We Fly the Mi-24
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VERTICAL 911 THE PULSE OF THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY WINTER | HELI-EXPO ISSUE 2018 | BOOTH #C3151 W INTER | H ELI -EX PO ISSUE 2018 V OL 11 NO 11 1 M I -24 | C RASH S AFETY | ADAC HEMS A We Fly CADEMY 2018 the Mi-24 INTO THE FIRESTORM CRASH SAFETY ADAC HEMS ACADEMY WINTER ISSUE WINTER Fighting the Thomas Fire Have We Made Progress? Training for the Mission 1 V911Winter2018_COV.indd 1 2018-01-26 9:15 AM RELY ON. F LY WE MAKE IT It’s no surprise the H145 is the helicopter of choice for rescue missions. Whether at sea, on a mountain or in a blizzard, it can bring help to where it’s needed. Compact and versatile, it provides outstanding ight performance under the most extreme conditions. Resilience. We make it y. magazine VERTICAL 911 VERTICAL 2 V911Winter2018_COV.indd 3 2018-01-26 9:15 AM J5690 Airwork_BK117 Sales Campaign_Vertical Mag Fullpg advert_2.indd 1 10/01/18 11:29AM 3 WINTER ISSUE 2018 Heli-Mart_Vertical.Vertical_911_full page (Heli-Expo) (text outlined) copy copy.pdf 1 1/19/18 8:38 AM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K magazine VERTICAL 911 VERTICAL 4 SEE THE CRFT AT HAI HELI- EXPO BOOTH # C6051 P R OVE N USABLE FUEL PER TANK CRFT FOR ALL CRASH-RESISTANT AS350 & EC130 PLATFORMS 144 FUEL TANK gallons For more than 40 years, defense forces have trusted Robertson for helicopter fuel systems with uncompromising safety performance. Today we 480.337.7050 | RobertsonFuelSystems.com 2018 are applying these same principles to the commercial helicopter market with the new, STC approved Crash-Resistant Fuel Tank in partnership with StandardAero (formerly Vector Aerospace). WINTER ISSUE WINTER FLY SAFER NOW. 604.514.0388 | StandardAero.com 5 We have also generated an impressive following. Our customers will attest that in the right hands, a worn starter generator can perform to the same high standards it did as the day it was installed. Get the most out of your investment. Call today and speak with a knowledgeable sales professional or visit us online at www.heliparts.com. Visit us at HELI-EXPO, Booth #C2851 magazine VERTICAL 911 VERTICAL 6 verticalmag.com // winter issue 2018 // volume 11 · issue 1 ON THE COVER Two privately owned Mil Mi-24 helicopters fly in formation near Lancaster, Texas. These Soviet-era gunships are now being used for adversary orientation training for the U.S. military. SKIP ROBINSON PHOTO Contents 32 32 ATTACKING THE FIRESTORM Ventura County helicopter crews recall their initial attack of the devastating Thomas Fire. BY DAN MEGNA 42 A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES The civil helicopter industry is moving slowly toward better crash resistance. BY ELAN HEAD 52 48 NO GREATER LOVE Honoring the legacy of Patrick Mahany by fighting GETTING IN FRONT for safer helicopters. OF THE HIND BY KAREN MAHANY The Mil Mi-24 Hind is a rare sight in North America. We had a chance 62 GERMANY’S YELLOW ANGELS to take one for a spin — and learn more about the model’s history with How Germany’s automobile club became a the U.S. military. pioneer in HEMS operations and training. BY ELAN HEAD BY JON DUKE 62 Columns In Every Issue 2018 10 Focus On Professionalism 16 RotorBeat 12 HAA Corner 72 Marketplace 14 Focus On Safety Final Approach 76 FEBRUARY/MARCH 7 verticalmag.com // winter issue 2018 // volume 11 · issue 1 The Team Publishers Facebook Photo Contest GROUP PUBLISHER Mike Reyno, [email protected] GROUP PUBLISHER Linda Reyno, [email protected] Congratulations, Taylor Loughran ASSOciaTE PUBLISHER Derek Kast, [email protected] December Winner Editors EDITOR-IN-CHieF Oliver Johnson, [email protected] VERTicaL 911 EDITOR Elan Head, [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR Ben Forrest, [email protected] JR. EDITOR Dayna Fedy, [email protected] COPY EDITOR Amitav Dash, [email protected] Sales SaLES & MARKETING DiRecTOR Tim Muise, [email protected] MARKETPLace SaLES MANageR Carla McKay, [email protected] CIRCULATION MANageR Leanne Willis, [email protected] Design & Web PRODUCTION MANageR Jen Colven, [email protected] GRAPHic DeSigNER Kaytlyn Wismayer, [email protected] WEB DeveLOPER Shawn Pieters, [email protected] Contributing Writers MJ Brickey, Jon Duke, Dan Foulds, Tony Kern, Karen Mahany, Dan Megna, Mario Pierobon, Skip Robinson, Hilary Romig, Bill Winn Have a great photo to share? We want to see it! Contributing Photographers Sheldon Cohen, Kari Greer, Lloyd Horgan, Kelly Koopmans, If you have a helicopter-themed photo you’d like to share, post it to Jeff Muth, Skip Robinson, Mike Salas, Matt Udkow our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/verticalmag, or share it on Instagram using the hashtag #verticalmag. In addition to receiving prizes, our weekly winners have their photos featured on our home page and in Vertical Daily