Author: aeroparks

Wow the world has changed quite a bit since my last post! I was just completing my special flight training awareness in Los Angelas when the world started to shut down….Toilet paper has been out of stock for a month now and regular supplies just aren’t found as often. Many of us are stuck at home in attempts to ward off spreading the virus without knowing it. The crazy part is that we are one of the latest countries to join in on shelter in place restrictions around the world- with several states barely giving “stay home stay safe” orders. For many of us, this means non-essential businesses have a temporary closure in place including flight schools. My school is still open however I’m almost done with my last rating and trying desperately to complete CFII before any further shelter in place restrictions occur.

That being said, I wanted to give some tips for those who have lost their “routine”…

1. Learn the physics behind how Lift occurs. This may be looking deeper into Reynolds number or understanding a series of videos of vortices watching how clouds are manipulated as aircraft fly through them. Many people argue that we don’t truly know where lift comes from….but I disagree. After all, somebody has to design all these airfoils 🙂 Vortices Video

2. Aquire your sUAS certificate. You can follow the instructions here FAA Drone License. If you are a certificated pilot operating under part 61 regs in the FAR, the process takes 2 hours to complete the online training! Once approved you’ll simply need to submit a form on IACRA and have a CFI sign you off. Let me know if you need help as I’m a freshly minted CFI myself 

3. Daydream on your flight plans…practice putting together flight plans on both sectionals as well as SkyVector. Try building a flight plan via ICAO standards and learn what it means to have the “equipment” type. Check out Global Air – Fixed Base Operators List to see if your local FBO is open during the shut downs!

4. Refresh yourself on weather. What are fronts? Are fronts associated with low or high pressure systems? Do you know your aviationweather.gov page in and out?

5. Learn a new language. There are many apps now a days that can help you learn the basics. No better time than the present! 

6. Don’t forget to get some exercise.…I have presently decked out my floor with rubber exercise matts and invested in some medium sized resistance bands and weights. I recommend the app “Down Dog” if you are looking to stay flexible…but I also recommend Chris Heria for any cardio workouts. He provides AMAZING full body exercises called calisthenics- this link will take you to youtube..  Calisthenics

7. If nothing else suits your interest….try cooking/baking a new recipe! Since stay home-stay safe orders, my roommate and I are being extra careful to stay indoors as much as possible. We have since cooked:

   • salmon lettuce wraps with homemade teriyaki glaze

   • sweet potato flat bread

   • a fresh quiche

   • gf banana muffins

I hope this list of things to keep busy with has helped. There is nothing wrong with sitting at home taking breaks from work or studying to read a good book or watch a great movie, however, just because we are stuck at home doesn’t mean we have the privilege to let our skills lesson while we wait to fly. Chair fly a couple approaches! Memorize your emergency procedures chapter in the aircraft you fly! There are so many ways to keep your brain healthy during this stretch of never-ending confinement 🙂

The past couple months I’ve received several questions regarding flight safety and what a pilot can or cannot do throughout their phases of training. This blog is an attempt to dispel some rumors and explain a bit about training expectations in the Robinson for different ratings. I cannot speak to the training one receives in other light aircraft such as G2 Cabri’s or S-300c….

Questions:

1. Are there helicopter police that pull you over if you go too fast?
2. You can’t fly in the rain can you?
3. How long into your training before you start flying?
4. How do you protect yourself from the loudness of the aircraft?
5. Why don’t pilots just land instead of crashing and killing everyone? (sensitive topic but very pertinent)
6. Do your blades start spinning the other direction when you autorotate?

Answers:

