The Hangar Z Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 126- "Surviving the Audit" with LAPD'S Mike Daly (Retired) Part I Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

This is part one of a three-part series. This series is important for all public safety aviation units, because we discuss the audit released by the LA City Controller’s office on the LAPD Air Support Division.

The LAPD Air Support Division is well equipped to deal with and respond to the report to justify its program based on the stats it keeps and the details of its program.

We many times have discussed how air support programs are the low-hanging fruit when it comes to politicians and bean counters. This three-part series will talk about LAPD’s air support program and how what they do will help shape the way your agency keeps track of stats and program information.

To discuss the audit we brought in Mike Daly, who retired from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) after nearly 34 years of service. If you ever went to LAPD’s Air Crew course, you most likely heard Daly’s course and his legendary one liners.

Daly grew up in Latham, New York, enlisting in the military immediately after

graduating high school in 1976. After his discharge from active duty, he returned to

New York and attended college. In May 1983, he was hired by the LAPD and completed

nearly 34 years of service with the below listed assignments.

Daly worked his way to Air Support, having worked assignments in patrol, including 77th. He was a metro K9 handler, worked rampart as Gang Unit OIC sergeant and watch commander before he was selected to the air support division as a watch commander and command pilot.

Daly also completed 24 years of military service with the U. S. Army in both the active and reserve components. SSG Daly served over seven years on active duty including an 18-month combat tour in Iraq.

The L.A. City Controller’s audit questions the time and resources dedicated to the LAPD Air Support Division’s Regional Disaster Preparedness Training exercise, which is also known as the LAPD Chili Fly In. In this episode we talk about the importance of the exercise and how the documentation of the exercise more than justifies its existence.
Thank you to our sponsors Garmin, Precision Aviation Group and Technisonic.

Episode 125- Vertical HeliCASTS Mashup! Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to episode 125 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.
Get ready for the first-ever Vertical HeliCASTS mashup!

Halsey Schider from The Helicopter Podcast is joined by Jason “Quinny” Quinn from The Real ResQ and Jon Gray from The Hangar Z Podcast.

In this captivating episode, the trio delves deep into crew resource management, sharing personal experiences and invaluable insights that offer a unique perspective on this critical aspect of the industry. With their diverse backgrounds, they provide wonderfully broad viewpoints on the subject, with excellent tips for new and experienced pilots alike.

With plenty of laughs and great chemistry throughout the show, don’t miss out on this special episode of The Helicopter Podcast.

The Hangar Z Podcast would like to thank sponsors Bell, Garmin, and Precision Aviation Group.

Episode 124- From F-18 Pilots to Flight Surgeons: Insights from Wingman Med Part II Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to episode 124 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

In this two-part series, we sit down with Dr. Keith Roxo and Dr. Dan Monlux, who founded Wingman Med. They are both F/A-18 pilots turned board-certified aerospace medicine physicians.

Roxo is a Top Gun-trained adversary pilot turned aerospace medicine physician with over 2,000 hours in high-performance aircraft including the F/A-18, F-16, and F-5. He holds multiple military flight instructor qualifications, an airline transport pilot certificate and CFII. He is board-certified in aerospace and occupational medicine and is an FAA senior HIMS AME. Roxo provides aviation medical consulting with Wingman Med.

Monlux is an FAA senior HIMS AME who is board-certified in family medicine and aerospace medicine. He has helped thousands to maintain their flight medicine certifications. He started his career in the U.S. Navy and has more than 2500 flight hours including combat service in the F/A-18. A commercial pilot for more than 20 years, he is also a certified flight instructor for single-engine, multi-engine and instrument flight.

During our conversation, we profile their careers and talk about Wingman Med and how they keep you flying.

After years of helping friends and colleagues keep their medical certificates and stay in the air, they founded Wingman Med so they can do the same thing for you. One thing we know as career pilots is that our medical certificate is critical to our careers. As pilots, they understand the imperative of maintaining your FAA medical certificate and the urgency of getting it back when you lose it.

This is a fun and informative conversation with Dr. Keith Roxo and Dr. Dan Monlux. After you finish the podcast check out their website for more information at www.wingmanmed.com
The Hangar Z Podcast would like to thank sponsors Metro Aviation, SHOTOVER, and CNC Technologies.

