The Skill That Makes You a Better Pilot | Kim Hutchings

[00:00:03] Kim Hutchings: When he got into it, it was, here's a helicopter, here's a long line, go figure it out. So as you can imagine, that's not a safe thing to do to take a machine and hang a long 200 foot line underneath it and put heavy loads on it and fling it around. So he wanted to create something to teach pilots formally. [00:00:29] Intro: Welcome to Hangar X Studios where former fighter pilot and host John Ramstead takes us on a journey across aerospace as it enters an historic period of innovation and transformation. Our guests include aviation experts, pilots, financiers, military leaders and innovators of all types. Buckle up for another episode of Hangar X. [00:00:59] John Ramstead: Today's episode is brought to you by our platinum sponsor, XTI Aerospace. They are powering the vertical economy, building a long range VTOL and you can find more at xtiaerospace.com now please remember to like, comment and share on this channel and enjoy today's podcast. Welcome to the Hangar X Studios podcast and we are live at Verticon and this is going to be a fun segment. When I was in the Navy station and aircraft carrier, we would do something called vert rep, which is vertical replenishment. And back in the day it was a twin rotor H46 helicopter. Today they do it with 860s. But these guys would come ripping in on the supply ship, drop a line, pick up a pallet, do this perfect maneuver so this load would not swing and be able to drop it exactly where it needs to go. And that we did it incredibly quickly and with safety was always a concern. But think about this. There was a real sense of urgency. They had a lot move a lot of cargo and when the carrier is predictable doing a vert rep, the Navy doesn't like that. And we have Kim Hutchins here. So Kim, and you're from Volo Missions, so first of all, welcome to the podcast. [00:02:07] Kim Hutchings: Thank you for having me. [00:02:08] John Ramstead: And you guys do one thing and that is long line training for the helicopter industry, for air, for the pilots, the air crews, the ground crew. So tell us a little bit about Volo. [00:02:17] Kim Hutchings: Yes. So my husband and I co founded it. He's an external load pilot and has been flying external load operations for over 30 years. He did fly the Chinook helicopters in the civilian world. [00:02:32] John Ramstead: Oh, he did? Okay. [00:02:33] Kim Hutchings: So he originally started off logging. When he got into it, it was here's a helicopter, here's a long line, go, go, figure it out. So as you can imagine, that's not a safe thing to do to take a machine and hang a long 200 foot line underneath it and put heavy loads on it and fling it around. So he wanted to create something to teach pilots formally, which is how we came about to Volo mission. So we created a course based on all his experience and knowledge. And it's been in. We've been doing it for about 13 years now. And so you come in and we teach you. It's kind of like your initial training, but it's specifically for learning how to. Long line. [00:03:21] John Ramstead: Yeah. What are some of the things, the elements that I'm guessing that kind of flying is very unique. You got a load hanging down well below you. It's changing the center of gravity of the airplane. There are some unique flight dynamics, both of the aircraft and the load. So can you speak to some of that? [00:03:35] Kim Hutchings: Yes. So absolutely. You are no longer at that point. So we have commercial pilots that come to us. They've been flying for years. They know how to fly the aircraft. We put a line underneath them, and all of a sudden that line starts pendulum. It's swinging. So you have to learn how to handle that line. You learn how to actually fly that line and control that line and load because, yeah, all different loads fly differently. [00:04:02] John Ramstead: Yeah. Like what, what are some. Do you. What are some things that you do when it does start to pendulum well, or control it? You know, especially when you're coming in windy environment and you're trying to get it into a very specific spot. [00:04:15] Kim Hutchings: Right. So that's where we teach those techniques, different things. Learning how to catch the line when it swings, learning the speed at to which that line