Episodes

Max talks with New Zealand helicopter pilot Billy Watson about flying in some of the most dramatic terrain in the world, from Queenstown and Milford Sound to Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific.Billy flies for Over The Top, a Queenstown-based helicopter company that specializes in bespoke scenic helicopter experiences. In this conversation, recorded aboard the Milford Explorer cruise boat in Milford Sound, Billy explains why weather plays such a major role in New Zealand helicopter operations, especially around the fjords, mountains, cloud, wind, and rain of Fiordland.Billy also shares how he first became interested in helicopters while working as a government-paid hunter controlling feral goats, then moved into venison recovery, Hughes 500 operations, tuna spotting, Papua New Guinea seismic flying, and BK117 work. Along the way, he learned hard lessons about low-level helicopter flying, passenger briefings, risk, and decision-making.Max also discusses several recent …

Max flies the Loft Dynamics H125 VR simulator and he talks about why he believes highly realistic virtual reality may become an important part of helicopter training.A Helicopter Simulator That Feels Surprisingly RealThis episode begins with a simple question: what does it actually feel like to fly a helicopter in a virtual reality simulator? Max had experienced VR before, but not in a way that convinced him it was ready for serious aviation use. That changed when he visited Loft Dynamics and ...

Max talks with Fabi Riesen, CEO of Loft Dynamics, about virtual reality helicopter simulator training and how VR may improve safety, standardization, and training efficiency for rotorcraft pilots. The premise is simple: helicopter flying happens close to the ground, often in demanding environments, and a meaningful share of risk shows up during training and checking—when pilots are practicing new maneuvers, refining emergency procedures, or being evaluated. The safety opportunity is to shift mor...

See Helicopter News headlines and link to listener survey below.In this episode, Max talks with helicopter instructor Jay Bunning to explore the maneuvers that most frequently injure or kill helicopter instructors—auto-rotations, simulated engine failures, and off-airport operations. Based on real accident cases, the newest Airman Certification Standards, and decades of training experience, this episode provides a deep masterclass in keeping both CFIs and students alive during the most unforgi...

In this episode of the Rotary Wing Show, Max Trescott replays a powerful conversation from Aviation News Talk Episode 37, featuring California Highway Patrol pilot Jan Sears. Jan recounts the dramatic night of October 8, 2017, when he and fellow CHP aircrews helped rescue dozens of people trapped by the Atlas Peak Fire, one of the catastrophic Northern California wildfires that claimed 41 lives and destroyed more than 5,700 structures.Sears, based at Napa County Airport, was on a routine patro...

Max talks with Jay Bunning about the crash of a Robinson R66, VH-KFT, in Australia that claimed the life of its pilot on October 26, 2023. In addition to the final report, ATSB created a video about the crash. The accident offers vital lessons for all pilots flying teetering-rotor systems such as the R22, R44, R66, Bell 206, 505, and others.Mentioned on the ShowPlease take our listener survey to help guide the showHelicopterTrainingVideos.comJay explains that the R66 in this case was nearl...

Max talks with Jay Bunning, CFI and creator of helicoptertrainingvideos.com, for Part 2 of their series on Helicopter Training Safety: Preventing Student Errors. Following up from Part 1, Jay brings real-world accident examples and practical strategies for instructors to manage common mistakes during training flights.We need your help to improve the show! To do that, we need you to take our Rotary Wing Show Listener Survey. We have a new host and the show may change in some ways, and to guide ...

Max welcomes Jay Bunning, flight instructor, FAA Safety Team representative, and founder of HelicopterTrainingVideos.com, for Part 1 of a two-part discussion on helicopter training safety and preventing dangerous student errors.Mentioned on the ShowPlease Take our Listener Survey to help guide the future of the showEnter a giveaway to win a copy of Keep Your RPM in the GreenBuilding a Safer Training ProgramJay describes how accident reports, maintenance events, and safety management syst...

Robinson Helicopter Human Factors & Safety Lessons for All Pilots takes a deep dive into the psychology, stress responses, and decision-making processes that shape helicopter safety. Host Max Trescott interviews Richard Mornington-Sanford, a world-renowned instructor, consultant for Robinson Helicopter Company, and author of Keep Your RPM in the Green. Listeners can also enter a giveaway to win a copy of Richard's book, by listening to the show for the link to enter to win.Richard brings decad...

Max Trescott talks with Ken Solosky, the NYPD's Chief Pilot on 9/11, about his experiences managing helicopter operations on one of the most catastrophic days in American history. Though Ken wasn’t flying at the moment of the attacks, he was on the ground coordinating the NYPD’s aviation response. He recounts how what began as a seemingly routine aircraft accident quickly escalated into a full-blown national emergency. The aviation unit scrambled a standard rescue package—Bell 412s with divers a...

This episode originally ran on the Aviation News Talk podcast. In it, Max Trescott interviews Dr. John Trowbridge, a physician and former senior Aviation Medical Examiner, to tackle a hidden yet critical safety topic: how over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications contribute to general aviation accidents. Studies have found that up to 40% of fatal accidents involve pilots with impairing substances in their system—ranging from allergy medications to sleep aids to alcohol. The problem? Ma...

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 Aviation News Talk history, simulates the real-world experience of sitting for an FAA practical test, complete with detailed discussions of eligibility, regulations, systems knowledge, and scenario-based questions.Matt begins by describing his pre-checkride procedures, incl...

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 legacy of the podcast while looking forward to its new direction—with Max blending classic storytelling and timely helicopter news.Mick kicks things off by sharing how he created the show in Australia to connect helicopter pilots working in isolated environments. With a passion ...

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 those involved distinguished flying crosses. In September 2020, the California National Guard rescued nearly …Continue reading "RWS 113 – 2020 Creek Fire California Rescues w/ US National Guard"The post RWS 113 – 2020 Creek Fire California Rescues w/ US National Guard appea...

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”...

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.

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...

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 manner but luckily there is no loss of life. In this episode we give a lot more …Continue reading "RWS 109 – Going Beyond the Social Media Clip – Pasadena PD Accident (2012) with Dan Parsons"The post RWS 109 – Going Beyond the Social Media Clip – Pasadena PD Accident (2...

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!!

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...

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.

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...

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.

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 the show pilot and engineer Richard Mornington-Sanford. Richard Mornington-Sanford was an engineer in …Continue reading "RWS 103 – Robinson Governor Operation with Richard Mornington-Sanford"The post RWS 103 – Robinson Governor Operation with Richard Mornington-Sanford ...