1. There are no helicopter police hovering around,nwaiting to pull you over in the sky. There are however, limitations on airspeeds flown depending on the rules in the airspace we fly in. Think of a highway with speed limits only, the highways are vertical and cover square miles of sky instead of land. We are also limited by the manufacturer’s Vne- Vne = never exceed speed. This varies per aircraft you fly and what configuration you’re in. On average, I fly about 90 kn with a Vne of 120 (103 mph and 138 mph)
2. We can absolutely fly in rain, provided the ceilings aren’t too low (the cloud cover) and provided we fly a safe distance from thunder storms. I don’t recommend flying in rain as it severely reduces visibility but some aircraft are equipped with windscreen wipers!
3. This question depends on the type of program you do. If you pay per flight, obviously you’ll begin dual instruction immediately in which yourself and an instructor fly together with dual controls. If you’re in a collegiate program, you may not start flying until the second week of school. We go to school for different ratings which allow you different privileges….a Private Pilot can carry passengers for example, but they cannot be monetarily reimbursed without a commercial rating. We cannot train in the clouds with both an instrument rating and instrument helicopter.
4. You should always wear ear protection of some kind. Having noise cancelling headphones is key in reducing noise, but so is wearing ear plugs on the flight line and minimizing exposure to the loudness. 
5. I don’t have a good answer for this one…Every pilot is different in their decision making capabilities, yet we are all driven to succeed and get the job done for our customers. The only advice I have on this is that we train to understand how dangerous our profession is, and learn how to mitigate risks associated with it. Our passengers however, are blindingly trusting in our abilities to keep us safe from the unknowing amount of variables that could kill us. It’s our responsibility to keep our team safe at all cost and fight the urge to please others who don’t understand the risk involved. Part of becoming a pilot is learning the regulation that help you decide what you can and cannot do. Between experience, aviation regulations and the manufacturers limitations, one must learn how to accomplish flights as safely as possible. 
6. Favorite question. An autorotation occurs when an aircraft makes an emergency landing (typically without the engine). The blades typically rotate counter clockwise in American made helicopters and cannot stop to revert the opposite direction. Once spinning they have a certain momentum from the air flowing through the rotors allowing them to be driven. 

Anyways, I hope this clarifies some answers for folks! I don’t believe in silly questions and look forward to continuing my blog throughout my career! The Helicopter world is changing by the day with updated regulations and publications. Check out the Global Air Publication Guide to see new pubs pertaining to flight in 2020!!

As always…safe skies everybody

It’s February 23, 2020 and my cell phone just began an automatic conglomeration of photos from my adventures this time the past few years. It’s incredible to see the journey my life has taken- from the California redwoods and working towards a career as a peace officer, to the sandstone deserts of Southern Utah flying helicopters as a full-time student pilot.

I’m finally nearing the end of my University days in hopes of completing my Bachelors in Aerospace Studies by Fall 2020! On top of that, I’ll aquire the last two ratings required by SUU’s flight training curriculum by the end of April 2020. My CFI checkride is this week, and thanks to the help of the Calvin L. Carrithers scholarship hosted by Global Air,I’ll be pursing my CFI(Instrument) add on rating immediately following! From the countless hours of studying, to the dedicated flight instructor’s who have guided me through the processes of becoming a safe CFI, I’m preparing anxiously to begin a new chapter as a professional in the aviation community. In our fundamentals of instruction, we discuss the “characteristics of a good flight instructor”. I’ll describe a few of them below:

Safe – maintaining current safety practices

Improving one’s skills and knowledge base

Professional – developing an honest work ethic removed from all biases

Sincerity – treating others and yourself with respect and honesty

Accepting of others – one must accept your student’s strengths AND weaknesses

Language – speaking the language of your student and using professional verbiage

Appearance – presenting yourself physically and digitally in a clean and appropriate manner

Demeanor –  maintaining a reliable and trustworthy, consistant outward presence

Looking back on my path to Cedar City, I’d like to thank all my past mentors who’ve coached me to fight for equality, and believed in my abilities to succeed at such a challenging pursuit. Looking into my current life, I’d also like to thank the mentors who’ve inspired and guided me by sharing their strength and compassion. We are never done learning and expanding our abilities in this world. May we all continue to build the paths we dare to dream, and challenge ourselves by expanding what we think we know.

Whew! Flying from the opposite side of the aircraft that you’ve flown for 180 hours has been an enlightening experience! I never realized how many movements come second nature to us in controlling aircraft heading, power and cross wind components.

Many people have images of helicopters falling out of the sky like a rock when their engine fails or an emergency landing occurs. I think this image is conjured from the fact that helicopters are inherently unstable. What I mean by “unstable” is that they require constant small inputs from their flight controls to maintain the flight path you desire. Whether hovering, take off or strait and level flight, we are constantly compensating for one input via another input…thus these movements become second nature as we learn to stabilize and control the aircraft. In my CFI lab, i’ve had to identify every movement I make and practice talking out loud. It sounds a little like this:

“Now we’ll get light on the skids as we raise collective, arresting any lateral movement with the pedals and cyclic before we come up. As we raise collective we add a bit of left pedal, looking outside at our reference point on the horizon. Now we’ve lifted into a hover, we’ll push forward on the cyclic ever so gentle, maintaining heading with slight pressure on the pedals if needed, arresting our forward airspeed with aft cyclic – not too aft that you strike your tail!”

