from a fear
of taking risk with a student The fact is that this type of
training saves lives and a highly educated and skilled
instructor is imperative to the studentrsquos ultimate success
The US Army is presently transitioning to twin-engine
helicopters from day-one of new pilotsrsquo training
which potentially means in a few years there
may be a shortage of well-qualified candidates
coming to the single-engine dominated industry
While the problem is perceived as a high percentage of
accidents occurring during the training of a particular
maneuver the currently accepted solution is worse
Avoidance Failing to train pilots thoroughly in potentially
life saving emergency procedures is akin to not teaching
a medical professional how to perform CPR and
hoping he or she doesnrsquot face any heart attack victims
The maneuvermdashproperly executedmdashis very safe to perform
and should be taught within strict guidelines to ensure its
success Students must be afforded the opportunity to practice
it regularly in order to perfect the skill they so desperately need
The primary obstacle to learning the maneuver is convincing the
status quo that it actually is a very safe practice procedure If you
ask people on the street what they thought of helicopters most say
that they are dangerous and if the engine quits they believe that
there is no survival Students needs to know right away that the
helicopter does not fall out of the sky and is actually in essence
a very agile glider Granted the glide ratio isnrsquot comparable
to an airplane but the maneuverability and the results of an
autorotation are such that the occupants should be able to walk
away every time Can we teach the student that instead of
engine failure this is a simple procedure that is taught to glide
a helicopter and to enhance your skill Defeating the perception
of danger is of utmost importance If a student feels safe he
or she can learn If a student feels anxiety learning is halted
If you try for example to demonstrate an autorotation from
five-hundred feet in the traffic pattern you probably will have
a very difficult time overcoming the studentrsquos fear of hitting
the ground and self preservation will rule the day When the
entire maneuver mdashfrom entry to power recoverymdashtakes less
than eighteen seconds there is way too much happening for a
student to absorb any effective learning The introduction of the
maneuver really should come from a minimum altitude more in the
neighborhood of three-thousand feet AGL so that you have time
to stabilize in autorotation for a more effective demonstration T
his extra ldquoglide timerdquo gives the student a chance to soak in all
that is happeningndash how the collective can control rotor RPM
how the cyclic changes airspeed and rotor RPM and the
importance of the scan from outside to stabilize the attitude of
the helicopter to a scan of the Rotor RPM Indicated Airspeed
and the trim of the aircraft If you can get the student to lead the
autorotation by looking outside and using the inside reference to
instruments only as a small percentage of his or her scan time
yoursquoll find that the student is better able to stabilize the
auto quickly and find a level of comfort in the maneuver
Please note that if you are autorotating away from an airport
you must have a solid plan in place Consider these few
steps to mitigate risk and ensure the safe outcome of the
planned event for the initial stages of learning the autorotation
1 The spot needs to be safe and large enough that even
a poorly executed auto due to a real emergency (in the event the
engine sputtered and quit) would be easily survivable At the end of
the day the helicopter is not the important thing it is after all just metalndash
and the manufacturer will be happy to produce another onehellip
2 The recovery should take place no lower than five-
hundred feet AGL this is to ensure you have ample time to take the
controls from your student and perform a touchdownndash again in the
event something mechanical happened that was out of your control
3 Always know where the wind is coming from
and plan your glide and power recovery portion to end up into
the wind The difference between walking away from the auto
or ending up severely injured mdashor worsemdash depends upon it
You might also consider abstaining from practicing autorotations
that end with a low-level flare and power recovery at
any place other than an airport that has an active Crash
Rescue unit at the field Donrsquot take unnecessary risks
Introducing this maneuver as a gentle transition to glide mode
goes a long way towards reducing student anxiety Once they
perform this maneuver multiple times you will see the marked
improvement in performance Practice the entry with an emphasis
on maintaining the pitch attitude which in turn stabilizes Indicated
Airspeed Once the airspeed is stable the rotor RPM wonrsquot change
much The maneuver becomes easy and safe Only after this
has been achieved should you bring the student to an airport
environment to begin the flare and transition to a hover technique
This is a performance maneuver and it is imperative to keep the
helicopter in a predictable envelope This involves caging the
airspeed between fifty-five knots and sixty-five knots and not
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 13
On Autorotations
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot business
owner successful entrepreneur and passionate
flight instructor based on Kona Hawaii
Opening Mauna Loa Helicopters at the age of
23 as a single helicopter operation that now
boasts 22 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft
between Mauna Loarsquos 3 locations in Hawaii on
Kona Honolulu and Kauai and in Alabama Ben
is an FAA designated pilot examiner having
conducted over 2000 examinations in his almost
15 years acting in the role of a DPE since age 24
allowing a large slip or skid to increase
drag and create an excessive rate of
descent Allowing a student to nose dive
the helicopter and pick up airspeed
to beyond seventy knots could cause
a massive spike in rotor rpm when the
instructor asks the student to slow down
Take measures to prevent i t because
nothing good comes from get ting behind
the helicopter Your job is simple Keep
the maneuver safe and easy to learn
and intervene before the parameter of a
good outcome becomes questionable
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
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Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
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Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
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M
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CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
14 heliwebcom
W h i r l y G i r l sPresidents Message
Dian
na S
tang
er N e v e r d i d I t h i n k t h a t t h o s e t h r e e w o r d s w o u l d b e s o d i f f i c u l t t o e x e c u t e E a c h o f u s h a s a b u s y l i f e
W e b e g i n o n e p r o j e c t a n d a n o t h e r o n e c o m e s u p t a k i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n a w a y f r o m o u r o r i g i n a l t a s k D a y s g e t s h o r t e r f a m i l i e s n e e d a t t e n t i o n a n d w e t r y t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o d e v o t e o u r s e l v e s t o a v i a t i o n S o w h y a m I a b o u t t o a s k y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e
R e m e m b e r t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n y o u f e l t t h e f i r s t t i m e y o u n a i l e d a h o v e r w i t h o u t
s w i n g i n g l i k e a b a b y rsquo s c r i b I b e t t h a t y o u s t r u t t e d a w a y f r o m t h e
h e l i c o p t e r t h a t d a y W h a t i f I t o l d y o u t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g y o u c a n d o t h a t w i l l g i v e y o u t h e v e r y s a m e t h r i l l
Yo u c a n m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e f o r a c h i l d o r a n o t h e r f e m a l e b y t e l l i n g h e r a b o u t h e l i c o p t e r s T h e W h i r l y -G i r l s w i l l b e h o l d i n g C o m m u n i t y D a y o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y 2 8 f r o m 1 0 a m t o 2 p m mdash t h e s a m e d a y a s o u r a n n u a l a w a r d s b a n q u e t i n L o u i s v i l l e
F o r o n e a f t e r n o o n c o m e h e l p a s w e e x p o s e k i d s o f a l l a g e s t o t h e i r v e r y f i r s t h e l i c o p t e r a n d h o p e f u l l y t h e i r f i r s t r i d e I f y o u c a n n o t f l y t h a t d a y s h a r i n g y o u r p a s s i o n a s y o u h e l p t h e m n a v i g a t e t h e d i s p l a y s w o u l d b e h e l p f u l S o o n i t b e c o m e s v i r a l t h e s m i l e s o n t h e p i l o t s rsquo f a c e s a s t h e l o v e o f a v i a t i o n g e t s p a s s e d t o t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n
T h i s y e a r w i l l s e e t h e 1 0 0 0 t h r i d e t h a t I w i l l h a v e g i v e n t o a y o u n g g i r l i n f i v e y e a r s o f f l y i n g d u r i n g t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r W o m e n o f A v i a t i o n W o r l d w i d e e v e n t T h e r e w a s n o t o n e t i m e mdash n o m a t t e r h o w l o n g t h e d a y o r h o w l o u d t h e s c r e a m s i n m y h e a d s e t w e r e mdash t h a t I d i d n o t t h i n k t h a t t h i s i s w h a t i t rsquo s a l l a b o u t
I h a v e f l o w n C i v i l A i r P a t r o l c a d e t s g i r l s c o u t s a n d b a t t e r e d w o m e n E a c h c a m e a w a y e m p o w e r e d T h e r i d e r s s t a r t o u t v e r y n e r v o u s w i t h e x c i t e m e n t w o n d e r i n g i f t h e y w i l l g e t s i c k o r ldquo w h a t i f I rsquo m a f r a i d o f h e i g h t s rdquo O r ldquo h o w f a s t a r e w e g o i n g t o g o rdquo A l l t h e t e n s i o n d i s a p p e a r s w h e n t h e h e l i c o p t e r n o s e s o v e r t o g a i n s p e e d mdash t h a t rsquo s w h e n t h e s q u e a l s b e g i n
T h a t i s w h y I a m a s k i n g y o u t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e T h e r e i s s o m e o n e t h a t w i l l h a v e t h a t m o m e n t e t c h e d i n m e m o r y f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r o r h i s l i f e I f y o u c a n n o t h e l p d u r i n g o u r e v e n t i n L o u i s v i l l e m a k e t h e e f f o r t t o i n t r o d u c e j u s t o n e p e r s o n t o h e l i c o p t e r s
N o t o n l y d o w o m e n f l y m a i n t a i n - a n d n a v i g a t e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t w e a l s o o w n t h e m T h e n e x t t i m e t h e r e i s a n i m p r e s s i o n a b l e m i n d i n y o u r v i c i n i t y t h i n k o f t h e ldquo H rdquo w o r d a n d t h e s m i l e o n y o u r f a c e w i l l b e t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g m e m o r a b l e t o t h e p e r s o n n e x t t o y o u N o w t h a t rsquo s t h e p o w e r o f a W h i r l y - G i r l rdquo
The Whirly Girls are a non
profit 501(c) organization that
provide scholarships mentoring
and other programs to assist
women in succeeding in the
world of helicopter aviation
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 15
O u r n e w e s t p r o g r a m rdquoG i v e i t a W h i r l rdquo
w i l l m a ke i t s d e b u t o n S u n d a y F e b r u a r y
2 8 2 0 1 6 a t B ow m a n F i e l d i n Lo u i s v i l l e
Kentucky Th is event wi l l co inc ide wi th HAI
He l i Expo wh ich wi l l beg in the fo l lowing
day The Whi r l y -G i r l s w i l l be reach ing out
to loca l youth w i th an inv i ta t ion to come
and immerse themse lves in to a hands -on
learn ing exper ience wi th he l i copters F rom
s ta t i c d i sp lays to s imula tors the k ids wi l l
have the oppor tun i t y to ge t up-c lose and
persona l w i th the a i r c ra f t and lea rn what
i t i s l i ke to be a he l i copter p i lo t
W h i r l y G i r l s i s a n o n - p r o f i t v o l u n t e e r
o rgan iza t ion devoted to advanc ing women
in he l i copter av ia t ion The assoc ia t ion th i s
year led the he l i copter indust ry in record-
break ing schola rsh ip oppor tun i t ies Whi r l y
g i r l s that wi l l be in at tendance at the event
a re exc i ted to take the i r d r ive and love fo r
hel icopter av iat ion shar ing i t wi th ch i ldren
by p rov id ing th i s out reach oppor tun i ty to
i gn i te a pas s ion fo r av i a t i on by b r ing ing
professionals f rom al l corners of the industry
together to get k ids exc i ted and in te res ted
