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Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!

Buckle up for an unforgettable in-person episode of The Helicopter Podcast, recorded live at Verticon, with your host Halsey Schider and co-host Jon Gray, the voice behind the Hangar Z Podcast!

Today's guest, Air Zermatt CEO Daniel Aufdenblatten, takes them on a wild ride through his remarkable life in aviation, starting from his childhood in the shadow of Zermatt’s towering Swiss Alps, where helicopters were the lifeline of the mountains. Daniel recounts his bold move to the U.S., diving headfirst into flight training at Hillsboro Aviation (now Hillsboro Heli Academy) and racking up a jaw-dropping 1,800 hours in just two years with three companies.

Daniel shares a laugh-out-loud story about his Air Zermatt job interview that landed him a role with one of the world’s premier helicopter operations. He describes the steep learning curve of long-line work in an Airbus AStar (AS350 B2), including a heart-pounding tale of slinging concrete to a remote site, pushing the helicopter to the edge of its envelope. Daniel shares about the intensity of flying with night vision goggles (NVGs) in Switzerland’s pitch-black rural nights, and offers insights on building self-confidence and embracing patience while mastering new challenges.

Don't miss this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, packed with humor, heart, and the kind of rotor talk that will leave you inspired!

Thank you to our sponsors Precision Aviation Group, Vertical Aviation International and Hillsboro Heli Academy.

Listen closely for your chance to win awesome prizes from Heli Life! Throughout 2025, every episode of The Helicopter Podcast will reveal a secret word. Once you catch it, head to contests.verticalhelicasts.com to enter!

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Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!

In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider talks with Simon Jones, founder of Advanced Flight and a top-tier helicopter instructor at the Robinson Helicopter factory. With over 17,000 hours of flight time, including over 12,000 hours teaching in the Robinson R44, Simon's name is known far and wide through the industry.

They explore a range of topics—from advanced maneuvers like autorotations and recovery techniques to the evolution of flight training and safety innovations. Simon shares insights on simplifying complex skills, as well as the reliability of Robinson helicopters and the impact of their new horizontal stabilizer. The discussion covers instructor challenges, the need for continuous learning, and tailoring training to individual pilots.

For an in-depth look at mastering helicopter flight and flight instruction, join Halsey and Simon for this insightful episode of The Helicopter Podcast!

Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Hillsboro Heli Academy and Airbus.

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Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!

In this buzzing in-person episode, host Halsey Schider takes The Helicopter Podcast to Verticon 2025 for a panel that’s all about the skies teaming up. Recorded live amid the show’s hum, Halsey is joined by Peter Fuchs of Ascent Aero Systems, regulatory specialist Amber Harrison from Vertical Aviation International, and Heliflite’s Rob Bentley-Johnston from Australia. They dive into how drones and helicopters aren’t rivals but partners, boosting missions from rescue to logistics.

Peter shares Ascent’s journey from startup to Robinson Helicopters’ recent acquisition, as well as details on Ascent's new Helius drone, a coaxial UAV offering rugged performance in surveillance, search and rescue, logistics, and more. The group explore how Helius can be deployed in real-world missions, particularly in scenarios where drones can enhance efficiency and safety by working alongside helicopters.

Amber tackles the regulatory tangle holding back beyond-line-of-sight drone ops, while Rob pitches a vision of full-on aerial teamwork. Tune into this episode of The Helicopter Podcast for a peek at the thrilling future of helicopters and UAVs in sync!

Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Vertical Aviation International and Enstrom Helicopter Corporation.

Listen closely for your chance to win awesome prizes from Heli Life! Throughout 2025, every episode of The Helicopter Podcast will reveal a secret word. Once you catch it, head to contests.verticalhelicasts.com to enter!