flies. Understanding the wind. When it's really windy, that line flies back further. So you just learn all these little tips and tricks and techniques. So it, it takes a while to actually master that skill. [00:04:39] John Ramstead: I would guess it does. [00:04:40] Kim Hutchings: Yeah. [00:04:41] John Ramstead: What are some new things that Volo has planned for this year in 25? [00:04:44] Kim Hutchings: So we, we are adding additional exercises. We have all kinds of exercises and loads to give pilots a range of experience. So they're not just coming in, flying once, you know, flying a tire around and putting it in a spot. We have air conditioning units, four wheelers, power poles. And so we're going to expand on that. We have a Bambi bucket and we're going to create a larger fire area so that we set live fire and they can do spot drops and all kinds of stuff. Yeah. [00:05:17] John Ramstead: Wow, that's cool. Who are typically your customers? [00:05:20] Kim Hutchings: We have pilots wanting to get into the industry or into longlining. And then. [00:05:26] John Ramstead: So is it a certification, like a. [00:05:27] Kim Hutchings: Sign off the logbook no, it's not a certification. It's. There is no certification for that. It's just a skill. [00:05:35] John Ramstead: Okay. [00:05:36] Kim Hutchings: So we build that skill, and then the other. Our other customers are actually the operators themselves. So they'll hire a new pilot and they'll send them to us for their external load training. [00:05:47] John Ramstead: Yeah, that's. That's really exciting. [00:05:48] Kim Hutchings: Yeah. [00:05:49] John Ramstead: Now, and you, you'd mentioned before, the ladies of the Long line. I got to ask, what is the ladies of the Long Line? [00:05:54] Kim Hutchings: So ladies of Long Line is just something that we. We give a spot, a scholarship to the Warley Girls for the last six years. [00:06:02] John Ramstead: What's the Worley Girls? [00:06:04] Kim Hutchings: So Worley Girls is an association that's been around for 70 years. We just are into our 70th year, and it's female helicopter pilots. [00:06:13] John Ramstead: Okay. [00:06:13] Kim Hutchings: So we partner and give a scholarship for the external load training, and that's one element that we do. But in an effort to bring more women into the external load industry and also help with the workforce development for the industry, we've created an event to invite more women to expose them to what it is. [00:06:35] John Ramstead: Yeah, we need to get more women in aviation, don't we? [00:06:37] Kim Hutchings: Yes, I'd say so. [00:06:39] John Ramstead: And now you guys are also a distributor for Robinson, correct? [00:06:42] Kim Hutchings: Correct. [00:06:43] John Ramstead: Now, can you use Robinson for long line work? [00:06:45] Kim Hutchings: That is exclusively what we do. [00:06:47] John Ramstead: Okay. [00:06:48] Kim Hutchings: Well, for our training, I should say. [00:06:50] John Ramstead: Okay. [00:06:50] Kim Hutchings: So we train with the Robinson R44. [00:06:53] John Ramstead: Okay. [00:06:53] Kim Hutchings: We just recently purchased a Robinson R66 Utility, which is what we are a distributor for. So we exclusively sell that helicopter. [00:07:01] John Ramstead: Yeah. What's that? So. So you have two parts of the business then, huh? [00:07:04] Kim Hutchings: Yes. [00:07:04] John Ramstead: Yeah. How's that part going? [00:07:05] Kim Hutchings: It's just getting going. So we're pretty excited this year to. To get that up and running. [00:07:10] John Ramstead: That's awesome. Well, you know, as we. As we just wrap up, what are just camel thoughts for. For people that are maybe interested in maybe adding this to their skill set. What. What would this do for their. Their aviation career? [00:07:22] Kim Hutchings: I'd say no matter what, this skill set makes you a better pilot. So sometimes we have pilots that just want their skill set. And as far as if you're wanting to get into this industry, I would say definitely seek out some training. [00:07:37] John Ramstead: Yeah. That's awesome. Well, Kim, thanks for coming on. Good luck to you and your husband. And I hope 25 is a phenomenal year for you guys. [00:07:44] Kim Hutchings: Thank you. [00:07:45] John Ramstead: All right, have a great one. [00:07:46] Kim Hutchings: Thank you.