in he l i copter av ia t ion
The main goal of lsquoGive i t a Whir l rsquo is to provide
pos i t i ve exposure to av ia t ion wi th c reat ive
and innovat ive educat ion oppor tun i t ies fo r
k ids and fami l ies a l ike a t no cost The l ine-
up fo r ldquoG ive i t a Whi r l rdquo i s s t i l l g rowing and
t h e W h i r l y - G i r l s wo u l d l i ke to i n v i te a l l
he l i cop te r av i a t i on p ro fe s s iona l s to j o in
u s fo r t h i s even t Cu r r en t l y s i gned up to
ass i s t the Whi r ly -G i r l s a t the event a re Bel l
He l i copters Gu idance Av ia t ion JR Av ia t ion
He l iweb Magaz ine and severa l o thers but
we s t i l l need your he lp I f you a re ab le
to supply an a i rc ra ft for r ides s tat ic d isp lay
a i r c ra ft (w i l l be
(wi l l be in a hangar ) o r any other d isplay or
donat ion that would he lp make th i s event
g rea t p lease use the contac t in fo rmat ion
be low to get in contac t wi th a Whi r ly -G i r l
I n t e r e s t e d i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g C o n t a c t
J e s s i c a Ka n e l l o s W h i r l y - G i r l s S ec r e t a r y
a t wg s ec r e t a r y w h i r l yg i r l s o r g O R J o n i
Schu l t z Wh i r l y -G i r l s VP o f Ope ra t ions a t
wgvpopswhi r lyg i r l s o rg
Image by Tim Pruitt
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
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We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
16 heliwebcom
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
Story by Ryan MasonImages by Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Dennis PierceSpecial Assistance Chris Vanderveen Anna Hewson
In the wake of several high profile post crash fires the industry responds on where they are and where they are heading on the issue
Image
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue Colorado work to extinguish
the wreckage of a Flight for Life AS-350 that crashed
shor tly af ter takeoff
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 17
Crash resistant
Fuel Tanks
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
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Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
18 heliwebcom
ldquoThe fire engulfed the helicopter in five seconds it was an infernordquo
O n J u l y 3 r d 2 015 an Air Methods Flight for Life AS350B3e departing from St Anthonyrsquos Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado crashed from an alti tude of approximately one -hundred fif ty feet only thir ty seconds af ter takeoff Upon viewing the crash footage captured on CCTV it is clear that the helicopter had an unknown issue as soon as it l i f tedmdash its tail spinning wildly to the lef t as it took of f Pilot Pat Mahaney struggled for control for over thir ty seconds before the helicopter crashed to the ground only a few hundred feet from where it took of f in an adjacent parking lot coming to rest against a camper and other vehicles
The crash itself although violent did not kil l the crew onboard However less than five seconds af ter impact the helicopter can be seen rapidly leaking jet fuel from a ruptured fuel tank The spilled fuel ignited almost immediately and instantly becoming an inferno for pilot Pat Maheny Flight Nurse Dave Repsher and Flight Paramedics Mat t Bowe
Thanks to the ef for ts of several responders to the scene mdashand the survival instincts and training of the crewmdash all were either dragged clear or were able to extricate themselves from the inferno of the wreckage Sadly Pilot Pat Maheny succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash dying a few days af ter the crash Repsher suf fered burns to almost 90 of his body and remains in crit ical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital burn unit Bowe has now been released from hospital
Crash resistant tanks upon first glance appear to be well regulated The FAA mandated that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 must be fi t ted with crash-resistant tanks during manufacture On the sur face this fact appears to be a substantial win for the helicopter industrymdash that is until you read between the lines of what was actually put into ef fect The helicopter in the Flight for Life crash and many others was manufactured in 2014
What the ruling put into place in 1994 required was that all helicopters cer tif ied af ter 1994 are required to have crash resistant tanks fi t ted The AS350 along with several other aircraf t from other manufacturers were cer tif ied for production several decades prior to the 1994 requirement put in place by the FAA The AS350 obtained its f irst type cer tif icate in 1977 thereby making the requirement mdashwhile good intentionedmdash a ruling that sti l l costs l ives to this day due to the lack of a requirement to retroactively fi t crash-resistant tanks to helicopters already in service The helicopter involved in the Flight for Life crash was manufactured in 2014 but not required to have a crash resistant tank installed because its type cer tif icate was obtained nearly 20 years prior to the 1994 ruling
According to NTSB records since the 1994 rule change there have been two-hundred and two helicopter crashes in air frames from multiple manufacturers that suf fered post-crash fires Seventy-eight of those resulted in post-crash fire deaths That statistic is not lost on polit icians and legislators alike This issue has been highlighted
by Colorado State Representative Jared Polis and Congressman Ed Pearlmut ter Congressman Pearlmut ter demanded that the FAA act with expediency in addressing this issue
Local Colorado station 9NEWS investigative reporters Chris Vanderveen and Anna Hewson took the mat ter all the way to Washington DC during their highly publicized story on crash resistant tanks The duo interviewed both NTSB head Christopher Hart and FAA Chairman Michael Huer ta Hart referred the mat ter to the FAA as the body that makes the legislation based on the findings of NTSB accident reports Huer ta while acknowledging that action may need to be taken to adjust the appropriate standard only commit ted to ldquoundertake studiesrdquo on the mat ter that will commence sometime in
2016 The NTSB however is no newcomer to this issue Chairman
Hart in a let ter to the FAA dated July 23rd
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
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EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 19
2015 recommended that ldquoall new helicopters meet crashworthy fuel system standardsrdquo af ter an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 crash in Witchita KS in which a fl ight nurse survived the crash only to be kil led several feet from the helicopter in the post-crash fire from fuel that ignited from a fuel tank ruptured in the crash Hartrsquos predecessor wrote to the FAA concerning the same topic in 1980 and 1985 af ter similar incidents The FAA like many government agencies continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue Although legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 helicopters manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the cer tif ication for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
Looking at the lsquowhy notrsquo
Customers have for the most par t chosen not to have crash resistant tanks installed despite the face that the tanks have been an option for decades on many aircraf t Many operators mdash
including one of the highest at risk groups air medical operatorsmdash have until recently chosen not to install them in either new helicopters or retroactive installation
Air Methods the United Statesrsquo largest operator of air medical helicopters recently released a statement in response to several news outletsrsquo inquiries into the matter ldquoAt Air Methods safety is our highest priority committed to retrofitting 100 of our Airbus AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet and we are working directly with a third party who is seeking certification for a crash resistant fuel system for the entire Airbus line We expect a crashworthy system to be certified in 2016 for the AS350EC130 (H125H130) fleet For us itrsquos about doing the right thingrdquo An Air Methods spokesperson stated that they do currently have some aircraft that have crash resistant
Air Methods in January signed what is one of the biggest civil sales in history with Bell helicopter to purchase over two-hundred Bell 407 aircraft over the coming yearsmdash all of which will have crash-resistant tanks installed as standard equipment
Air Evac Lifeteam the second largest operator of HEMS aircraft in the United States operate predominantly the Bell 206 and Bell 206L and they are similarly focused on the issue Lifeteam provided a statement that read in part ldquoAir Evac Lifeteam stands united with all members of the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) and its
commitment to the installation of Crash Resistant Fuel Systems (CRFS) in all new aircraft and equipping currently aircraft with CRFS We are committed to retrofitting our fleet of Bell 206L Long Rangers when the systems are available and have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Bell has given us their commitment to work on the development of a CRFS for the Bell 206rdquo
The cost
The cost of a human life is something that is impossible to put a price tag on Unfortunately in the air medical industry and the helicopter industry as a whole the price of a human life has a cost That cost did not until recently equate to adding 1-2 of the total cost of helicopter to the price tag The base estimate for installing crash resistant tanks in a brand new
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operators
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
C
M
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CM
MY
CY
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HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
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off list price
R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
20 heliwebcom
tanks installed but did not elaborate further as to which aircraft type has compliant tanks installed
h e l i c o p t e r o f f t h e p r o d u c t i o n l i n e f o r a n A S 3 5 0 a d d s b e t w e e n f i f t y - t h o u s a n d t o s i x t y - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s t o t h e s a l e p r i c e o f a h e l i c o p t e r a s w e l l a s a d d i n g u p w a r d s o f a n a d d i t i o n a l h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f w e i g h t t o t h e a i r f r a m e Th a t c o s t r u n s t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y $ 10 0 0 0 0 f o r a r e t r o f i t o f a n e x i s t i n g h e l i c o p t e r O n e c a n s p e c u l a t e o n t h e r e a s o n i n g b e h i n d n o t w a n t i n g t o i n s t a l l t h e s e t a n k s a s r e l a t e d t o o v e r a l l c o s t w h e n b u y i n g m a n y a i r c r a f t o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c a r r y a h i g h e r p a t i e n t w e i g h t l o a d i n a h e l i c o p t e r s u c h a s t h e A S 3 5 0 w h i c h a s a s i n g l e e n g i n e h e l i c o p t e r c a n m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t a k i n g a p a s s e n g e r o r h a v i n g t o d e c l i n e t h e f l i g h t d u e t o m a x i m u m t a k e o f f w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s
I n t h e a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y M T O W r e s t r i c t i o n s m a y m e a n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n m a k i n g f i f t e e n - t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s o n a f l i g h t o r n o t i n t h e p r i v a t e l y f u n d e d f o r - p r o f i t o p e r a t i o n s I t i s a n i n d u s t r y t h a t a l r e a d y s t r u g g l e s w i t h p o s i t i v e p u b l i c i t y s u f f e r i n g c o n s t a n t b a c k l a s h f r o m a e r o m e d i c a l i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s o n i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e i n d u s t r y rsquo s r e l i a n c e o n s i n g l e - e n g i n e s i n g l e - p i l o t n o n -I F R c a p a b l e a i r c r a f t w h e r e a s t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d w i d e i n d u s t r y p e r f o r m s a i r m e d i c a l o p e r a t i o n s i n d u a l - p i l o t m u l t i -e n g i n e I F R c a p a b l e s h i p s Th a t m a y b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s r e c e n t l y b e i n g q u i c k t o c o m m i t t o c h a n g i n g t h e i r o w n i n t e r n a l s t a n d a r d s t o r i s e t o w i t h w h a t m a n y i n d u s t r y b o d i e s h a v e b e e n r e c o m m e n d i n g f o r m a n y y e a r s