Episode 123- Big Bear Fire with Flight Paramedic Ken Fox Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to episode 123 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicast.

This episode was recorded from the floor of the ECHO Public Safety Aviation Conference in San Diego.

Host Jon Gray had the opportunity to speak with a good friend, Ken Fox.

Fox is a flight paramedic from the Big Bear Fire Department. Big Bear Fire has a unique relationship with Mercy Air to provide advanced life support to people in need in and around the Big Bear area, in the mountains of Southern California.

In this episode, Fox talks about the career path to becoming a flight medic and the unique area in which he operates.

They also talk about utilizing different methods to get weather information for areas that do not have many official weather reporting stations.

The conversation also touches on an in-flight medical emergency Fox was involved in, and how it could be avoided.

The Hangar Z Podcast would like to thank sponsors Metro Aviation, SHOTOVER, and CNC Technologies.

Episode 122- The 160th Night Stalkers with Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie Part III Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to episode 122 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicast.
In Part Three of this three-part series, host Jon Gray resumes his conversation with Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie.
Both Dockery and Ritchie are U.S. Army veterans who flew MH-47 helicopters in the world-renowned 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s mission is to organize, equip, train, resource and employ Army special operations aviation forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and combatant commanders.

Known as “Night Stalkers,” these soldiers are recognized for their proficiency in nighttime operations. They are highly trained and ready to accomplish the very toughest missions in all environments, anywhere in the world, day or night, with unparalleled precision.

They employ highly modified MH-47 Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and the assault and attack configurations of A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters.

In this episode, Dockery and Ritchie speak about their mission deployment tempo when they were with the Night Stalkers.
They speak about the impact their service had on their families, and talk about the transition to civilian life and their current jobs. We also get to discuss what they are currently doing.
This podcast is complemented by an outstanding article Jen Boyer wrote for Vertical Magazine titled "Washington State Department of Natural Resources: First line of defense," with photos and video by Shawn Adams.

The Hangar Z Podcast would like to thank sponsors Garmin, SHOTOVER, and CNC Technologies.

Episode 121- The 160th Night Stalkers with Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie Part II Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 121 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

In Part Two of this three-part series, host Jon Gray resumes his conversation with Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie.
Both Dockery and Ritchie are U.S. Army veterans who flew MH-47 helicopters in the world-renowned 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s mission is to organize, equip, train, resource and employ Army special operations aviation forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and combatant commanders.

They employ highly modified MH-47 Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and the assault and attack configurations of A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters.
In this episode, Dockery and Ritchie debrief a mission they were a part of in the Korengal Valley, also known as the Valley of Death.
They talk about how the 160th trains with cities within the U.S. like they did in Los Angeles, and discuss what makes the 160th different from other Army aviation units.
They also talk about a mission when they flew in to rescue Jimmy Hatch after he was shot and critically injured on a mission searching for Bowe Bergdahl.
Jimmy Hatch was a guest from episode 100, titled Touching the Dragon. If you haven’t heard that episode the recording, go back and listen to it,
The Hangar Z Podcast would like to sincerely thank sponsors Garmin, Metro Aviation and CNC Technologies.

Episode 120- The 160th Night Stalkers with Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 120 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

In this three-part series, host Jon Gray sits down with two outstanding Americans, Calvin Dockery and Dave Ritchie.
Both Dockery and Ritchie are U.S. Army veterans who flew MH-47 helicopters in the world-renowned 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s mission is to organize, equip, train, resource and employ Army special operations aviation forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and combatant commanders.

They employ highly modified MH-47 Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and the assault and attack configurations of A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters.
Soldiers of the 160th have been actively and continuously engaged in combat operations since October 2001. Today, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment continues a sustained and active forward presence in the U.S. Central Command area of operations at multiple locations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The 160th also provides support to U.S. Southern, Pacific, Africa, and European commands.
Dockery is a now a pilot for Alaska Airlines, flying the Boeing 737 as a first officer.
Ritchie is now the chief of air operations for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
In this episode, Ritchie recounts his involvement as an Army Ranger in Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia. Many know of this operation from the movie Black Hawk Down.
Ritchie and Dockery both speak about the 160th selection process and provide some detail on the ship they flew, the MH-47 Chinook.
The Hangar Z Podcast would like to thank sponsors Metro Aviation, SHOTOVER, and CNC Technologies.

