Rotary Wing Show - Interviews from the Helicopter Industry

About Rotary Wing Show - Interviews from the Helicopter Industry

Stay current on the world of helicopters with The Rotary Wing Show—your go-to podcast for helicopter news, pilot stories, and aircrew insights. Each episode brings you the latest helicopter industry news, real-world experiences from pilots and crew, and practical advice for those flying—or aspiring to fly—rotorcraft professionally or recreationally. From air medical and firefighting to military, utility, and offshore operations, we cover the full spectrum of helicopter missions and career paths. You'll hear firsthand accounts from experienced aviators around the globe, plus in-depth coverage of new technologies, safety issues, and aircraft developments. Whether you're in flight school, flying EMS, running sling ops, or just passionate about helicopters, The Rotary Wing Show delivers valuable insight from those who live and breathe rotary aviation. Hosted by aviation author and helicopter pilot Max Trescott, the show is part of the Aviation News Talk Network. 📡 Visit https://rotarywingshow.com for show notes, photos, and more. ✈️ Follow us for updates, behind-the-scenes extras, and links to the latest helicopter news stories. Keywords: Helicopter podcast, helicopter news, helicopter pilot stories, rotary aviation, helicopter aircrew, rotorcraft careers, aviation podcast, helicopter safety

Publisher

Max Trescott | Aviation News Talk Network

Category

leisure · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Jul 2014

Latest episode

8 May 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 126 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   8 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Helicopter Flying in New Zealand: Billy Watson on Milford Sound + Helicopter News

   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 (https://www.flynz.co.nz/), 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 (https://www.cruisemilfordnz.com/cruises/), 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 helicopter accidents, including a Hughes 369D accident in Hawaii (https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202704/pdf) involving high-frequency vibration and loss of yaw control, plus final reports involving an AS350B2 in flat light (https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200840/pdf), an R66 hover taxi distraction (https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202724/pdf), and an R22 dynamic rollover (https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194211/pdf).

2. 

   7 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Helicopter VR Simulator: Loft Dynamics H125

   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. In this episode of The Rotary Wing Show, Max visits Loft Dynamics’ demo center and gets a close look at the H125 simulator before climbing in to fly it. Tedd explains how the system works, including VR headset tracking, body and hand tracking, eye tracking, instructor controls, replay capability, motion cues, and the ability to model weather, failures, and aircraft configuration changes. The simulator also supports scenarios that go far beyond basic familiarization, including slope work, instrument procedures, and emergency events. Once Max takes the controls, he finds that the experience feels far more real than earlier VR systems he has tried. The H125’s sensitivity, motion, workload, and visual immersion all combine to make the simulator feel convincing in a way that matters. More importantly, the episode makes the case that the real value of this kind of simulator is broader than initial training. A realistic VR sim like this could become a powerful tool for transition training, recurrent training, procedural repetition, and emergency practice, while offering a much smaller footprint and lower cost than traditional full-motion simulators. Mentioned on the Show: Flash Sale on Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset - $1199 (https://www.lightspeedaviation.com/product/delta-zulu-anr-headset/?campaign=Delta%20Zulu&ref=63) Loft Dynamics (https://www.loftdynamics.com/) Aviation News Talk Podcast (https://aviationnewstalk.com/) NTSB News Talk Podcast (http://ntsbnewstalk.com/) UAV News Talk Podcast (https://uavnewstalk.com/)

3. 

   26 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Helicopter VR Flight Simulator Training: Loft Dynamics with Fabi Riesen

   Max talks with Fabi Riesen, CEO of Loft Dynamics (https://www.loftdynamics.com/), about virtual reality helicopter simulator training and why VR may be a practical way to improve safety, proficiency, and standardization in rotorcraft operations. Fabi explains why helicopter flying is uniquely hard to simulate: much of it happens low and slow, close to the ground, where depth perception and subtle visual cues matter. Traditional dome-style simulators can look impressive but may not deliver the same stereoscopic, head-tracked 3D cues pilots rely on. In virtual reality (VR), the pilot gets true 3D vision with head tracking, which can make hovering, approaches, and precision landings feel more realistic and trainable. They discuss evidence of training transfer, including an experiment in which new helicopter students practiced private-pilot maneuvers in a VR simulator modeled on a Robinson R22 and then flew those same maneuvers in a real helicopter. Max also shares that he has flown one of Loft’s simulators and discusses what felt realistic and what surprised him. The episode explores Loft Twin, which records an instructor’s full lesson—voice coaching, control inputs, and pilot movement—so pilots can replay standardized sessions to build muscle memory and consistency. Finally, Fabi introduces Loft Home for procedural practice using Apple Vision Pro and discusses Loft’s helicopter simulator platforms and where virtual reality training may fit into the future of helicopter safety. Mentioned on the Show: Please take our Listener survey now! (https://rotarywingshow.com/survey) Sign up for our book giveaway (https://rotarywingshow.com/giveaway) of Keep Your RPM in the Green

Inside a recent episode

Helicopter Flying in New Zealand: Billy Watson on Milford Sound + Helicopter News

Published 8 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] She's been flying over 40 years and has had this company for about that time, or she might have been flying maybe a little bit longer. She still flies today. She's active in the company. We have EC -130s and squirrel helicopters. It's morphed over the years. We have five helicopters, and we're pretty busy this time of the year, mostly doing a tourist and a few other local type of operations. We're basically targeting a clientele that wants something a little bit more bespoke than say some of the competitors in the Queenstown area on the southern part of New Zealand. So kind of the motto is, if it can be done, we'll we'll do it. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

3,062,378

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

71 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

79

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

85

Contact Rotary Wing Show - Interviews from the Helicopter Industry

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