M a n u f a c t u r e r r e s p o n s e
R e s e a r c h i n g t h i s s t o r y h e l i w e b r e a c h e d o u t t o a l l m a j o r m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y t o f i n d o u t h o w t h e i r a i r c r a f t c o n f o r m t o t h e n e e d f o r c r a s h r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n t h e i r h e l i c o p t e r s B e l l p r o v i d e d a s t a t e m e n t t h a t r e a d i n p a r t ldquo B e l l H e l i c o p t e r w a s a p i o n e e r i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f C R F S f o r c o m m e r c i a l h e l i c o p t e r s p l a c i n g t h e f i r s t C R F S s y s t e m i n t o s e r v i c e m o r e t h a n t h i r t y - f i v e y e a r s a g o o n t h e B e l l 2 2 2 S u b s e q u e n t l y B e l l a d o p t e d C R F S a c r o s s t h e f l e e t B e l l h a s n o t m a n u f a c t u r e d a n e w d e s i g n w i t h o u t C R F S s i n c e 19 8 0 a n d h a d c o n v e r t e d a l l e x i s t i n g p r o d u c t i o n h e l i c o p t e r s t o C R F S b y 19 91 B y 19 94 B e l l o f f e r e d c o n v e r s i o n k i t s f o r m o s t o f i t s m o d e l s p r o d u c e d w i t h o u t C R F S rdquo
A l t h o u g h s o m e l e g a c y a i r c r a f t a re s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n f ro m B e l l t h a t l a c k a v i a b l e a f t e r m a r k e t o p t i o n f o r c r a s h re s i s t a n t t a n k s B e l l r e m a i n s c o m m i t t e d t o w o r k i n g t o w a rd s p ro v i d i n g a s s i s t a n c e t o o p e r a t o r s w i s h i n g t o re t ro f i t t h e i r f l e e t s w i t h t h e n e w e r i m p ro v e d t a n k s t h a t p ro v i d e p o s t - c r a s h f i r e p ro t e c t i o n
B e l l s t a n d a rd i z e d C R FS a c ro s s i t s f l e e t m o re t h a n a d e c a d e b e f o re t h e FA A a d o p t e d re g u l a t i o n s re q u i r i n g t h e i r i n s t a l l a t i o n Th e B e l l C R FS s y s t e m s w e re d e s i g n e d b y B e l l u s i n g a m o d i f i e d v e r s i o n o f t h e m i l i t a r y C R FS s t a n d a rd a n d t h e c u r re n t FA A re g u l a t i o n d r a w s h e a v i l y
f ro m B e l l rsquo s d e s i g n s a n d e x p e r i e n c e Th e re f o re w h i l e B e l l m o d e l s w i t h t y p e -c e r t i f i c a t e s p re - d a t i n g 19 94 a re n o t f o r m a l l y c e r t i f i e d t o t h e c u r re n t FA A s t a n d a rd s i n c e i t d i d n rsquo t e x i s t a t t h e t i m e t h e B e l l C R FS m e e t s t h e s a f e t y i n t e n t a d o p t e d b y t h e FA A w i t h i t s r e g u l a t i o n
Th e o n l y B e l l h e l i c o p t e r s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n i n l a rg e n u m b e r s i n t h e H E M S f i e l d i s t h e B e l l 20 6 L w h i c h a re n o t a l l c u r re n t l y f i t t e d w i t h c r a s h - re s i s t a n t t a n k s re t ro a c t i v e l y d e s p i t e a c o n v e r s i o n k i t b e i n g a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 20 6 m o d e l f o r o v e r a d e c a d e
A g u s t a We s t l a n d m a n u f a c t u re r o f t h e A 10 9 A 119 a n d AW 139 mdash a l l w i d e l y u s e d i n H E M S o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s mdash p ro v i d e d d e t a i l s i l l u s t r a t i n g b l a d d e r - b a s e d t a n k s a re u s e d i n a l l t h re e o f t h e i r a i r c r a f t u s e d p re d o m i n a n t l y i n t h e H E M S s e c t o r Th e AW 139 h a v i n g b e e n c e r t i f i e d a f t e r t h e 19 94 r u l i n g w a s a l re a d y c o m p l i a n t Th e A 10 9 h o w e v e r a n d A 119 t h a t w e re g r a n d f a t h e re d i n a l s o h a v e b l a d d e r t a n k s v e r s u s t h e h a rd p l a s t i c t a n k s t h a t a re b e i n g p h a s e d o u t A n A g u s t a We s t l a n d s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e i r t a n k s m e e t o r e x c e e d w h a t w a s re q u i re d i n t h e 19 94 r u l i n g a n d t h a t t h e y h a v e p a i d c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s i s s u e a s i t h a s p ro g re s s e d t o e n s u re t h a t t h e y a re a h e a d o f a n y p ro p o s e d s t a n d a rd s t o m e e t t h e re q u i re m e n t s o f t h e i r H E M S c u s t o m e r b a s e Th e y s t a t e d t h a t w i t h o u t f o l l o w i n g w h a t t h e i n d u s t r y d e m a n d s AW w o u l d b e b e h i n d t h e c u r v e mdash h e n c e t h e i r b r a n d c o n t i n u i n g t o e n s u re t h a t t h e i r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d e n g i n e e r i n g re m a i n s a t t h e f o re f ro n t f o r t h e a i r c r a f t t h e y o f f e r t o t h e m a r k e t
M D H e l i c o p t e r s s i m i l a r l y p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t d e t a i l s a l l o f t h e i r
a i r c r a f t mdash f r o m t h e 5 0 0 s e r i e s t h r o u g h t h e 9 0 0 9 0 2 r a n g e mdash a l l h a v e c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k s a s s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t a n d h a v e h a d t h e m s i n c e b e f o r e t h e 19 9 4 r u l i n g b a s e d o n c u s t o m e r d e m a n d f o r t h e p r o d u c t t o e n s u r e t h e s a f e t y o f f l i g h t c r e w s t h a t p e r f o r m H E M S t a s k s W h i l e t h e M D 9 0 0 9 0 2 i s n o t u s e d w i d e l y i n t h e U S t h e 9 0 0 - s e r i e s i s i n u s e i n H E M S r o l e s s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e E u r o p e a n m a r k e t a s w e l l a s m a n y o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d
A i r b u s t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e A S 3 5 0 i n t h e F l i g h t f o r L i f e c r a s h h a s m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t o n t h e A S 3 5 0 ( n o w H 12 5 ) m o d e l i n r e c e n t t i m e s T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s t a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y d i d h a v e a c r a s h r e s i s t a n t f u e l t a n k o p t i o n a s e a r l y a s 19 9 2 t h a t w a s d e s i g n e d f o r a m i l i t a r y p r o c u r e m e n t p a c k a g e r e c e p t i v e n e s s t o t h e i d e a o f i n s t a l l i n g t h e t a n k s i n t h e c i v i l m a r k e t a t t h e t i m e w a s n o t w e l l -r e c e i v e d A i r b u s n o w p r o d u c e s a l l U S m a n u f a c t u r e d h e l i c o p t e r s f r o m t h e i r C o l u m b u s M i s s i s s i p p i p l a n t s t a n d a r d w i t h c r a s h - r e s i s t a n t t a n k s i n s t a l l e d a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h V e c t o r A e r o s p a c e a n d R o b e r t s o n F u e l S y s t e m s o n a r e t r o f i t p a c k a g e t h a t i s a n t i c i p a t e d t o h a v e a n a p p r o v e d S T C s o m e t i m e b y f a l l o f 2 016
To w a t c h t h e s p e c i a l r e p o r t lsquo F u e l i n g t h e F i r e f r o m K U S A 9 N e w s C l i c k H e r e
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
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DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
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Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
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CM
MY
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CMY
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EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
20 heliwebcom January 2016 21
Bladder based tanks with breakaway valves are
available for many helicopters as standard equipment
from many manufacturers and are also manufactured
by companies such as Roberston Fuel
Systems and FFC
The FAA like many g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s continues to move at a snailrsquos pace to address this issue
A l t h o u g h legislation was enacted in 1994 nothing covered the reported 85 or 4700 h e l i c o p t e r s manufactured in the United States from 1977 to 2015 that were not required to have a crashworthy tank installed due to the certification for the model occuring prior to the 1994 ruling
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
AirAg PRO amp SeisBag PROAirAg PRO amp SeisBag PRO
AirAg E-SeriesAirAg E-Series
GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
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GPS Systems for Aerial Applicators
amp Seismic Operatorsdynanavcomdynanavcom
DynaFlight
Processor
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI)
Entire system weighs less than 10 pounds (6 kilograms)
DynaFlight
Integrated Flight Guidance Instrument (IFGI) amp embedded Processor
Entire system weighs less than 7 pounds (3 kilograms)
DynaGrip Control
DynaGrip Control
DynaNav Systems IncToll Free 1-877-333-9626
E-mail salesdynanavcom
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HeliNwspaper_ad_110718ai 1 2011-07-18 51003 PM
Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
We are
Cash
Buyers
Preferred Airparts LLCDiv of JILCO Industries
800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
AerospatialeEurocopterBell Sikorsky and others
bull Airframepartsbull EngineParts-PT6AAllisonRR
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Free online inventory Search
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
22 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
A Sydney helicopters BK117
Lands on the pad at Bankstown
Airport in New South Wales
Australia Photo by James Williams
January 2016 23
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
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800-433-0814Toll Free US amp Canada
Tel 330-698-0280 FAX 330-698-3164sales2preferredairpartscom
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
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Sales Hours 715am to 800pm EST
We Buy WorldwideWe buy inventories of new surplus parts for nearly anything that flies Also tired or damaged Cessna twins Caravans Citations engines and propellers
Gene Hembree is our buyer Please contact him at 330-698-0280 ext224 genepreferredairpartscom
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R o t o r f o c u sTwo Marine CH-53E helicopters
collide off Hawaiian coast Two CH-53E aircraft conducting what was reported as a routine night training
mission were reported missing at approximately 1140pm Hawaiian time on
the 14th of January The coast guard dispatched an MH65 and HC130 to
search the last reported area of contact aprroximately 15 miles from Marine
Corps Base Hawaii who found debris floating in the area that included a
sea level fire and empty life raft and several other items ldquoOur heartfelt
condolences go out to the families of all those involved in the mishap and
(we) express our deepest gratitude for the heroic selfless actions of the
civilian and military first-respondersrdquo Marine Spokesman Capt Timothy Irish
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
24 heliwebcom
Story by heliweb staff
AgustaWestland becomes
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica on the 22nd of
December 2015 announced that the
name AgustaWestland brand name
would no longer be in effect as of
January 1 2016 The company continues
to move toward a ldquoone name-one
brandrdquo approach to their many business
segments in the aviation industry
Finmeccanica maintains a presence
in many fields including space travel
aeronautics electronics land amp naval
defense electronics defense systems
and security amp information systems
CEO and General Manager Mauro
Moretti began the process of unification
for the many brands that now make
up Finmeccanica back in June 2014
ldquoWe are extremely proud of the work
we have done which has allowed us
to introduce the new organizational
and operational model of the group
within the established timeframe
The divisionalization will increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Finmeccanicarsquos activities reducing
management costs by maximizing economies
of scale and synergies As a unified entity
Finmeccanica consolidates its competitive
position in the increasingly-complex
global aerospace defense and security
markets bringing to bear leadership in
technology and productsmdash leadership that is
strengthened by being part of a single large