I just described talking out loud through less than 1 minute of flight! Although it’s exhausting to talk through every little action you’re making, it’s important for the instructor in the right seat to see you correlating movements appropriately. In CFI, we are responsible for teaching in the cockpit, teaching on the ground, building good decision making skills within our students and learning the fundamentals to instruction. These tasks become easier as we gain 2 things:

1. Clarity in Communicating Effectively

2. Building Confidence.

If you are interested in flying at all, look to your nearest flight school or FBO and treat yourself to a discovery flight! Check out Global Air FBO’s to see what’s near you!

On busy days at the airport, I sit at in the maintenance records department gazing at the flight line, watching the hustle and bustle of a growing program. Since I’ve been a student here in Fall 2018, Southern Utah University has acquired 1 new Citabria, 1 more Beechcraft twin engine, 3 new R44 Cadets, 2 RII (Ravens), and 1 more Bell 206…soon to include the Bell 505!! We’ve almost doubled the amount of instructors required to keep up with growing class sizes, and gained several full time AMT’s to our staff. Sure we experience growing pains but what program doesn’t?

In the CFI cert lab (certified flight instructor)mI can’t help but imagine the contributions I’d love to make to the team- contributions that could increase safety and develop aeronautical decision making skills in baby pilots. I’ve been thinking about the most important lessons I’d like to impart on my students one day, and decided that preflight action and maintaining adaptability will be 2 key concepts.

In watching the flight line, I see students utilizing their checklists with little guidance from experienced eyes. How do they know when a part is out of limits? How much lateral play should pitch horns really have? Do they know to check for weep holes in the tail rotors  and if a specific color of fluid lightly dripping from the hydraulic fluid weep hole in acceptable? I understand that pilots aren’t mechanics and don’t need to know these in depth questions too much, however, I argue that a good pilot is equipped to learn new details every day that contribute to the safety of flight. I hope to give my students the ability to walk out to an aircraft and take notice of abnormalities before they even embark on a flight. Anything caught on the ground is crucial to potentially saving your life.

I’d like to instill a curiosity within my students to learn from the resources given to them and become comfortable asking if a component is normal or not? My private pilot instructor used to tell me “the aircraft wants to bring you down in one form or another- the question is will you catch it on the ground or in the air?” Ever since then, every pre-flight I end up finding new components to orient myself with and new “parameters” I try to learn. Heck, I’ve even learned to do a “preflight” on my vehicle before driving! **especially when my coworkers attempt to mess with my vehicle to see if I notice 🙂

I hope everyone in their profession realizes that fear of not knowing something should be faced head on with the desire to learn everything about it. Even if it’s beyond your skill level or comprehension, at least you are attempting to become familiar with some aspect/portion of a complicated endeavor which only adds to your skillsets at the end of the day.    Check out some of my favorite helicopters, the Bell 407’s for sale! Global Air – Aircraft Sales

The world has been in mourning for the souls lost on board helicopter N72EX. Not only did we lose an inspirational athlete, but we lost several young bright futures in yet another fatal helicopter crash. Immediately several friends and family members reached out to me asking for details and wondering if i’d made the correct career choice with my life? Well, today’s blog is to shed some light on the reality of transportation in general, and to highlight the responsibilities we as pilots face.

We hear of helicopter crashes pretty quickly in the community. Usually somebody knows the pilot in one form or another and there’s suspicions formed for how the accident occurred. To us, it’s a daily reminder that no matter how many hours one builds, we must remain vigilant with safety practices and push ourselves to develop new training skills. For me, this accident was another tragic case of reading about the dreaded accidental imc conditions- a threat known to take the lives of many seasoned air crews. While it is unknown the true cause of the accident, many have speculated that the pilot became spatially disoriented before crashing into the hillside. Flying helicopters carries inherent dangers, yes. But are the dangers mostly from pilot error or the aircraft failing?

As we all know there are risks in all forms of transportation; from the thousands of fatal vehicular crashes per year to the weather related risks faced during flight. I feel as aviators we have a responsibility to our industry to recognize why these accidents are occurring and learn from them as much as possible- after all, we won’t live long enough to make every mistake in the book.

In my training program, we don’t prepare for total IMC. We simulate conditions of restricted visibility but aren’t faced with flying into cloud layers since the aircrafts we fly aren’t equipped for instrument flight rules. We simulate unusual attitudes navigation with both space based and ground based navigation but always in the safety of vfr conditions. I can tell you from experience that with such a heavy reliance on visual acuity to navigate airspace, disorientation can occur within one second before you have time to even react. Spatial disorientation occurs when sensory messages in the body are conflicting within the brain.

