Push to Talk with Bruce Webb: A Helicopter Podcast

Eoin Walker is the HEMS segment promoter for Airbus, and host of The Pre-Hospital Care Podcast. With years of experience as a flight paramedic, Eoin has seen firsthand how good communication cools even the most heated scenarios. In this conversation, Eoin will let us in on how he’s been able to harness his communication through his life and career, and what we can do to follow suit. How we can "be the thermostat, not the thermometer."

In a little over one week from recording this episode, VAI’s VERTICON is set to take place in Atlanta, GA. Pilots, mechanics, instructors, operators, manufacturers, and more will converge in one place to celebrate the state of vertical aviation…and to deliberate on its future as we enter the middle part of this century. Joining me in this episode is François Lassale, the new President and CEO of VAI. In this lead-up to his first VERTICON as CEO, I’ll speak with Francois about his ...

Jesse Munns has flown helicopters for almost twenty years, doing everything from offshore to EMS. Some time ago, Jesse began experiencing a heavy strain in his personal life; after pushing himself past his limit, Jesse made a rare but commendable decision — he voluntarily relinquished his medical certificate. He had the awareness to know that he was putting himself and others at risk. In this episode, I’ll speak with Jesse about the lessons we can draw from his circumstance, and what a road b...

A native of the Swiss Alps, Simon Wittinger is the author of The Mountain Flying Handbook. First published in 2020, the book is a comprehensive guide to operating at high altitude. It’s been praised by the helicopter community at large, and even been endorsed by EASA. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Simon about the process of writing the book. He’ll take us inside his experience as a mountain pilot, explain some common errors people make when flying in the mountains, and much more...

From lead-acid, to NICAD, and lithium-ion, the evolution of aircraft batteries has always been a balancing act of weight, power and reliability. Getting that balance right is essential. Today, I’m speaking with Chris Holder of Concorde Battery about the work their company is doing to provide dependable power to the industry. We’ll look at the development of aircraft batteries over time, common misconceptions about batteries, the future of power in aviation, and much more.

Last March, the US Helicopter Safety Team launched their Peer Pilot Program — an online resource for pilots to seek help with the inner turbulence they might face. Through the program, users can speak with a trained industry “peer” who will listen to the user, and guide them through their concern — personal, professional, and otherwise. These sessions are free, and completely confidential. In this episode, I’m speaking with Chris Baur — industry co-chair of the USHST — about launching t...

Carl Ockier is the senior expert for flight test engineering at Airbus. Over the last 25 years, Carl has been instrumental in developing some of the most iconic Airbus helicopters, including the H145 and H135. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Carl about his work engineering aircraft; from the nitty-gritty technical details, to his larger ideas about humans and our relationship to the machines we fly.

Unintended flight into IMC is one of the most severe risks we face as pilots. If you haven't been there, it's a hard thing to fathom — flying into the clouds, quickly losing all orientation. Our guest today is John Roberts. John is the Senior Training Manager at the Transportation Safety Institute. In a previous career, John flew helicopters in the army, where he retired with the rank of CW 5. In this episode, John will tell the story of a UIMC event he survived while flying in th...

This is the third part of our series exploring the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, and how it relates to aviation. In this episode, we’re looking at cognitive ease and our tendency to mistake correlation for causation.

There has been perhaps no greater influence on my views of human behavior than Daniel Kahneman’s 2011 book, Thinking Fast And Slow. In the book, Kahneman — a psychologist — makes the case that human behavior is driven by the interplay of two differing modes of thought: System 1 — the fast, instinctive system — and System 2 — the slow, logical one. If you’ve listened to this podcast, you’ve almost certainly heard me reference this book. I believe that understanding Kahneman will help us better...

As aviation propels into the second quarter of this century, we’re learning more than ever that the best aircraft designs consider the humanity of aviators — their strengths, their shortcomings…their very nature. Raphael Paquin and Fabien Bernard are experts in human factors engineering. They work together at Airbus in France, where they find new ways to bring flying closer to the human experience. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Raphael and Fabien about their work. We’ll lo...

In this solo episode, I'm looking back in history to the first fatal heavier-than-air accident, and the insights we can draw from Orville Wright and the death of Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge. Along the way, I’ll look at a few other historical accidents, and how they might apply to those of us flying today.

Lindsay Cunningham is a former accident investigator for Airbus. Today, she works as Managing Director for Helisim in the United States, where she facilitates the cutting-edge of simulation training. In this conversation, I’ll speak with Lindsey about the psychology of accident investigation; how to avoid false starts and misleading conclusions.