international industrial grouprdquo Said Moretti
The change in governance involves the
centralization of the management and control
systems while the divisions will be responsible
for business delivery and will be given the powers
to ensure complete end-to-end management
of its scope of activity with full responsibility
for financial performance The sectors will
be responsible for strategic coordination
Rebranding and unification of other brands in
a single -branded company umbrella is not a
new thing for the helicopters industry Airbus
along with other subsidiaries transitioned
in 2014 from American Eurocopter to the
unified branding of Airbus Helicopters
globally without perceivable impact from a
customer perspective The response from a
financial perspective on Finmeccanica has
been well-received with stock growth rising
from May of 2014 mdashwhen the new Board
of Directors was appointedmdash indicating
shares of the company have increased by
around 120 on the stock market from the
initial announcement to December 2015
The single brand approach also bids farewell
to the familiar AgustaWestland website which
now directs to the global Finmeccanica site
It now showcases the one-brand approach
and the separation of all of the new business
segments Finmeccanica will showcase its all
new branding at this yearrsquos HAI Heli Expo
for the first time although it has been slowly
working towards the new branding throughout
the last 18 months It is as of yet unknown
whether or not the company will proceed
with renaming their helicopter models like as
Airbus did in 2015 to unify their helicopters
Airbus proceeding to unify their many brand
designators from ldquoASrdquo ldquoECrdquo ldquoMBBrdquo and others
to the now more familiar ldquoHrdquo designation for all
helicopters Will there be an ldquoFrdquo designation
to at tach to their helicopters in the future
New branding key to unification
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 25
S k y k n i g ht S w it c h es t o R o b i ns o n R 4 4 Po l i c e H e l i c o pt e rT h e o l d e s t a i r b o r n e l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n u n i t i n t h e n at i o n - S t a r te d i n 1 9 6 6 n i c k n a m e d lsquo S KYK N I G H T rsquo i n L a k e wo o d Ca l i fo r n i a re ce nt l y s w i tc h e d f ro m t h e i r l o n g t i m e u s e o f t h e S c hwe i t ze r 3 0 0 to a R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r s R 4 4 f i t te d w i t h a f u l l s u i te o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i a t i o n e q u i p m e nt S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e w R 4 4 b o a s t s a m ov i n g m a p s ys te m F L I R u n i t a n d n i te s u n u n i t
Th e a d v a n ce d e q u i p m e nt w a s a s i gn i f i c a nt u p gra d e f ro m t h e u n i t s p re v i o u s m i s s i o n
e q u i p m e nt a n d h e l i co p te r re q u i r i n g t h e a s s i s t a n ce o f R o b i n s o n H e l i co p te r t ra i n i n g p i l o t R o b e r t M u s e a n d h i s te a m o f l aw e n fo rce m e nt t ra i n i n g s t a f f to t ra i n a l l o f t h e u n i t s p i l o t s to f l y t h e R 4 4 a n d to s at i s f y t h e S FA R re q u i re m e nt s a s we l l a s l e a r n i n g h ow to e f fe c t i ve l y o p e rate t h e n e w m i s s i o n e q u i p m e nt t h at i s v i t a l to t h e i r m i s s i o n i n s e r v i n g t h e co m m u n i t y
S k y k n i g ht rsquos n e we s t a d d i t i o n i s a d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e w h i te p a i nt o f t h e o r i g i n a l S 3 0 0 rsquos m ov i n g to a m e t a l l i c b l u e p a i nt o n t h e
R 4 4 a n d a re d e s i gn o f t h e u n i t s l o g o fe at u r i n g a k n i g ht s a r m o r a n d w i n g s i n a c i rc u l a r d e s i gn t h at p ays h o m a g e to t h e i r r i c h h i s to r y i n l aw e n fo rce m e nt av i at i o n i n t h e U n i te d S t ate s a l s o i n c l u d i n g t h e i r ye a r o f co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n 1 9 6 6
S i n ce co m m e n c i n g o p e rat i o n s i n t h e R 4 4 i n N ove m b e r o f 2 0 1 5 t h e u n i t h a s b e e n s o i m p re s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m a n ce o f t h e n e w h e l i co p te r t h at o n J a n u a r y 9 t h t h e L a k e wo o d Po l i ce D e p a r t m e n t o rd e re d i t s s e co n d R 4 4 Po l i ce u n i t t h at w i l l b e i n o p e rat i o n ove r t h e s k i e s o f L a k e wo o d s o o n
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
26 heliwebcom
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
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69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
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GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 27
A USAF CV-22 flying during a rare sunny day in Wales UK on a low level sortie while on operations out of RAF Mildenhall Image by Daniel Griffiths
To be featured in the helipix section of heliweb magazine donrsquotf o rg e t t o t a g h e l i w e b on Instagram twitter or facebook or email your shot to newsheliwebcom
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
28 heliwebcom
Opinion
Stop the drone panic In an industry gripped with fear about hobbyist drone
missuse is the industry overreacting
By John Zimmerman originally published on Air Facts Journal
wwwairfactsjournalcom
F o r a n i n d u s t r y t h a t rsquo s u s u a l l y o b s e s s e d w i t h ldquo r i s k m a n a g e m e n t rdquo a v i a t i o n s u r e i s n rsquo t u s i n g m u c h o f i t w h e n i t c o m e s t o d r o n e s Th e c o n s t a n t d r u m b e a t o f s t o r i e s a b o u t c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n a i r p l a n e s a n d u n m a n n e d a e r i a l s y s t e m s ( U A S ) c a n b e d e s c r i b e d a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f a p a n i c mdash w i t h p i l o t s a n d n o n - p i l o t s a l i k e c o n v i n c e d t h a t a d r o n e d i s a s t e r i s l o o m i n g
F l y i n g M a g a z i n e h a s c h r o n i c l e d t h e d r o n e s d i s r u p t i n g w i l d f i r e a i r c r a f t o p e r a t i o n s i n C a l i f o r n i a a n d A O PA h a s w r i t t e n a b o u t a b o u t ldquo c h i l l i n g l y d a n g e r o u s rdquo e n c o u n t e r s w i t h u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t Th a t rsquo s n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e n o n - a v i a t i o n m e d i a w h i c h i s p o s i t i v e l y h y p e r v e n t i l a t i n g
Wa s i t a d r o n e o r i s t h a t j u s t t h e f l a v o r o f t h e m o n t h A n d y e t I a m u n a b l e t o f i n d a s i n g l e v e r i f i e d s t o r y o f a d r o n e c o l l i d i n g w i t h a n a i r c r a f t i n t h e U S Th e r e i s o n e e v e n t t h a t h a p p e n e d i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n 2 011 a n d t h e r e w a s a s t o r y a b o u t a P i p e r t h a t m i g h t h a v e h i t a q u a d c o p t e r o v e r I l l i n o i s r e c e n t l y ndash b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t o b e a b i r d Th i s i s t h e l a t e s t e x a m p l e o f t h e ldquo s a f e t y f a d rdquo p r o b l e m i n a v i a t i o n a t y p e o f i n d u s t r y - w i d e A D H D F o r a f e w y e a r s i n t h e m i d - 2 0 0 0 s r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s w e r e g o i n g t o k i l l u s a l l
R e p o r t s o f t h e s e e v e n t s s k y r o c k e t e d a l m o s t o v e r n i g h t a n d s e r i o u s F A A p r e s e n t a t i o n s w a r n e d o f h u g e f a t a l i t i e s i f s o m e t h i n g d i d n rsquo t c h a n g e M i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s w e r e s p e n t o n t e c h n o l o g y a n d t r a i n i n g B u t t h e n r u n w a y i n c u r s i o n s s e e m e d t o f a d e a n d b i r d s t r i k e s w e r e t h e n e x t b i g p r o b l e m A s t h e F A A r e p o r t s ldquo Th e o v e r a l l n u m b e r o f r e p o r t e d s t r i k e s f o r a l l a i r c r a f t a n d a i r p o r t t y p e s h a s i n c r e a s e d 6 2 f o l d f r o m 1 8 51 i n 19 9 0 t o a r e c o r d 11 3 9 9 i n 2 013 rdquo
D o e s a n y o n e r e a l l y t h i n k t h e n u m b e r o f b i r d s i n c r e a s e d 6 0 0 i n 2 0 y e a r s Th e p r o b l e m i s c l e a r w h e n w e l o o k f o r s o m e t h i n g w e u s u a l l y f i n d i t e v e n w h e n i t i s n rsquo t t h e r e A n u m b e r o f s u p p o s e d l y c l o s e e n c o u n t e r s w i t h d r o n e s s o u n d a w f u l l y v a g u e a n d c o u l d e a s i l y b e b a l l o o n s o r b i r d s E v e n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s t h a t d i d i n v o l v e d r o n e s p r o b a b l y w e r e n rsquo t
a s ldquo n e a r m i s s rdquo a s t h e p i l o t s t h i n k B u t w h e n a l l y o u h a v e i s a h a m m e r t h e w h o l e w o r l d l o o k s l i k e a n a i l J u s t a s k U F O e n t h u s i a s t s I t rsquo s n o t a b o l d p r e d i c t i o n t o s a y t h a t a m i d a i r b e t w e e n a m a n n e d a n d a n u n m a n n e d a i r c r a f t w i l l h a p p e n ( e v e n t u a l l y ) Wh a t rsquo s h a r d e r t o p r e d i c t i s t h e f r e q u e n c y o f t h e s e c o l l i s i o n s a n d t h e s e v e r i t y o f t h e m I f y o u rsquo r e f l y i n g a C e s s n a f o r a $ 10 0 h a m b u r g e r w h a t a r e t h e o d d s y o u r e a l l y w i l l h i t a d r o n e I f y o u d o w i l l i t c a u s e s e r i o u s d a m a g e o r b e f a t a l H o w a b o u t f o r a B o e i n g t h a t w e i g h s 9 5 0 0 0 0 p o u n d s Th e b i r d s t r i k e e x a m p l e i s a r e l e v a n t o n e h e r e ndash w h i l e t h e r e w e r e o v e r 11 0 0 0 b i r d s t r i k e s i n 2 013 o n l y 6 0 5 c a u s e d
a i r c r a f t d a m a g e a n d n o n e o f t h e m w e r e f a t a l I s t h e r e a n y r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e a t w o p o u n d q u a d c o p t e r w o u l d b e m u c h d i f f e r e n t T h e l a r g e u n m a n n e d a i r p l a n e s a r e t i g h t l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d o n f l i g h t p l a n s s o t h e s e u n d e r - f i v e p o u n d h o b b y m a c h i n e s a r e t h e o n l y l e g i t i m a t e t h r e a t
A l l t h i s h y s t e r i a h a s a c o s t W h i l e w e rsquo v e b e e n p a n i c k i n g a b o u t d r o n e s d o z e n s o f p i l o t s h a v e d i e d i n l o w l e v e l s t a l l s o r V F R - i n t o - I M C a c c i d e n t s W e rsquo v e e v e n h a d a r e a l a i r p l a n e m i d a i r b e t w e e n a j e t a n d a C e s s n a i n S a n D i e g o N o n e o f t h e s e m a k e t h e n i g h t l y n e w s o r t h e f r o n t p a g e o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s b u t a l l o f t h e m p r e s e n t a m u c h m o r e s e r i o u s t h r e a t t o g e n e r a l a v i a t i o n s a f e t y I t rsquo s e a s y t o b l a m e t h e m e d i a h e r e a n d t h e y d e s e r v e i t
B u t t h a t rsquo s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e s t o r y T h e r o o t o f t h e p r o b l e m i s a t t h e F A A a n a g e n c y t h a t h a s b e e n p a r a l y z e d b y t h e t h o u g h t
o f r e l e a s i n g U A S r u l e s t h a t a r e a n y t h i n g l e s s t h a n c o m p r e h e n s i v e I t rsquo s a c l a s s i c c a s e o f t h e t o p - d o w n b u r e a u c r a t i c r u l e - m a k i n g p r o c e s s b e i n g u n a b l e t o a d a p t t o f a s t - m o v i n g t e c h n o l o g y I n s t e a d o f r e l e a s i n g t h e b r o a d o u t l i n e s o f a d r o n e p o l i c y a n d t h e n i t e r a t i n g t h e F A A h a s s a i d f l a t l y ldquo W e d o n rsquo t d o b e t a s rdquo I t rsquo s a g r e a t l i n e b u t i t rsquo s h o p e l e s s l y n a i v e T h e o u t s i d e w o r l d i s d o i n g a b e t a o n l i v e T V i n s t e a d t h e F A A i s j u s t h i d i n g f r o m i t
P e r h a p s t h e F A A rsquo s l i n e s h o u l d b e f r o m V o l t a i r e ldquo t h e p e r f e c t i s
t h e e n e m y o f t h e g o o d rdquo T h i s m a y b e s t a r t i n g t o c h a n g e n o w a t l e a s t s l o w l y P r o p o s e d U A S r u l e s w e r e
r e l e a s e d t h i s y e a r a n d a r e a l l i n a l l p r e t t y s e n s i b l e M o r e r e c e n t l y t h e F A A a p p o i n t e d t w o n e w p e o p l e t o s e n i o r U A S r o l e s b o t h w i t h r e c o r d s o f a c t u a l l y g e t t i n g t h i n g s d o n e