News, our daily email newsletter. Our Publications InstaHeli Highlight insightmagonline.com verticalmag.com skiesmag.com In Canada: 500 Trillium Dr., Unit 23, Kitchener, ON N2R 1E5 In the United States: 701 S. Main Street, Fall River, WI 53932 Are you on Instagram? We recommend you check out PUBLISHED AND PRODUceD BY: MHM Publishing Inc. one of our favorite accounts, SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES caLL TOLL-FRee: 866.834.1114 @kedarsclix, specializing in Vertical Magazine (ISSN 1703-8812) is published six times per year (Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr/May, military aviation photography. Jun/Jul, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov) by MHM Publishing Inc., paid at Fall River, WI. Postmaster please send address changes to: Vertical Magazine, PO Box 8, Fall River, WI, 53932. All material published remains the copyright of MHM Publishing. No part of this publication in whole or in part may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Editorial published in Vertical Magazine does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Information contained within Vertical Magazine is believed to be accurate, but the publisher assumes no Subscribe to Vertical News Follow us on LinkedIn responsibility for errors. Vertical will consider unsolicited, quality stories and pictures, but the verticalmag.com/subscribe linkedin.com/company/vertical-magazine publisher cannot assume any responsibility for the safe return of submitted material. © Copyright 2018 MHM Publishing Inc. Read the Magazine Online Follow us on Instagram International Serial Number ISSN 1703-8812 verticalmag.com/issues Follow @verticalmag Canadian Publication Mail Agreement Number: 40741549 magazine Postmaster: If undeliverable, return mailing label only. Follow us on Twitter Watch videos on Vimeo Follow @verticalmag vimeo.com/mhmmedia Printed in U.S.A. Like us on Facebook Shop Vertical Merch Vertical is proud to be a member of eth R. Wilso enn n K Aw 5 a 1 r 0 d shopcanada.mhmpub.com s 2 facebook.com/verticalmag Finalist B a e i s d t e i n M C s s a e shopinternational.mhmpub.com n n a i s d u i a B n VERTICAL 911 VERTICAL 8 YOUR MISSION SAVES LIVES CLEAR IMAGING IS CRUCIAL UltraForce 350-HD Star SAFIRE 380-HD FLIR continues to redefine what’s possible with a complete, mission proven line of high definition EO/IR sensor options. Unmatched, multi-spectral HD imaging solutions, with ITAR free options, and world-class service and support. Star SAFIRE 380-HDc 2018 WINTER ISSUE WINTER 9 Vertical 911.indd 1 1/17/2018 9:52:43 PM Column Focus on Professionalism // Tony Kern Every once in a while, I get an email from a reader that evokes a visceral reaction from me. A few weeks back, this one came through. “Just finished reading Going Pro and although I’m trying hard to be a fully compliant and improving professional, the culture I’m in won’t allow it. Do you have any ideas?” My first thought was to ask this person if he had really finished reading the book, as I address the challenges of operating in a poor culture towards the end — but apparently not in sufficient depth. I suspect there are many who find themselves in a similar situations, trying to do their best in a world that doesn’t appreciate it, or worse, won’t allow it. Culture is one of those soft words people in our industry throw around haphazardly, without a full understanding of its meaning and a lack of respect for its power. It has been described vaguely as “the way things are done around here.” Not good enough by half. Culture is an influential force that often trumps policies, procedures, and the best plans of organizational leaders. It saps the enthusiasm out of those who — like the gentleman who emailed me — try to improve themselves and their organization only to be frustrated by cul- tural norms of sloppiness and noncompliance. Think of your culture as a fast-flowing river that sweeps everything downstream in its pow- erful hydraulics. If it is a positive force, things are easy. If it’s not, positive change is nearly impossible, good employees disengage, and safety margins are eroded. But even the largest rivers are formed by small tributaries. This truth is where individuals who feel like they are Swimming swimming against the current of a poor culture can anchor their efforts. THREE OPTIONS Upstream When we find ourselves in a situation where we feel this way, we need to make a conscious choice of how we are going to respond. There are basically three options. Go along to get along. This is the lazy path of the professional coward. A person who chooses to lower their personal standards to those of others who set lower cultural norms becomes a part of the problem. The danger here is twofold. First, substandard performance is extremely dangerous in first responder world, both to ourselves and those we serve.