English
The Helicopter Podcast
by Halsey Schider
Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, with your host Halsey Schider! This podcast is for helicopter pilots, maintainers, and enthusiasts! Whether you've been in the industry for 30 years or are just someone that loves helicopters, this podcast is for you! The podcasts will feature guests from a wide array of industry sectors to have casual conversation, answer questions, give sound advice, and talk shop. Finally, a podcast produced by helicopter professionals for all types of helicopter people!
Episodes
Episode 200: Building a Better Helicopter Pilot Community | John LeDrew & Jay Lugo
3 Nov 2026 · 1 h 11
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this milestone 200th episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider welcomes John LeDrew and Jay Lugo of the Helicopter Pilot Study Group for a conversation about flight training, mentorship and the…
Episode #199: Lessons From the Fixed-Wing World | Joey Buley
27 Oct 2026 · 1 h 03
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with longtime friend Joey Buley to compare two aviation careers that started from similar places but ultimately took very different paths. Halsey and Joey have known…
Episode 198: Why the U.S. Army Chose the R66 for Flight Training | David Smith
20 Oct 2026 · 58 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider welcomes Robinson Helicopter Company CEO David Smith back to the podcast for an update on a period of significant change for the company. At the centre of the conversation is…
Episode #197: Beneath the Rescue Helicopter | Jim O'Neill
13 Oct 2026 · 60 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Jim O'Neill of Bristow Group, an experienced helicopter rescue paramedic, winchman, and winch operator whose career has taken him from the infantry to decades of…
Episode #196: How to Get the Most From Heli Flight School | Chad McIntosh & Bailey Gackstetter
6 Oct 2026 · 1 h 03
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Chad McIntosh and Bailey Gackstetter of Great Lakes Helicopter and HeliSIX in Ontario, Canada, for a conversation about flight training, building helicopter…
Episode #195: Supporting Presidential Helicopter Missions | Beau Prine
22 Sept 2026 · 1 h 10
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Beau Prine of Aviation Academy Louisiana to discuss a career shaped by military aviation, maintenance excellence, and a passion for developing the next…
Episode #194 - Flying Fighters, Combat Missions & Helicopters | C.W. Lemoine
15 Sept 2026 · 1 h 09
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with fighter pilot, author, and content creator C.W. Lemoine to talk about an aviation career that rarely followed the obvious path. Growing up in Louisiana, C.W.…
Episode #193: Behind the Uniform - Coast Guard Aviation & Mental Health | Ryan Vandehei
8 Sept 2026 · 1 h 05
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ryan Vandehei, a former Coast Guard helicopter pilot, to talk about his path into military aviation, the realities of Coast Guard flight training, and some of…
Episode #192: Beyond the Policy - The People Behind Aviation Insurance | Michael & Ryan
1 Sept 2026 · 1 h 05
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! Aviation insurance can often feel like a complicated process, but behind every policy is a conversation about risk, experience, and finding the right solution. In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast,…
Episode #191: The Helicopter Simulator Built to Inspire the Next Generation | Matthias Wendt
25 Aug 2026 · 50 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Matthias Wendt, a dentist from Germany who has turned his passion for helicopters into an innovative STEM outreach effort designed to introduce young people to…
Episode #190: Guimbal, Building a Better Trainer | Raphael Yver
18 Aug 2026 · 1 h 04
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Raphael Yver, director of sales and support at Guimbal, to explore the story behind one of the most distinctive helicopter manufacturers in the industry. Raphael…
Episode #189: The GT50 First Fire - A Milestone for Hill Helicopters | Jason Hill
11 Aug 2026 · 1 h 13
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this special update episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider welcomes Jason Hill back to the show to discuss one of the biggest milestones in Hill Helicopters' journey—the successful first run of…
Episode #188: The Human Side of Helicopter EMS | Graham Ritter
4 Aug 2026 · 1 h 03
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with longtime friend and fellow Air Evac Life Team pilot Graham Ritter for a conversation that goes far beyond flying helicopters. The two reflect on their time…
Episode #187: Leadership Lessons from Precision Helicopters | Mark Paulson & Ty Burlingham
27 Jul 2026 · 1 h 02
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ty Burlingham, chief pilot, and Mark Paulson, director of maintenance at Precision, to discuss what it takes to grow a successful helicopter operation while…
Bonus Episode: Air Angels | The Helicopter Community That Answered Hurricane Helene
23 Jul 2026 · 40 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! When Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the southeastern United States, entire communities were cut off by flooding, landslides, and destroyed infrastructure. In those critical first days, civilian…
Episode #186 Why Business Aviation Needs Better Advocates | Ian Lumpp
21 Jul 2026 · 1 h 01
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Ian Lumpp, executive sales director at GlobalAir.com, to discuss the role business aviation plays in the broader aviation ecosystem and the challenges the…
Episode #185: Developing the Next Generation of Long-Line Pilots | Andre & Kimberly Hutchings
14 Jul 2026 · 50 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Andre and Kimberly Hutchings, co-founders of Volo Mission, to discuss what it takes to develop skilled external load pilots and build a culture of safety,…
Episode #184: Why Strong Pilot-Maintenance Relationships Matter | Keith Moreland
7 Jul 2026 · 1 h 01
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Keith Moreland of Rotorcraft Services Group (RSG) to discuss the relationships, communication, and leadership principles that help keep aviation operating safely…
Episode #183: The Importance of Quality Maintenance | Joe LaRue
23 Jun 2026 · 1 h 06
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Joe LaRue of Prairie Air, recorded at Verticon 2026, to talk about how the rotorcraft industry is evolving at the operator level. Joe shares his path into…
Episode #182: How Heli Austria Built a Global Helicopter Operation | Roy Knaus
16 Jun 2026 · 53 min
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS! In this episode, Halsey Schider sits down with Roy Knaus of Heli Austria to discuss the company's journey from a small family operation to one of Europe's most established helicopter operators. Roy shares the…