T h e y n e e d t o m o v e q u i c k l y C a l i f o r n i a rsquo s r e c e n t b i l l t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y b a n s d r o n e f l i g h t s i s j u s t t h e m o s t v i s i b l e k n e e j e r k r e a c t i o n a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l p r o o f t h a t i f y o u w a i t t o o l o n g p o l i t i c i a n s w i l l f i l l t h e v o i d w i t h t r u l y a w f u l l e g i s l a t i o n
T h e r e rsquo s a n o t h e r t h r e a t b e y o n d b a d l o c a l l a w s T F R s I n a n e f f o r t t o d e t e r d r o n e s t h e s e m a y p o p u p e v e n m o r e o f t e n a s a s o r t o f c a t c h a l l p r o h i b i t i o n I t rsquo s a b l u n t i n s t r u m e n t b u t i t rsquo s t h e o n l y e x i s t i n g o p t i o n f o r b i g e v e n t s A n d r e m e m b e r a l l t h e f a n c y F A A r u l e s a r e f o r c o m m e r c i a l o p e r a t i o n s t h o s e f o r h o b b y i s t s a r e p r e t t y l i m i t e d
I s p e n d a l o t o f t i m e f l y i n g b e l o w 1 0 0 0 f e e t s o I a m n o t e x c i t e d a b o u t h i t t i n g a q u a d c o p t e r A n d p e o p l e w h o f l y d r o n e s a r o u n d w i l d f i r e s d u r i n g a T F R a r e f l a t o u t s t u p i d t h e y d e s e r v e n o s y m p a t h y B u t n o b o d y s t o p s f l y i n g b e c a u s e t h e y m i g h t h i t a b i r d o n e d a y a n d w e d o n rsquo t n e e d t o p a r a l y z e o u r a v i a t i o n i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e o f a n o v e r b l o w n d r o n e t h r e a t e i t h e r
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
28 heliwebcom January 2016 29
Falamos Portuguecircs
Stop the drone panic R O T O R F O C U STucson Police grounds fleet
after ALEA audit finds safety issues and hostile work
environmentThe Tucson Police Department grounded itrsquos fleet on December 24th after
an audit was completed by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association
at the request of the department after several complaints were received
Outgoing Police Chief Roberto Villasentildeor temporarily suspended
operations at the TPD air unit until the issues raised by the ALEA
audit were adressed The ALEA audit realeased to the media showed
only a 58 compliance rate with established safety stadards
and practices placing the unit in a high operation risk category
A quote directly from the audit stated ldquoMore recently differences
between some of the pilots and the maintenance staff over perceived
maintenance safety issues have escalated to a level of hostility as reported
by several unit members during interviews attempts to bring the sides
together to air their differences has thus far been non-productiverdquo
While some of the audit components focused on safety related issues
it was also noted that the unit suffered from low morale as a result
of the hostilities between maintenance staff and pilots which acting
Chief of Police Mark Timpf stated ldquothe administration has already
begun to address those and other issues brought to light from the
audit conducted by the Airborne Law Enforcement associationrdquo
The temporary grounding of the unit raised concerns with citizens and the
Sheriff of Pima County Arizona who only learned of the grounding through
media coverage but stated when asked that if there was a situtation
that required the support of their aviation assets in an emergency
that they would do whatever they could to assist stating ldquoIf therersquos
something going on that right now needs help wersquore going to be thererdquo
On January 8 2016 the air unit returned to operational service
Asst Chief Timpf releasing a statement detailing that the
department had addressed all issues and that the departments four
aircraft a Cessna 206 fixed wing and three Bell 206 helicopters
were already back in the air protecting the residents of Tucson
The Tucson Police Department air unit responded to over 3500 calls
for service in 2015 and completed 2800 special checks said Timpf
who will be briefing incomming Chief of Police Christopher Magnus
who was set to step into the new role at the beginning of the year
30 heliwebcom
Van Horn Aviationwwwvanhornaviationcom
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
30 heliwebcom
Van Horn Aviationwwwvanhornaviationcom
14804834202
Composite Tail Rotor Bladesfor 206BL OH-58A+C and UH-1 Series
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R O T O R F O C U SEra Helicopters Purchase
AW189Era Helicopters announced December 23rd that i t has taken
delivery of i ts f irst two AgustaWestland AW189 heavy helicopters
The AW189 helicopter is a versati le mult irole plat form with
a spacious cabin configured with 16 seats and a cockpit
design incorporating the latest in advanced si tuational
awareness technologies to reduce crew workload
optimize mission-ef fect iveness and enhance safety The
AW189 meets the latest international safety requirements
and benefi ts from an industry -leading 50-minute ldquorun-
dryrdquo capabil i t y on the main gearbox exceeding current
cer t i f icat ion standards and of fering unmatched safety
and rel iabil i t y for long range of fshore operations
Par t of the AgustaWestland family of new generation helicopters
the AW189 and AW139 models possess the same high
per formance f l ight characteris t ics and safety features and share
a common cockpit layout design philosophy and maintenance
concept that wil l enhance the ef f iciency of Erarsquos operations
ldquoAs the worldrsquos largest civi l ian operator of AgustaWestland
helicopters Era is pleased to serve as the launch customer
for the AW189 in the Americasrdquo said Chris Bradshaw
President and CEO of Era ldquo The introduction of the AW189
model expands customer options for af fordable long-
range of fshore transpor t and enhances the diversi t y of
our f leet Era is the only hel icopter operator in the US
Gulf of Mexico with each of the S92 H225 AW189 and
AW139 helicopter models of fering customers unparalleled
f lexibi l i t y In addit ion we of fer t ip-to-tai l maintenance
suppor t training f l ight crews and f lexible f inancing
options to suppor t leasing customers around the worldrdquo
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
30 heliwebcom January 2016 31
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
32 heliwebcom
Fighting a losing battle against wild hogs that has reached epidemic proportions in Texas Paradise Helicopters Texas and Last Shadow have formed a partnership that hopes to help address the issue
Cover Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
32 heliwebcom January 2016 33
Story by Ryan Mason
Images by Ryan Mason amp Tim Pruitt
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
34 heliwebcom
In 2011 Texas lawmakers inundated with
calls for action from farmers enacted the ldquopork
chopper lawrdquo allowing owners of farming
property in the state of Texas to commission
the assistance of helicopters to aid efforts in
controlling the rampant wild hog population
Numbering somewhere in excess of 25
million animals the feral hog population has
exploded in the last decade devastating
the farming industry and causing damage in
excess of an estimated $400-Million annually
Feral hogs were originally introduced into the
United States as a means of providing food for
settlers as early as the 1680s In times of famine
and recession hogs were often left to fend for
themselves when families abandoned homesteads
during those periods causing the animals to
develop into feral breeds The hogs are now rampant
in almost every county across the state of Texas
Despite control efforts over the years the feral
hog population continues to grow at alarming
rates The proliferation can be contributed to the
combination of feral hogsrsquo ability to survive in the
most inhospitable climates and conditions and
their short gestation periodmdash a trait that enables
them to breed up to twice per year Their offspring
numbers average between six and twelve per litter
One of the many damaging effects attributed
to the wild hog population is the watershed
impact the herds cause Drinking water quality is
also effected by the hogs waste making its way
into water supplies due to the sheer number
of hogs overrunning some properties further
causing ongoing damage to delicate eco-
systems with the vegetation damage caused
by their rooting into the mainly dense areas
close to water sources where they congregate
During the same year the pork chopper law
was written into law Richard Potts a career
helicopter pilot from Hawaii returned to Temple
Texas and began investigating the possibilities of
assisting farmers in eradication efforts He enlisted
the assistance of Barrett Blume owner of outdoor
adventure company Last Shadow Potts has been a
pilot since the late 1960s and obtained his helicopter
rating in the late 1970s he has now amassed well
over thirteen-thousand hours in the pilotrsquos seat
working throughout the Continental US Hawaii and
even as far away as the Solomon islands Potts first
pursued a role as a pilot on a tuna boat decades
prior only to find himself working for a company
in Hawaii as their director of maintenance instead
Along with Pottsrsquo thousands of hours as a pilot he is
also a certified Airframe amp Powerplant (AampP) mechanic
Over the next several years Potts and Blume tried many
methods to assist with eradication efforts from charging
farmers to patrol their property and capture wild hogs
and sling line them off the property to using netting guns
spending many months refining the most effective way
to do business through trial and error Potts recalled
ldquoIt was great fun when we first started out we would
have people shooting trapping-nets from the rear of
the helicopter and watch the hogs ball up underneath
the helicopter as we got one But we quickly realized
that with the cost of operating the helicopter and the
return we were getting from the farmer and harvesting
meat that we would fly for several hours to make a
thousand dollars but spend three-thousand making itrdquo
Potts says that the difference between the joint
operation that Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters
Texas provide when compared to others in the market
is that when the idea first became a possibility with the
law change Potts and Blume decided that they would
operate the business under the regulations of the aerial
capture eradication and tagging of animals (ACTEA)
guidelines set forth by the Department of the Interior
These are the same rules that are followed in the eradication of
nuisance wildlife in national parks around the country ldquoWhat
we want to do is break out and lead the pack by example Our
operation is staffed with well-trained seasoned professionals
We are not handing our clientele an off-the-shelf
weapon either we have custom made weapons that
were built specifically for the mission we carry out
We want both the people that pay to be part of our
eradication effort and the farmers that we are helping
to see us as head-and-shoulders above the rest from
both and ethics and professionalism basis which
both myself and Barrett try to exemplifymdash me through
professional and safe flying and him through his
thoroughness in ensuring that the people in the back of
the helicopter remain 100 safe compliant and have
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
34 heliwebcom January 2016 35
The Red Bull Journey Begins
an overall great time while we do some good for people
that rely on their farmland for their livelihoodrdquo said Potts
Pottsrsquo company Paradise Helicopters Texas is the
mainland base of Paradise helicopters located
in Hawaii and operator of the famed MD500D
replica used in the television series Magnum PI
Paradise Helicopters Hawaii operates five Bell 407s
in Hawaii in addition to the MD500D and has
three MD500E helicopters Potts and Blume utilize to
conduct their operations out of Temple [Texas] Airport
Potts and Blume like to reference conversations
between Paradise Helicopters Hawaii owner
Calvin Dorn and Potts in which Dorn would ask
Potts regularly if it was legal to hunt hogs from
a helicopter yet Potts would invariably reply
that it was still illegalmdash until the summer of 2011
I t was then that the conversat ion went f rom
a joking reference to what is now a large -
scale operat ion that can deploy up to three
hel icopters to any of f i f t y - three farms in the
Last Shadow net work that have asked for
ass is tance cover ing some 250000 acres
The relat ionship bet ween Last Shadow and
Paradise Hel icopters Texas began when Blume