Attending the heli expo this past week reminded me of the community of aviators i’m proud to belong to. Risk mitigation is paramount both to flight crews and ground crews and at the end of the day, everyone is willing to help each other in sharing valuable information and mentoring others. I can only hope to spread valuable insight and information to others about our industry as I continue to grow in my career.

We live deeply by being here now – Anonymous

It’s been difficult to find the motivation to write about my training lately. This is probably because I don’t have much to report since I haven’t been able to fly. With limited aircraft availability and learning to simplify lesson plans, Ive learned patience is my key to success this semester.

None the less it’s a brand new year and a brand new semester- time to get my butt in gear!

For airplanes, one commands from the left side of the cockpit whereas helicopters command from the right side. That means our instructors must be proficient in flying from the left seat so they can take controls whenever needed. Why is there a difference in seat position for the PIC? There isn’t a universal right or left seat configuration as it mostly depends on the helicopter. That being said, because avionics, clutch engagement and rotor brakes are typically found in the center console, it’s easiest for pilots to use their right hand for the cyclic and have their left hand free to control everything else. Sitting in the left seat gives us the added stress of reaching across our bodies to tune/engage our engines. Therefore, simplicities sake has many helicopter designs with pilots sitting right seat.

This morning I had my first flight from the left seat! I felt like I was a beginner pilot all over again! My senses were off and my landings were terrible! It didn’t take long to get the control down but my sight picture was altered more than i’m used to. It was great fun to practice emergency procedures however the typical maneuver I excel at (hydraulics off/run on landings) were atrocious! By the end of the flight, I was slightly more controlled on the pedals and acquired a more “centered” sight picture. Thanks to my prior instructors, I’d already developed the habit to talk through my actions with what how and why I was performing a maneuver ect. Time to dial it in and get picky with my flying skills!

You can see a list of Aviation Events by Global Air and find meetings in your area pertaining to aviation!

Recently, I’ve woken up with the realization that my to do list is taking priority in life! I have until the end of February to complete the following…

To Do List **in order or priority

• Create lesson plans!! – by create, I mean edit and merge several of my homemade documents into a semblance of lesson plans to create a master document
• Study FOI’s- Fundamentals of instruction are critical to learn if you are becoming an instructor. One has to learn about the learning process, memory concepts, emotional reactions of the student and much more!
• Study for 2 FAA written exams – this is definitely the easiest part of my day. Whether first thing in the am, between errands or last things at night, I can pull out my cell phone, hop on the prepware app and study formulated questions to my hearts content
• Practice teaching a lesson to real students
• Study for my 4 other classes
• Revise resume/apply for jobs
• Meal Prep
• Drink water
• Exercise….

Yup. The list clearly shows the areas in my life that are getting placed on hold until I can stop spending nearly all day in the school library!

But this is what I love about school! I am going to miss the drive myself and other have for excelling in our studies. I’ll miss filling my coffee with grit in the morning to deal with the amount of  students have for the daily grind. I’m going to miss having classmates to share experiences and ideas with. I’ll miss the professors who are always available to answer questions and give training advice.

I’m thoroughly  looking forward to working for the CFI rating so I may help others achieve their dreams. Many pilots it seems struggle with CFI because they don’t want to be a teacher as their career. It’s really difficult to immerse oneself into their work and take pride for it, if they aren’t invested in the work to begin with. None the less, I hope I can give my students the training they deserve and make them even better pilots than I was at their stages of training.

Looking at global air’s Aircraft financial services  it’s easy to daydream about careers and aircraft purchases one could make one day…

Happy New Years everyone!

2019 held strife, triumph, academic achievement and loss- but most important for me, it held opportunity to earn my wings! Becoming a helicopter pilot as a civilian requires mental discipline and inner courage to face the debt one’s investing in. I truly commend my fellow private pay student pilots who’ve embarked on this journey! You aren’t alone, and hopefully it will get easier some day to follow your dreams. My advice to you is begin your scholarship search well in advance of the rating you work towards- and track every penny you spend!

