http://www.aviationtoday.com Aviation Today en-us 2013 Wed, 22 May 2013 6:44:45 EDT One of the advantages of operating rotary wing aircraft is that we are not confined to established airports or operate under FAA fixed-wing standards of “one shoe fits everyone” ideology. In years past, we have all suffered from visibility limitations, controllers not understanding our unique... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Offshore-Notebook-Out-Basing-Around-the-Gulf_79173.html Wed, 1 May 2013 0:00:00 EDT My subject for this month is audits, auditors and who they are. A long-time acquaintance and neighbor—he lives 35 miles away, but that qualifies in Texas—Richard Landrum, owns AirWing Aviation Consultants and is an IS-BAO (International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations) certified... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Offshore-Notebook-Alas!-The-Auditor-Cometh_78646.html Fri, 1 Mar 2013 0:00:00 EST Long before TFRs became so commonplace, those of us who made our living flying in the Gulf of Mexico had, and still have, a flight restriction called the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The responsibility for, and response to protecting American real estate from any form of flying mayhem aimed at... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Offshore-Notebook-Fighter-Intercepts-Along-the-ADIZ_77187.html Sat, 1 Sep 2012 0:00:00 EDT SAR. Search and rescue by helicopter. They say it all started in April 1944 when a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter rescued four airmen from the Burma jungle. That was a military application and the airborne SAR mission remained a military/government operation for many years. Let’s fast forward to the here and... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Eras-SAR-Operations_76267.html Tue, 1 May 2012 0:00:00 EDT Flying helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico can give one a sense of ownership of our low-level airspace. I mean like when we cross the beach outbound in our helicopters for distant oil rigs, why would you think of airplanes cluttering up the sky at 1,500 feet or less? We share those altitude levels around... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Offshore-Notebook-Fish-Spotters_75866.html Thu, 1 Mar 2012 0:00:00 EST Upon completing my last assessment, I’m still comfortable in declaring that the Gulf of Mexico coastline has a larger concentration of helicopters than any comparable piece of real estate, at least in the U.S. That said, I will turn my attention to a profile of at least one operator who somewhat defies... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Single-Engine-Ops-Thrive_74886.html Tue, 1 Nov 2011 0:00:00 EDT In February 2009, FlightSafety International made a move to the offshore helicopter training market in a big way. This is the opening date for the company’s 78,000-square-foot training center in Lafayette, La. Up and running are two Level D full flight motion simulators, both for Sikorsky... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Inside-FlightSafety-Lafayette_74005.html Mon, 1 Aug 2011 0:00:00 EDT A few weeks ago, I started thinking about how to tie a column about offshore helicopter support into the Offshore Technology Conference, which is being held May 2–5 in Houston. If you have never been to an OTC, it would be an understatement to say it is mind-boggling. This is where all the oil field... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Safety-Through-Cooperation_73210.html Sun, 1 May 2011 0:00:00 EDT Not all helicopter flights are over water on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. As happens in all the other 50 states, we have our share of medical, law enforcement, ENG, aerial applicators and other overland helicopter operations. But, in considering the high flight intensity of our geographical area, it would... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Gulf-Pipeline-Patrol_72326.html Tue, 1 Feb 2011 0:00:00 EST Not all helicopter flights are over water on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. As happens in all the other 50 states, we have our share of medical, law enforcement, ENG, aerial applicators and other overland helicopter operations. But, in considering the high flight intensity of our geographical area, it would... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/issue/columns/offshorenotebook/Gulf-Pipeline-Patrol_72003.html Sat, 1 Jan 2011 0:00:00 EST