and Pot ts met in the compet i t ive shoot ing
arena Through their common in teres t in
both shoot ing and business the pair came
up wi th the idea of what Last Shadow now
markets to indiv iduals and companies as
team-bui lding exercises worldwide Pot ts
provides the f ly ing por t ion and Blume
provides the overal l cus tomer exper ience mdash
managing the safe operat ion and complet ion
of each miss ion Last Shadow per forms
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
36 heliwebcom
Paradise Helicopters Texas owner and Chief Pilot
Richard Potts returned to Texas after 15 years of
flying in Hawaii and now conducts wild hog
eradication efforts with the help of Barrett Blume and
his team of experts
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
36 heliwebcom January 2016 37
Cover StoryE a r l y o n i n t h e o p e r a t i o n P o t t s a n d B l u m e
r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e r e w a s l i t t l e b e n e f i t f r o m
c h a r g i n g t h e f a r m e r s t h e y s e r v i c e d f o r
t h e w i l d h o g c o n t r o l t h a t t h e y p e r f o r m e d
a s o t h e r o p e r a t o r s i n t h e f i e l d o f t e n d o
T h e y c h o s e i n s t e a d t o t u r n t h e v e n t u r e
i n t o a c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e w h e r e
m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c c a n g o o n
t h e i r o w n h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
a n d l e a r n t h e a r t o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a h o g e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t f r o m t h e
e x p e r t s w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a s e r v i c e t h a t
c o n t r i b u t e s t o c o n t r o l o f t h e w i l d h o g
p o p u l a t i o n a t n o c o s t t o t h e l a n d o w n e r
L a s t S h a d o w c a t e r s t o e v e r y o n e f r o m
t h e f i r s t t i m e s h o o t e r t o t h e s e a s o n e d
p r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g
f o r t h e h u n t mdash f r o m t h e w e a p o n s t o t h e
s a f e t y h a r n e s s e s u s e d w h i l e s h o o t i n g
f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r T h e e x p e r i e n c e
i n c l u d e s d e t a i l e d c l a s s r o o m - s t y l e
t r a i n i n g o n w h a t t h e y a r e s e e k i n g t o
a c c o m p l i s h o n e a c h f l i g h t w h a t a
p a r t i c i p a n t c a n e x p e c t o n t h e f l i g h t a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y
b r i e f i n g s o n h o w t o o p e r a t e i n t h e b a c k o f
a h e l i c o p t e r d u r i n g a l i v e - f i r e o p e r a t i o n
B l u m e rsquo s c o m p a n y L a s t S h a d o w i s a
p i o n e e r i n t h e a c t i o n a n d a d v e n t u r e
s p o r t s m a r k e t H i s c o m p a n y n o t o n l y
s e l l s t h e a v i a t i o n s i d e o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n a n a c t i v e h e l i c o p t e r h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
f l i g h t b u t a l s o i n c l u d e s a n i g h t p o r t i o n
o n t h e g r o u n d w h e r e B l u m e a n d h i s
t e a m c o n d u c t e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a t
n i g h t o r a e r i a l g u n n e r y t r a i n i n g t h a t
c a n b e c o m p l e t e d b o t h n i g h t a n d d a y
t o g i v e a v i d h u n t i n g e n t h u s i a s t s a n
a l l - e n c o m p a s s i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t c a n
b e t a i l o r e d t o s u i t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l
o r g r o u p t h a t t h e c o m p a n y s e r v e s
B l u m e s t a t e d t h a t n e a r l y h a l f o f
t h e b u s i n e s s L a s t S h a d o w d o e s i s
i n t h e f o r m o f t a i l o r e d p a c k a g e s
f o r l a r g e g r o u p b o o k i n g s m a d e b y
c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e t h e i r s e r v i c e s
a s t e a m - b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s f o r
t h e i r e m p l o y e e s T h e r e m a i n d e r
i s m a d e u p p r i m a r i l y o f r e t u r n i n g
c u s t o m e r s a n d f i r s t t i m e p a r t i c i p a n t s
Instructors and safety officers are an essential part of Blume and Potts business venture providing
training to inexperienced shooters as well as functional skills training for operating from a helicopter
and how to do it safely Carter Fields (Pictured Above) is not only a safety and training officer for Last
Shadow but and accomplished shooter in three gun competition
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
38 heliwebcom
Left
Pilot of lsquoScreamin
Mimirsquo Jim
Woodaman departs
Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima CA
Below
An assortment of the
aircraft in the Welk
Aviation Fleet which
service the Los Angeles
area providing ENG and
ultility services
Last Shadow owner Barret Blume and instructor
Carter fields patrol property close to Temple TX
on a wild hog eradication flight piloted by
Richard Potts in the MD500E
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
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a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
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a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
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d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
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o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
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o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
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t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
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w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
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M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
38 heliwebcom January 2016 39
Cover StoryWh e n a c u s t o m e r b o o k s a h u n t w i t h L a s t
S h a d o w t h e e x p e r i e n c e s t a r t s f r o m t h e
v e r y m o m e n t t h e y e n t e r t h e c o m p a n y rsquo s
h a n g a r i n Te m p l e Te x a s B e g i n n i n g w i t h
a n i n - d e p t h f l i g h t s a f e t y b r i e f i n g f r o m
P o t t s f o l l o w e d - u p b y a f u r t h e r p r e - t a k e o f f
m e e t i n g t o d i s c u s s t a c t i c s f i r e a r m s s a f e t y
s h o o t i n g c o m m a n d s a n d a i r b o r n e s a f e t y
Th e c r e w a l s o c o n d u c t s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
d r i l l s a n d c o v e r s w h a t i s e x p e c t e d
o f e a c h p a s s e n g e r w h i l e i n f l i g h t
i n c l u d i n g t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s n e e d e d
b e t w e e n p i l o t s a f e t y o f f i c e r s a n d
p a r t i c i p a n t s o n a n e r a d i c a t i o n f l i g h t
P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h e n c h e c k e d f o r t h e
c o r r e c t l i c e n s i n g b e f o r e d e p a r t u r e o n
t h e a i r b o r n e p o r t i o n o f t h e i r a d v e n t u r e
Th e a e r i a l g u n n e r y p o r t i o n o f t h e
L a s t S h a d o w e x p e r i e n c e i n v o l v e s
t a r g e t s h o o t i n g i n b o t h d a y a n d n i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s Th e n i g h t p o r t i o n o f t h e
h u n t s a r e a c h i e v e d b y t h e u s e o f N i g h t
V i s i o n G o g g l e s ( N V G s ) w h i l e i n f l i g h t
B l u m e a c h i e v e s t h i s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t
i n v e s t m e n t i n o p t i c s t h a t a r e p r o v i d e d
b y B l u m e rsquo s s e c o n d p a r t n e r c o m p a n y
t o L a s t S h a d o w n a m e d G o t N O D S
a r e f e r e n c e t o N i g h t O p e r a t i o n a l
D e v i c e s t h e m i l i t a r y a c r o n y m t h a t
e n c o m p a s s e s w h a t t h e c i v i l i a n h e l i c o p t e r
c o m m u n i t y r e f e r s t o a s N V G s a s w e l l
a s o t h e r e q u i p m e n t d e s i g n e d t o p r o v i d e
i n c r e a s e d o p e r a t i o n a l a b i l i t y i n l o w - l i g h t
e n v i r o n m e n t s s u c h a s t h e r m a l i m a g i n g
G o t N O D S p r o v i d e s L a s t S h a d o w
c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e l a t e s t i n n i g h t v i s i o n
a n d t h e r m a l o p t i c s d u r i n g b o t h g r o u n d
a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s Th e c o m p a n y
a l s o p r o v i d e s n i g h t o p t i c s t o i n d i v i d u a l
a n d p a r a - p u b l i c o p e r a t i o n s mdash b o t h
d o m e s t i c a l l y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y mdash w i t h
N V G e q u i p m e n t p r o v i d e d b y B l u m e rsquo s
s u p p l i e r Tr i a r c S y s t e m s a l e a d e r i n
n i g h t v i s i o n a n d t h e r m a l t e c h n o l o g y
S t a f f i n g i n a n o p e r a t i o n t h a t u t i l i z e s t h e
l a t e s t i n t a c t i c a l w e a p o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t
B l u m e t a k e s s e r i o u s l y H a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e
i n t h e c o m p e t i t i v e s h o o t i n g a r e n a h i m s e l f
B l u m e c h o o s e s o n l y t h e b r i g h t e s t a n d
b e s t s t a f f a v a i l a b l e t h a t c a n p r o v i d e L a s t
S h a d o w c u s t o m e r s w i t h t h e b e s t s e r v i c e b u t
e n a b l e e v e n t h e m o s t n o v i c e t y p e o f s h o o t e r
t h e a b i l i t y t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s e t n e e d e d t o
o p e r a t e s a f e l y i n a n a i r b o r n e s c e n a r i o
L a s t S h a d o w i n s t r u c t o r s a r e m a d e u p
o f s o m e o f t h e m o s t a c c o m p l i s h e d
s h o o t e r s i n t h e c o u n t r y a n d a r e a l s o
a u g m e n t e d b y w i l d l i f e g a m e m a n a g e r s
w h o a s s i s t o n l o c a t i n g w i l d l i f e f o r
e r a d i c a t i o n e f f o r t s a n d m a n a g e t h e
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h l a n d o w n e r s Th e
g a m e m a n a g e r s a l s o d e c i d e t h e m o s t
o p t i m a l l o c a t i o n s i n t h e 2 5 0 0 0 0 a c r e s
a v a i l a b l e t o t h e c o m p a n y t o e n s u r e t h e
g r e a t e s t c h a n c e o f s u c c e s s f o r c u s t o m e r s
Wh i l e L a s t S h a d o w f o c u s e s a g r e a t d e a l o f
t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s t o w i l d h o g e r a d i c a t i o n
e f f o r t s t h e c o m p a n y a l s o f i l l s t h e i r f l i g h t
t i m e b y p r o v i d i n g a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g t o
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o p e r a t i o n s mdash t a r g e t i n g
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t t a c t i c s a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h o p e r a t i n g w i t h a n a e r i a l g u n n e r y
p l a t f o r m L a s t S h a d o w c a n a l s o d e p l o y
Ty l e r m o u n t s o n t h e s i d e s o f t h e i r M D 5 0 0
f l e e t a l l o w i n g f o r m u l t i p l e p l a c e m e n t s
e x t e r n a l l y a l s o a d d i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t y
t o e m p l o y a F L I R s y s t e m t o a s s i s t
w i t h n i g h t t i m e o p e r a t i o n s i f n e e d e d
M o s t o f t h e t r a i n i n g c o n d u c t e d b y
B l u m e a n d P o t t s w i t h t h i s t y p e o f w o r k
i s h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d a n d s o m e t h i n g
t h a t i s s o u g h t a f t e r b o t h n a t i o n a l l y a n d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y B l u m e p r o v i d e s a l e v e l
o f t r a i n i n g i n h e l i c o p t e r a e r i a l g u n n e r y
t h a t w a s b u i l t f r o m m a n y y e a r s o f
o p e r a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e i n s e v e r a l f i e l d s
Th e i r u n i q u e s e r v i c e s a r e t h e r e a s o n t h a t
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s s e e k o u t L a s t
S h a d o w t o h e l p a s s i s t i n t h e i r t r a i n i n g
Safety
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
40 heliwebcom
While Last Shadow focuses a great deal of their
operations to wild hog eradication efforts the
company also fills their flight time by providing
advanced training to law enforcement operationsmdash
targeting law enforcement tactics associated with
operating with an aerial gunnery platform Last
