Episodes
July 3, 2025
Helicopter Private Pilot Mock Oral: Max Trescott’s Checkride with Matt Johnson
Max Trescott is joined by DPE Matt Johnson for a comprehensive and engaging mock oral checkride focused on the private helicopter pilot certification. This episode, one of the most popular styles in the Rotary Wing Show and A...
June 15, 2025
114 Top 10 Helicopter Stories + Helicopter News
In this special episode of The Rotary Wing Show , titled Top 10 Helicopter Stories + Helicopter News , aviation podcaster Max Trescott officially takes the reins from longtime host Mick Cullen. The episode celebrates the lega...
July 16, 2024
California Wildfire Helicopter Rescue: 400 Evacuated by National Guard
The flying you will get to hear about in this episode is a reminder about the difference your helicopter skillset can make to people that are in harms way, and that there is nothing quite like these machines. It also earnt th...
Nov. 25, 2022
RWS 112 – What Do Army Loadmasters Do and an Amazing Story of Flood Rescue in the Town of Eugowra Nov 2022 with Kylle Fenton
Kylle Fenton is an Air Crew Officer (ACO) involved in air rescue and ambulance operations supporting NSW, Australia communities. He is more accustomed to being the one to bring the resources, rescue and safety to others in “the worst day of their life”...
Nov. 21, 2022
RWS 111 – Rescue Helicopter Crew Duties to 4300km R22 Ferry Through Remote Australia w/ James Koens
James Koens is a Check and Training Aircrew Officer on very expensive rescue/aeromedical helicopters. He also finds time to be a helicopter charter pilot, Army Reserve aircrewman, volunteer rural firefighter and a podcast host.
May 10, 2022
RWS 110 – Better Weather Situational Awareness with Matt Johnson
Have you applied the idea of situational awareness to weather before? Knowing what the weather was doing, what the weather is now and what it will be in the future. With access to the right weather products and knowing more about how they are developed...
April 29, 2022
Helicopter Accident Analysis: Pasadena PD Crash & SMS Failures with Dan Parsons
You have probably seen the video clip on social media multiple times – a OH-58 comes into land and as it touches down the blades contact another helicopter ground running beside it. Both aircraft are destroyed in spectacular ...
Nov. 14, 2021
RWS 108 – Sharing an Apache Cockpit with a Burning Flare with Clive Richardson
As aircrew we spend a huge amount of time training for different circumstances and emergencies. Dealing with a burning flare in your cockpit fired from a wingman’s aircraft is not one of these circumstances!!
Oct. 6, 2021
RWS 107 – ATSB Request for Information with Robert Chopin
Halfway through 2021, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) put out a call for assistance for information from the aviation community. What they are looking for is feedback or more information about any ground handling incidents on Robinson typ...
Aug. 31, 2021
RWS 106 – Mustering with Sam Chisholm
Cattle are big business in Australia. Rough round numbers has us at 25 million head of cattle and the industry employs somewhere around 200,000 people. Australia is the 3rd largest beef exporter in the world.
Aug. 10, 2021
RWS 105 – Enroute Decision Point with Miles Dunagan
Chatter in the cabin starts to die down, you have reduced power and started to bleed back the airspeed. Outside your world is starting to shrink as the conditions start to deteriorate. You lean forward in your seat to try and see a little further ahead...
Aug. 3, 2021
RWS 104 – Virtual Reality Simulators 2021 Revisit with Chris Ryan
How would you like to have been holding a steady hover and taking off and landing at 3 hours of helicopter flight time? Chris Ryan couldn’t afford helicopter lessons so he built himself a simulator to practice at home.
July 1, 2021
Understanding the Robinson Governor: RPM Control and Pilot Mistakes Explained - Richard Mornington-Sanford
Before this episode if you told me that there was more than an hour conversation that you could get out of talking about the governor in Robinson type helicopters I would have been dubious. I was wrong! Today we have back on ...
June 21, 2021
RWS 102 – Helicopter Lessons in 10 Minutes or Less with Jacob
If the images and text on the page of your aerodynamic textbook are starting to blur together then it might be time to take a break and try to ingest the information using another format. Jacob from the YouTube channel Helicopter Lessons in 10 Minutes ...
June 12, 2021
RWS 101 – Air to Air Photography with Mark Watterson
Helicopters make fantastic photo subjects! There is still something special about flying that captures the human spirit and the intrinsic movement and energy in a helicopter especially so. Mark Watterson has been photographing helicopters professionall...
May 14, 2021
RWS 100 – Degraded Visibility Training with Tyson Phillips and Andre Lavallee
Two US National Guard pilots are developing a new training tool to reduce the risk of and improve the fidelity of reduced visual environment training. IIMC, dust landings and white outs have all been the causes of both training mishaps and real world a...
April 28, 2021
RWS 99 – Helicopter Flying in Iceland with Tryggvi Helgason
It is not unusual for helicopter pilots to take a winding route to before they end up with a career in the cockpit. Tryggvi worked as a baggage handler, in flight operations and as a quality auditor before taking on a flying job.
April 1, 2021
RWS 98 – Wrong Deck Landings and Approach Detection with Jon Davis
Before a helicopter approaches to an oil rig there are checks and safety procedures to be followed on the rig in preparation – the deck is cleared, cranes are moved out of the way and gas venting is stopped.
March 14, 2021
RWS 97 – A Possible Helicopter Career Plan B with Jerry Grayson
Jerry Grayson returns to the Rotary Wing Show with an update on his next adventure following a packed career in the cockpit as a SAR and film pilot. Now-a-days he keeps his feet on the ground but leverages his experience in the operation of drones – an...
March 2, 2021
RWS 96 – What I’ve Been Doing for the Last 60 Years with Richard Howell
Richard (Rick) Howell started spinning spanners on aircraft in 1960 as a QANTAS apprentice. Since then he has flown all through Australia and PNG including a 29 year run as a pilot for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Feb. 3, 2021
RWS 95 – Adventures in Helicopter Media with Elan Head
Working in the helicopter media part of the industry Elan Head gets to talk to a wide range of people and over time has had the opportunity to take the controls of a wide range of helicopters. This gives her a unique vantage point to talk about the man...
Dec. 22, 2020
RWS 94 – News Helicopter Ops Over Los Angeles with Larry Welk
Electronic news gathering or ENG is the term that those in the helicopter news corner of the industry use to capture their operations. As a platform to provide real time on-scene video at short notice over a city nothing so far beats a helicopter.
Dec. 15, 2020
Carburetor Icing in Robinson Helicopters: Safety Lessons with Richard Mornington-Sanford
Most piston engine pilots will be at least passingly familiar with the theory behind the formation of carburetor icing. However most textbooks lean towards the operation of the carburettor in a fixed wing mounted engine. Heli...
Dec. 11, 2020
RWS 92 – Human External Cargo Helicopter Ops with Jeff Yarnold
As versatile as helicopters are there are still tight places where they just can’t land to get people in or out. For overwater flights, rescue teams and some utility operations that means using a hoist or under-slung line to reach someone.