Episode 119- Train the TFO Trainer with Mike Calhoun and Matt Zdunich Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to episode 119 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

This episode is brought to you from the floor of the ECHO Public Safety Aviation Conference in San Diego, courtesy of conference sponsor Airbus Helicopters.

In this episode, host Jon Gray sits down with Mike Calhoun from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Matt Zdunich, chief pilot for the San Diego Police Department.

Both guests are experts and advocates in training tactical flight officers (TFOs) to train additional TFO candidates.

During the conversation, they discuss training philosophies for this task.

I would like to thank our sponsors Metro Aviation, SHOTOVER, and CNC Technologies.

118- Matt Szluka and the Illinois State Police Aviation Program Part III Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to episode 118 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

In Part Three of this three-part series, host Jon Gray resumes his conversation with Matt Szluka.

Szluka is a state trooper and fixed-wing aircraft pilot with the Illinois State Police (ISP) in the Chicagoland area, with extensive aviation and law enforcement experience.

He currently focuses on supporting his fellow brothers and sisters on the ground utilizing aircraft and other technologies for criminal enforcement, especially in the city of Chicago, a place he has proudly called home for 42 years.

In this episode, Szluka continues the discussion about the importance of stats to maintain and grow an air support unit.

He speaks about the benefits of developing and maintaining positive relationships with the tower controllers that work in this area of operation.

He also discusses drone operations as a supplement and in conjunction with manned aviation programs.

Szluka and co-host Jack Schonely both have backgrounds in K-9 operations, and they speak about the benefits of training with K-9 teams.

Lastly, they discuss some of the technologies employed both airborne and ground-based law enforcement that increase officer safety.

The Hangar Z Podcast wishes to thank sponsors Garmin, SHOTOVER and CNC Technologies.

Episode 117- Matt Szluka and the Illinois State Police Aviation Program Part II Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to episode 117 of The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

In this three part series, we sit down with Matt Szluka. Matt is currently employed as a State Trooper and Fixed-Wing Aircraft Pilot with the Illinois State Police in the Chicagoland area.

Matt was born and raised in the Chicago area, and has lived in the city his entire life. Prior to joining the ISP Air Operations Bureau as a pilot, Matt was assigned as a K-9 Handler to the ISP Statewide Anti-Violence Enforcement Team and the District 15 Criminal Patrol Team.

Outside his law enforcement duties, Matt works part-time as an instructor at a local college teaching aviation classes to aspiring pilots.

Matt has 12 years of law enforcement experience at three different police departments in Chicago.

Outside of being a Pilot and K-9 Handler, Matt has experience as a member of the ISP Chicago Region Crowd Control Team, K-9 Instructor, K-9 Crowd Control Instructor, Field Training Officer and Evidence Technician.

Before Matt entered law enforcement he was an Airline Captain at a large regional airline that served cities across North America and the Bahamas.

During his time in the airlines, Matt was a Human Factors Facilitator and Crew Resource Management instructor.

Matt received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois in Aviation Human Factors, which spurred his passion for human interaction with advanced technologies, particularly as it relates to aviation.

Matt now focuses his efforts on supporting his fellow brothers and sisters on the ground utilizing aircraft and other technologies for criminal enforcement, especially in the City of Chicago, a place he has proudly called home for 42 years.

In part two of this three part series Matt talks about his time working as an interdiction trooper with his K9 partner and how that helped to shape the tactics he is employing in aviation.

Matt talks about how LPR technology helped him and the regional troopers recover a kidnapped 15 year old girl.

Matt talks at length about some of the technology his agency is utalizing which includes license plate reading technology to make their aviation program a proactive airborne interdiction type unit.

We also talk about the importance of stat keeping in your aviation programs.

Thank you to our sponsors Metro Aviation, SHOTOVER and CNC Technologies.

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