Shadow can also deploy Tyler mounts on the sides of
their MD500 fleet allowing for multiple placements
externally also adding the capability to employ a FLIR
system to assist with nighttime operations if needed
Most of the training conducted by Blume and Potts with
this type of work is highly specialized and something
that is sought after both nationally and internationally
Blume provides a level of training in helicopter
aerial gunnery that was built from many years of
operational experience in several fields Their unique
services are the reason that law enforcement agencies
seek out Last Shadow to help assist in their training
In the rapidly-changing environments and challenges that
flying in a helicopter and shooting at the same time can
bring Last Shadow excels Blumersquos ability through his
subsidiary company Got NODS makes the choice for law
enforcement clients using his services easy being able to
supply large amounts of night vision optics to those agencies
that canrsquot provide their own making training scenarios
more realistic and simulating the actual environment that
some may one day be required to operate in is an asset
While some may consider booking a helicopter hog
eradication flight operation as somewhat of a bucket list
item Blume explains that a majority of their customer base
is repeat customers adding that their prices are quite
affordable Packages start at $1600 per person and
that includes both airborne and night hunting missions
that will occupy a full day of activity for customers
The Last Shadow and Paradise Helicopters Texas
relationship has thus far proven to be one of mutual benefit
The staff gets along like a close knit family and that
symbiotic vibe transfers freely to the clientele as you see
many happy and satisfied faces leaving after an intense
day of aerial gunnery This observation is reinforced
by the number of repeat customers on the books
Blume and Potts continue to seek ways to expand the
business hoping to one day grow to other geographic
areas that have issues with feral hog populations
that allow aerial eradication efforts by helicopter
In the meanwhile they are content to continue to try
and make a difference in Texasmdash one flight at a time
Last Shadow instructor Carter Fields uses a custom built AR-15
and headset designed and built specifically for this mission on an
eradication flight
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
40 heliwebcom January 2016 41
Participants in an eradication flight are briefed before heading to the
helicopter by Last Shadowrsquos Barrett Blume and Paradise Helicopters
Texas Chief Pilot Richard Potts
Aerial gunnery training is another area that Potts
and Blume focus their operations on Seen here
in the MD500E during a training evolution
To Richard Potts and Barrett Blume training and safety play a large role in their operation but both enjoy that the work they do makes a difference to Texas farmers
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
$90500 - Single Visor Assembly$99000 - Dual Visor Assembly
NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
42 heliwebcom
HELICOPTER HELMETSNew Kevlarreg Helicopter Helmets available w single or dual visor assembly general aviation avionics lighweight crushable earcups w sensiform air seals Confortrade foam custom liner and optional 6rsquo coil Factory new amp fully guaranteed
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NOMEX FLIGHT SUITSFire retardant and the 1 choice of the US Air Force US Navy and US Coast Guard Nomex jackets and shirts also available
69 Francis Avenue bull Hartford CT 06106860-247-7787 bull fax 860-586-8020
wwwAviationHelmetscom
GOVERNMENT SALES INC51 Years in Business
Most orders shipped within 24 hours We ship worldwide via air freight Visit our 14000 sq ft facility
Airbus showing strong presence in South American market
Airbus Hel icopters cont inued i ts s t rong
del iver ies worldwide th is month del iver ing
three addi t ional H225M hel icopters to the
Brazi l ian Armed Forces Two are dest ined for
the Brazi l ian Army and the th i rd for the Brazi l ian
Air Force br inging to seven the total number of
H225M hel icopters del ivered to Brazi l in 2015
the company said in a s tatement Monday
Brazi l ian subsidiar y Hel ibras also announced
th is month the f i rs t successfu l in countr y
complet ion of an AS565 K2 upgrade
Adding to other del iver ies was the
announcement of a French Army order for an
addi t ional 7 T iger HAD at tack hel icopters
for i t s miss ions in the Sahel region of
Afr ica br inging the total number of T iger
aircraf t in operat ion when complete to 67
MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Deliveries to Afghan Air Force continue
MD Helicopters announced on the 11th of January a contract
to manufacture and deliver twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior
Scout Attack Helicopters with enhanced mission equipment
to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) MD Helicopters delivered
the first twelve MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the
Afghan Air Force in support of the 2015 fighting season
The 530F Cayuse participating in a number of successful
operations since In addition five MD 530F helicopters
already serving as primary training aircraft in Afghanistan
have been upgraded to the Cayuse Warrior configuration
to assist efforts of the AAF and coalition forces in the area
Robinson Completes 700th R66 Turbine at Torrance CA factory
Robinsonrsquos 700thR66 Turbine rolled off the production line on
December 18 2015 five years after the 5-place helicopter
was FAA certificated Serial Number 700 is an R66 Turbine
Marine which is an R66 equipped with pop-out floats and
will be delivered to Robinson Dealer Air Technology Belgium
This will be the first Turbine Marine delivered to Europe
since EASA approved the float option in October
and one of the more than fifty R66s sold to Europe
Robinson recently added the Garmin G500H Flight
Display and the Genesys HeliSAS Autopilot to the
R66 options list Currently in development are an
R66 auxiliary fuel tank and an R66 cargo hook Both
options are projected for release in 2016 To date
Robinson has approved 120 R66 Service Centers
worldwide of which seventy-two are Dealers
UAS registration now in effect across US for hobbyist operators
On December 21st 2015 the FAA put into place
registration requirements for the use of hobby type
UAV aircraft applying to any UAV between half a
pound and 55 pounds announced to the media at
a press conference a week prior Registration will
cost users $5 and can be done online although
early reports of issues with the registration process
included registrations and payment details being sent
to the wrong addressees and functional issues with the
website as thousands tried to register their UAV aircraft
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
42 heliwebcom
H e l i n e w s
bull Part 141 approved Flight Training bull Photo Flightsbull Helicopter SalesServices bull Helicopter Tours
wwwbluehillhelicopterscominfobluehillhelicopterscom bull 781-688-0263
Experience the Best
h e l i w e b t r a i n i n g d i r e c t o r y
Coinciding with the new requirement the FAA
released a beta version of the B4UFLY app available
for both Apple and Android devices that will assist
hobbyist users unfamiliar with airspace restrictions
by using the app before launching a UAV that
relies on the devices inbuild GPS to interact with the
app and provide information on the location and
restrictions in that area either temporary or permanent
Erickson Subcontracted to Refurbish
MH-53E Helicopters for US Navy
Erickson was this month selected as a subcontractor by
Adams Communication amp Engineering Technologies (ACET)
for the refurbishment of two MH-53E helicopters in support
of the United States Navy Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
The contract is for the return of two MH-53E Sea
Dragon helicopters to service which requires
multiple stages of a complex refurbishment schedule
The award is for one base year with an optional year
This is the first contract awarded by the US Navy for a
depot-level maintenance event of a MH-53E helicopter to
a commercial contractor according to Kerry Jarandson
Ericksonrsquos Vice President of MRO and Manufacturing
Russian Helicopers announce certification of the Ansat VIP
helicopterT h e R u s s i a n H e l i c o p t e r s A n s a t
is new light multirole commercial Ansat helicopter
with hydro mechanical controls has received two
Main Amendment Approvals for the helicopterrsquos VIP
cabin and air-conditioning system from the Federal
Air Transport Agency in Russia which as of this
month has taken over duties as Russiarsquos aviation
cer tif ication authority from the Aviation Register
of the Interstate Aviat ion Commit tee (AR IAC)
The certification means that the helicopter can now
star t commercial operation The Ansat comes in
a f ive and seven passenger seat configuration
The VIP 5 seat five-seat can accommodate a wardrobe
and full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
full-fledged baggage section with built-in mini-bar The
passenger cabin is air conditioned and provides individual
lighting and air controls The cabin has shock-absorbing seats
and vibration-reducing armrests For additional passenger
comfort there are also flight kits with active noise reduction
Previously Kazan Helicopters had initially produced
a fly-by-wire Ansat that was ahead of its time ndash no
commercial model with a similar control system had been
certified anywhere in the world and the key requirements
for this innovative system had not yet been codified
January 2016 43
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
44 heliwebcom 44 heliwebcom
hel
ipix
Flying the Heli Lift AS350 in Norway at sunset Image by Tom Oslashstrem
A pair of RAF CH-47 Chinooks drops down for some low level flight in
Wales Image by Peter Lewis
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 45 January 2016 45
follow us at heliweb to have your shots featured
FLying the Penguin Air R44 newscopter over Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix is
pilot Bruce Haffner Image by Aron Whitesell
The RedBull Air Force at work
dropping off the RefBull ACES team
during a recent
promo shoot
Image By
airborneimages
Skydiving missions
is how this Bell 212
keeps busy
Image by
skydiving_pilot
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
46 heliwebcom
Master Pilot Jaye Bridwell Poses with one of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office AS350sImage by Ryan Mason
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 47
Every month heliweb staff will be interviewing an industry pilot Wersquoll talk to them about their career highlights how they got into
the industry and what they want to share with other pilots in the industry
R o t o r h e a d sMeet Tyler Rivas
Tyler R i vas s ta r ted h i s career i n av ia t ion as a h igh schoo l k id w i th a d ream H i s f i r s t job was a lsquohangar ra t rsquo a t h i s loca l a i rpor t and a f te r g radua t ing h igh schoo l and needing to suppor t h imse l f he found h imse l f work ing a t Samrsquos C lub a job wh ich in R i vas rsquo words he ldquoha ted more than any th ing he rsquos ever ha ted in h i s l i f erdquo As h i s t ime work ing in re ta i l con t inued R i vas cou ld th ink o f no th ing more than wan t ing to be a p i lo t
D u r i n g h i s t i m e w o r k i n g a s a h a n g a r ra t R i v a s h a d s p o k e n t o d o z e n s o f f i x e d w i n g p i l o t s a n d s a i d t h a t h e w a n t e d t o b e a p i l o t b u t c o u l d n rsquo t t h i n k o f a n y t h i n g w o r s e t h a n t a k i n g o f f g e t t i n g t o 3 0 0 0 0 f e e t a n d s e t t i n g t h e a u t o p i l o t o n l y t o b e b o re d f o r t h e d u ra t i o n o f t h e f l i g h t u n t i l i t c a m e t i m e t o l a n d
A f t e r a c o n v e r s a t i o n m e n t i o n i n g t h i s t o a p i l o t i n h i g h s c ho o l t h e p i l o t i n q u e s t i o n s u g g e s t e d t h a t i f h e w a n t e d a c a re e r i n a v i a t i o n a n d w a n t e d t o s t a y b u s y - t h a t h e s ho u l d c o n s i d e r f l y i n g h e l i c o p t e r s D e s p i t e a 3 y e a r f o ra y i n t o t h e re t a i l w o r l d R i v a s f o l l o w e d h i s d re a m a n d t o o k o u t a l o a n t o c o v e r h i s f l i g h t t ra i n i n g a n d h e a d e d t o P re s c o t t A r i z o n a t o t ra i n w i t h G u i d a n c e Av i a t i o n