2020-  A year of opportunity perhaps? It’s a pleasure to see the class ahead of me becoming instructors at my school, while we welcome in higher numbers of helicopter and fixed wing students. We even have an A & P program running this spring – (Airframe and powerplant mechanic’s license). As I prepare for my CFI/CFII labs, reality begins to hit me. I have to find a job flying helicopters in just 3 months!!! I have to prepare for the unexpected by applying for jobs all over the country as a CFI. My back up option is attempting drying cherries in Washington if I can get in on the season in time- yes, you read correctly- drying cherry orchards with helicopters in Washington state! There are quite a few uses of a helicopter as a tool including bird chasing and agriculture uses (Drying citrus orchards in Florida or Cherry drying in Washington.) At low altitudes and low speeds, one hovers the aircraft over the trees, shaking loose any water collecting on the fruit that may spoil it.

Another beginner career option I’ll have includes flying low hour time tours. I’d love to snag a job in the Vermont white mountains or in the Appalachians- or maybe somewhere close to home like one of the national parks? That brings me to my topic of discussion today- Wilderness Areas. 

Have you ever been hiking by yourself, soaking in the solitude and peace only to have it interrupted by an airplane or helicopter flying overhead? Well it’s even less pleasant for particular critters out there who aren’t used to human interference.

A wilderness area is a specific land with suggested restricted flight rules. They typically cover the airspace over true wilderness areas and parks and are attempts to mitigate technology with ecological preservation and noise reduction. One can land in a wilderness area only when:

1. There’s a public airport
2. Prior permission with the wilderness area agency
3. A declared emergency

Pilots are requested to fly 2000 agl above the highest lateral point being overflown. That’s an important detail when flying over canyons and mountainous terrain.

While I was visiting home, I noticed a different type of wilderness area designated on my sectional. Instead of being blue with dots, it was purple! I found it was a marine sanctuary- protected under the code of federal regulations chp. 15 part 922.

As an avid wilderness wanderer, I try to abide by these rules and more. Around neighborhoods, I fly higher to reduce noise interference. We increase speeds to expedite landings through urban areas. And as my father always reminds me, it’s important to note migratory patterns of birds in your area.

I invite you to check out Global Air Airport Identifier page to look up your local airport’s ID. Then, go to SkyVector , type in the airport you just looked up and see if your near any wilderness areas!! Ta ta for now and until next time- safe skies!

I had a recent experience that brought me back to Earth….The following events all took place the same day

I was traveling to visit close family that I barely see twice a year lately. Thrilled to go home, the day of travel didn’t stand out to me. Looking back however, I realized something:

• I was late to the airport because I lost my parking ticket to exit a garage (within 10 min of having it)…and ended up paying three times the amount I expected to that morning
• I lost my headphones…paid $30 to buy a new pair even though I put them in an accessible spot!
• I wasn’t able to get my TSA Pre-Check and ran late through the security line
• Because I was running late I couldn’t grab breakfast…
• I tried to board the incorrect connecting flight because it was to the SAME destination at nearly the same time….
• My transportation of gifts to my family didn’t pan out…thus we weren’t able to celebrate christmas early…

and yet none of this phased me! I was so stoked to go home that throughout the entire experience, I kept a huge smile on my face and couldn’t help but feel anxious to see my family and the ocean once again. Any other day it might have been off-putting and perhaps even disgruntling. But I realized that because I was so excited about going home, all these events failed to compare with the deeper desires I felt inside. I felt blessed that I made it to the airport on time! I was excited that I found a loophole through the ticketing system and was able to buy myself out of a pickle- Sure I didn’t need the extra headphones but I kept the receipt because I knew I’d put them somewhere safe, and I wasn’t concerned about the presents because they just didn’t matter.

They say life is 25% what happens to you, and 75% how you deal with it….I truly am beginning to understand that now. When we are confident in ourselves, we are less riled by hurts of others trying to offend us, as my ex recently displayed over the holiday. When we are sad, depressing moments tend to span a lifetime and we wonder when it will end, yet when we are happy, time seemingly fly’s by. How could this be? Is our perception of life really so predetermined based on our moods or our outlooks? Could we train our minds to be grateful in every moment just to be alive?

That’s why I’ve stayed in aviation for the past year. I never thought I’d find a hobby or passion that made me feel as alive and happy inside as when I’m alone in nature- until aviation.  Flying helicopters and studying a brand new world brings me back to the now. Neither here nor there, neither future nor past- I’m just living and flying and free to make human decisions regardless of my race, sex or religion.

I think we forget that critical thinking is equal opportunity in and of itself. I hope that you, whomever and wherever you are, understands how precious it is to be alive in the infinite moment- where time ceases to exist and you simply are your best self.

Check out Global Air’s Blog to see their perspective on current events in the aviation world!