Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray speaks with Adam Garcia, a helicopter maintenance professional whose career spans nearly five decades. Adam’s aviation journey began with a life-saving helicopter ride in his youth and carried him through a long and distinguished career in both military and public safety aviation. Adam served with the prestigious 160...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray speaks with Adam Garcia, a helicopter maintenance professional whose career spans nearly five decades. Adam’s aviation journey began with a life-saving helicopter ride in his youth and carried him through a long and distinguished career in both military and public safety aviation. Adam served with the prestigious 160...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode, hosts Jon Gray and David Kreutzkamp sit down with MHM Publishing co-founder and co-publisher Linda Reyno, and Leslie Ferry, MHM Publishing’s event director, to give exciting updates on the Vertical MRO Conferences. These events are right around the corner, being held in Kelowna, British Columbia, at the KF Centre for Excellence from Oct. 7 to 9; and in Irving, Tex...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray and co-host Leslie Ferry sit down with James Simmons, founder of Avolatus and a seasoned aviation professional. We explore his career journey in aviation and gather his insights into the rotorcraft maintenance industry. James shares his experiences from his military service to his current role in workforce d...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray and co-host Leslie Ferry sit down with James Simmons, founder of Avolatus and a seasoned aviation professional. We explore his career journey in aviation and gather his insights into the rotorcraft maintenance industry. James shares his experiences from his military service to his current role in workforce d...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this two part series of the Vertical MRO Podcast, hosts Jon Gray and Ronnie Ries have a discussion with Jon Dillenberg, director at the Thrust Institute of Maintenance. During this conversation, we dive into the critical challenges and exciting opportunities in recruiting and shaping the next generation of talent in the aviation industry. Jon talks about the Thrust Instit...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this two part series of the Vertical MRO Podcast, hosts Jon Gray and Ronnie Ries have a discussion with Jon Dillenberg, director at the Thrust Institute of Maintenance. During this conversation, we dive into the critical challenges and exciting opportunities in recruiting and shaping the next generation of talent in the aviation industry. Jon talks about the Thrust Instit...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray and co-host Howie Murray, sit down with Milton Geltz, managing director of Metro Aviation, to reflect on his remarkable 50-year career in aviation. Milton began his journey in 1976 and has been with Metro since 1983, overseeing daily operations across flight, maintenance, completions, finance, sales, and marketing. ...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this special episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray is joined by Romain Trapp, Executive Vice President of Customer Support and Services at Airbus Helicopters, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, innovation, and the future of rotorcraft support. Romain shares the personal journey that led him through key leadership roles at Airbus Helicopters in Can...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Jon Gray sits down with Seth Hardage, owner of Rotorcraft Repair and Manufacturing, to uncover the vital importance of preventative maintenance in aviation. Seth introduces their groundbreaking product, Dragon Skin Xtreme—an advanced rotor blade leading edge protective coating designed to combat erosion and corrosion. Througho...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Magazine. This two-part leadership series episode was recorded on location in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Metro Aviation. Hosts Jon Gray and Leslie Ferry sit down with Metro Aviation’s director of maintenance Shawn Bruton and Emmy Award winner, author, and keynote speaker Clin...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. This two-part leadership series episode was recorded on location in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Metro Aviation. Hosts Jon Gray and Leslie Ferry sit down with Metro Aviation’s director of maintenance Shawn Bruton and Emmy Award winner, author, and keynote speaker Clint Pulver. During our conversation, we explore the vital role of effective leadership in the realms of the mainte...

Welcome to another episode of Vertical MRO Tech Talk presented by Bell. In this episode, Greg Judd and Greg Arnold take a deep dive into the critical and often complex world of track and balance in helicopter maintenance. With decades of hands-on experience between them, the duo unpacks the finer details of rotorcraft dynamics—from product balance techniques to hub weight adjustments, and the impact of center of gravity (CG) on performance. Listeners will gain insights on how preparation, ...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this two-part series, Jon Gray sits down with James Helkey, director of maintenance and completions at Leonardo Helicopters. James is a highly experienced aviation professional with a strong background in aircraft maintenance, leadership, and organizational development. He holds an airframe and powerplant certificate and a business degree specializing in organizational d...

Welcome to Vertical MRO Alerts, presented by Bell! Bell 407 Tailboom Attachment Bolt New Airworthiness Limitation – Introduction Of. In this episode, hosts Marc Dubé and Gilbert Gaudreault, technical experts on the Bell Product Support Engineering (PSE) Team, once again join together to share some further insights into recently a released Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) regarding the inspection of the attachment hardware and fittings for the tailboom junction which impacts the Bell 407 model. ...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this two-part series, Jon Gray sits down with James Helkey, director of maintenance and completions at Leonardo Helicopters. James is a highly experienced aviation professional with a strong background in aircraft maintenance, leadership, and organizational development. He holds an airframe and powerplant certificate and a business degree specializing in organizational d...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Val Medved, co-host Faith Ortega, and guest Joseph LaCaze of Helicopter Work Aids take listeners on a journey through legacy, innovation, and the personal side of helicopter maintenance. Joe shares how a childhood surrounded by aviation shaped his passion for the industry—and how that passion evolved into a career rooted in bo...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, host Val Medved, co-host Faith Ortega, and guest Joseph LaCaze take listeners on a journey through legacy, innovation, and the personal side of helicopter maintenance. Joe shares how a childhood surrounded by aviation shaped his passion for the industry—and how that passion evolved into a career rooted in both technical expertise a...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this episode of the Vertical MRO podcast, host Jon Gray sits down with two industry experts who will be presenting at the upcoming Vertical MRO Conference. Chris Matt, with over 36 years of experience at PHI, shares insights into his course on corrosion, highlighting its critical impact on rotorcraft maintenance. Francois Magnan, a veteran in the rotorcraft community sin...

Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Magazine. In this two-part series, Jon Gray and Jack Schonely, hosts of the Hangar Z Podcast, sit down with Richard Weiser from the Glendale Burbank Police Air Support Unit. Weiser is a highly skilled helicopter maintenance professional with over 25 years of experience in maintaining and supporting helicopter operations. With more than 18 years dedicated to law enforcement aviation, W...