Th e t ra i n i n g ro a d w a s l i k e m a n y o t h e r p i l o t s n o t a n e a s y o n e f o r R i v a s S t a r t i n g t ra i n i n g i n 20 0 8 i t t o o k R i v a s 4 y e a r s t o p ro g re s s t h ro u g h h i s ra n k i n g s t o C F I I I n c l u d i n g a s c a re i n v o l v i n g t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y rsquos ldquo E n ro n I n c i d e n t rdquo t h e S i l v e r S t a t e h e l i c o p t e r c ra s h Wh i c h l e a d t o i s s u e s f o r m a n y i n t h e m i d s t o f h e l i c o p t e r f l i g h t t ra i n i n g Th a n k s t o a n e a r l y h e a d s u p R i v a s w a s a b l e t o p u l l a l l o f h i s f u n d s o u t r i g h t b e f o re l o a n c o m p a n i e s f ro z e m a n y t ra i n i n g a c c o u n t s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e S i l v e r S t a t e c ra s h
P rogress ing f rom pr iva te th rough commerc ia l and CF I w i th Gu idance R i vas found h imse l f aga in low on funds s t i l l hav ing no t comple ted h i s CF I I ra t i ng S ta r ing down the bar re l o f no t fo l lowing th rough on h i s goa l R i vas so ld h i s car to f i nance the las t s tage o f h i s t ra in ing ob ta in ing h i s CF I I ra t i ng in 2012 and be ing h i red by Gu idance Av ia t ion as an in s t ruc to r immedia te ly a f te r
A s t h e t r a i n i n g i n d u s t r y t o o k a d o w n t u r n a s h a p p e n s i n t h e m a r k e t R i v a s w a s l e t g o f r o m G u i d a n c e d u e t o l a c k o f w o r k a n d h i t t h e j o b t r a i l f i n d i n g w o r k i n Tu l s a O k l a h o m a O n e d a y b e f o r e m o v i n g R i v a s r e c e i v e d a p h o n e c a l l f r o m t h e o w n e r o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s t a t i n g t h a t t h e i r o n l y h e l i c o p t e r h a d b e e n c r a s h e d a n d d u e t o p o o r p l a n n i n g o n t h e o w n e r s p a r t t h e r e w a s n o c o n t i n g e n c y p l a n s o t h e s c h o o l w o u l d b e c l o s i n g a n d a n y h o p e o f e m p l o y m e n t w a s n o w g o n e
N o t o n e t o l e t a s e t b a c k i n t e r r u p t h i s d r e a m a t 5 0 0 h o u r s R i v a s h i t t h e n e t w o r k i n g c i r c u i t a n d f o u n d h i m s e l f a t H e l i E x p o 2 012 i n L a s V e g a s N e v a d a w h e r e h e m e t u p w i t h a f a m i l y f r i e n d w h o w a s a l s o a p i l o t w h o t h r o u g h s o m e c o n n e c t i o n s h a d h e a r d o f a 6 m o n t h t e m p o r a r y v a c a n c y i n u p s t a t e N e w Yo r k w o r k i n g a s a r e l i e f S I C f o r S t a r f l i g h t a c o u n t y o w n e d a n d f u n d e d j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e H E M S o p e r a t i o n t h a t f l e w t w o M D 9 0 0 h e l i c o p t e r s R i v a s a t t h e t i m e t h o u g h t h e h a d n o c h a n c e h a v i n g o n l y 5 0 0 h o u r s o f p i s t o n t i m e a n d z e r o t i m e i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r s b u t c h o s e t o t r y a n y w a y
Th a n k s t o t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f S h e r i f f J o e G e r a c e w h o e n t e r t a i n e d t h e n o t i o n t h a t i t i s s o m e t i m e s b e t t e r t o t r a i n t h e p e r s o n y o u w a n t i n t o t h e r o l e y o u w a n t t h e m t o f i l l t o a v o i d b a d h a b i t s t h a n h i r e a p i l o t t h a t h a s s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d h o u r s o f b a d h a b i t s R i v a s f o u n d h i m s e l f w i t h a r e a l s h o t a t b e i n g h i r e d A f t e r a g r u e l i n g h i r i n g p r o c e s s
R i v a s w a s c o n d i t i o n a l l y h i r e d t o f i l l t h e 6 m o n t h v a c a n c y t h a t a r o s e w h e n o n e o f t h e S t a r f l i g h t p i l o t s w a s d e p l o y e d o n a c t i v e m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e R i v a s w a s t o l d n o t t o e x p e c t a n y t h i n g p a s t t h e 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t b u t d u e t o h i s w o r k e t h i c a n c o m m i t m e n t a n d a l i t t l e b i t o f g o o d l u c k b e i n g t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f a l o n g t i m e p i l o t R i v a s s t i l l w o r k s f o r S t a r f l i g h t t o d a y h a v i n g b e e n h i r e d o n f u l l t i m e a f t e r h i s 6 m o n t h a s s i g n m e n t e x p i r e d
R i v a s b e g a n i n t e n s i v e s t u d y i n g a s h e f a c e d t h e r e a l i t y t h a t h e w a s g o i n g t o g o f r o m a 5 0 0 h o u r p i s t o n p i l o t d i r e c t l y i n t o a n S I C r o l e i n a t w i n t u r b i n e h e l i c o p t e r S o m e t h i n g t h a t o t h e r s i n h i s p o s i t i o n w o u l d k i l l f o r R i v a s s p e n t 12 h o u r d a y s f a m i l i a r i z i n g h i m s e l f w i t h t h e s y s t e m s h e w o u l d n e e d t o s h o w p r o f i c i e n c y i n f o r t h e t w i n t u r b i n e M D 9 0 0 a n d t h e FA A p a r t 135 c h e c k r i d e t h a t w a s t o f o l l o w p a s s i n g w i t h f l y i n g c o l o r s
F i n d i n g h i m s e l f t h r o w n i n a t t h e d e e p e n d R i v a s w a s f l y i n g h i s f i r s t m i s s i o n t h e v e r y n e x t d a y d u r i n g J u l y 4 t h c e l e b r a t i o n s a n d h e h a s n o t l o o k e d b a c k s i n c e R i v a s c r e d i t s h i s u n u s u a l r o a d t o e m p l o y m e n t a n d t u r b i n e t r a n s i t i o n i n l a r g e p a r t t o t h e o t h e r p i l o t s i n t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n c r e d i t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y p i l o t s J a c o b Ve n t u r a a n d M i k e P a s t e r n a c k w i t h a l w a y s b e i n g a v a i l a b l e t o o f f e r s u p p o r t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r e s p e c i a l l y a s h e w a s u n d e r g o i n g h i s t y p e t r a i n i n g i n t h e M D 9 0 0 a n d L a r r y P u t n a m w h o s p e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f t i m e g r o o m i n g h i m f o r a P I C r o l e a n d c h a l l e n g i n g h i m t o c o n t i n u e t o d e v e l o p h i s s k i l l s e t
L o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e R i v a s i s e x c i t e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y o b t a i n i n g a m i l i t a r y s u r p l u s T H 57 i n t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s t h a t t h e c o u n t y w i l l b e u s i n g f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s a n d e x p a n d i n g t h e S t a r f l i g h t o p e r a t i o n b a c k i n t o c o m p l e t i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t m i s s i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s a n d h e s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e i s f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p i l o t s a s t o w h o w i l l b e t h e f i r s t t o f l y i t M a n y o f S t a r f l i g h t s p i l o t s a r e f o r m e r m i l i t a r y p i l o t s a n d c a n n o t w a i t t o g e t t h e i r h a n d s b a c k o n t h e c o n t r o l s o f a h e l i c o p t e r t h a t i s i n t i m a t e l y f a m i l i a r t o m a n y t h a t h a v e c o m p l e t e d m i l i t a r y f l i g h t t r a i n i n g R i v a s l i v e s i n C h a u t a u q u a c o u n t y N Y c u r r e n t l y w i t h w i f e E m i l y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o m a n y m o r e h a p p y y e a r s w i t h S t a r f l i g h t s e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g m u c h n e e d e d H E M S s e r v i c e s t o t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o u n t y
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
48 heliwebcom 48 heliwebcom
Behind the lens
M i c h a e l J o r g e n s e n
Photographer Michael Jorgensen likes to refer to
himself as a pilot who also takes photos Jorgensen
is an Australian who moved to New Zealand to
join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
earning his wings in 1997 he trained in a strike
role flying the Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer while
awaiting an F-16 conversion Unfortunately the
New Zealand government cancelled the F-16 order
moving him into training on the A-4K Skyhawk As
luck would have it Jorgensenrsquos 6rsquo0rdquo frame was
too big for the small cockpit of the A-4K and he
faced transfer into a non-flying role in 2002
Facing a career in a non-aviation role was enough
for Jorgensen to pursue other opportunities deciding
to leave the RNZAF move to the United Kingdom
and fly once again his time for
the Royal Air Force in England
Jorgensen trained on several
multi-engine aircraft eventually
set t l ing on the VC-10 f lying
aerial refueling missions aero-
medical and general transport
flights During his time in the
UK defense forces Jorgensen
lamented that i t was always
action packed flying over the desert in Iraq as there
was always something happening in that airspace
Thanks to Jorgensenrsquos experience of flying a variety of
types in both civilian and military roles he has been
entrusted as an aerial photographer on many missions
that the average photographer can only dream of such as
flights involving high-G flying and taking many shots while
inverted that require multiple levels of training that Jorgensen
already possessed due to his pilot experience Having also
had experience and training in helicopter operations he is
also quite at home shooting from the rear of a helicopter with
the door open stating that the best part of doing photography
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
January 2016 49
from a helicopter is that ldquoI donrsquot have to jump out of the one Irsquom shooting
from as was required when I sat in the back of one in military trainingrdquo
Having completed his military service in the UK Jorgensen has now
moved back to Australia and continues to fly and continue his aerial
photography business opportunities any time it is requested while he
pursues working for the Australian airline industry as a commercial pilot
Jorgensen has a long history of shooting helicopters in the US UK Australia
and the United States and ranks the Bell 222 as his favorite having grown
up like many of us fixed to the television watching AirWolf While he has
many items still on his aviation bucket list Jorgensen puts a formation shoot
of the Boeing AH-64 Apache as one of his top goals not yet accomplished
Like many in the industry Jorgensen is self-taught in photography and uses
a mix of learned skill and a lot of practice including advice from seasoned
professionals such as renowned helicopter aviation photographer Dan
Megna that Jorgensen states ldquoDan is a fantastic guy who has helped me out
and inspired me greatly over the yearsrdquo Jorgensen focuses highly on safety
during his aviation photography missions as his first priority which he says
is a lot easier to do based on previous pilot experience and knowing what
to expect from the many situations that can arise during an air to air shoot
Over the years Jorgensen has used both Nikon and Canon SLRrsquos and has
no definitive preference for either brand Preferring to rely on being a
firm believer that the photograph quality is a result of planning timing
knowledge of the camera systems and luck although he currently use
Canon cameras and lenses Lens choice for Jorgensen is highly reliant
on the type of subject and the type of end result a client is looking for
and shoots a great deal between two lenses being the Canon 70-
200mm lens and for close proximity work he relies on the Canon 24-
105mm that allows him to allow more background into the shot and
allow for a slower shutter speed for more rotor blur and depth of field
Photographer
F e a t u r e
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom 50 heliwebcom
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
Online ContentOn social media this month
Heliweb social media feeds
January 2016 51 January 2016 51
Behind the lens
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM
mdhelicopterscom
Tough Dependable Dedicated to the Mission
Saving lives demands quick response times In the critical realm of air medical operations there is no room for compromise or excuse With nearly 200000 mission hours flown the MD 902 Explorer delivers dependable versatile and powerful performance Equipped with the MD Helicopters-exclusive no tail rotor NOTARreg system for anti-torque control the MD 902 provides safer quieter and more reliable confined-access capability than any other helicopter in its class
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
EMS - Heliweb-finpdf 1 1062015 95537 AM