Ep 198 - Interview: Aaron Kaplan - Helicopter Flight Training

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Today on the show I’m delighted to be joined by Aaron Kaplan — a seasoned aviation professional with deep experience in the helicopter sector and industry advocacy. Aaron is currently the Deputy HOO with United Aero Helicopters, where he’s built his career around helicopter flight training and operational excellence.Check out Aaron's LinkedIn profile hereSupport the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Phil’s been flying since 1976. He’s competed in aerobatics since the 80s. He co-founded Action Aerobatics and helped produce around 40 state and national champions.He formed the Skyaces formation aerobatics team, flown everything from Harvards to jets, served as Chief Pilot and CFI at the Royal Newcastle Aero Club, runs Phil Unicomb Aviation, and in 2025 was awarded the Col Pay Award for Lifetime Service to General Aviation at the CASA Wings Awards.Phil Unicomb Aviation YouTube ChannelSupport the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Imagine you’ve just lifted off.You’re passing 200 feet. Everything feels normal.Then the engine note changes.Not silence…not failure…just a rough, struggling loss of power.The aircraft is still climbing — but barely.Do you keep going?Turn back?Land ahead?In the next few seconds, the wrong decision can be fatal.Today we’re talking about the emergency we train for the least…yet one that catches pilots off guard more than almost any other.ATSB avoidable accidents: Managing partial power loss after takeoff in single engine aircraft  Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!You might already hold a night VFR rating, be working towards an instrument rating, or be planning to start one soon. And at some point in your training, someone will tell you that once you’re qualified, you’re “allowed” to fly at night.But today I want to challenge that idea.Because being allowed to fly at night, and being genuinely ready to fly at night — especially on instruments — are not the same thing.Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Every flight instructor has faced the same moment.You see a student starting to unravel. Directional control is slipping, workload is climbing, and things are heading in the wrong direction. Instinct kicks in — you reach for the controls to “help”.That moment — the decision to assist rather than decisively take over — sits at the centre of a recent Australian court case that ended in a training aircraft crash, the loss of a student’s flying career, and almost $800,000 in damages awarded against a flight training organisation.This case should make every instructor and operator pause and reflect.Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!I’ve been asking pilots a simple question: how well did your training actually prepare you for real-world flying?The answers have been confronting. Not because they’re emotional — but because they’re consistent.This episode isn’t about naming names. It’s about listening to what students are telling us, identifying the patterns, and asking whether we’re truly training pilots… or just getting them through tests.Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Today we’re going to break down what CFIT and LOC-I actually mean, why they’re still such a stubborn problem, what the leading causes look like across airlines, helicopters, and general aviation, and how we train to mitigate them — including the tricky bit: risk versus reward in training, and where simulators genuinely move the needle.Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!Back in 2023 I spoke with our guests UPRT Australia's Shane Tobin and Jeremy Miller about UPRT training as a whole. Today we are going to talk specifically about stalling and stalling accidents, and the differences from the Day VFR Syllabus and the current Part 61 MOS and instructors understanding.UPRT Australia WebsiteUp, Forward, In - Formation book by Jeremy Miller - click here!Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!I recap my Broome trip, Answer your questions plus an Exercise Pitch Black update for 2026 and your chance to win 1 of 10 free digital logbooks!GELP vs AELPWhich Pathway is best for you?Support the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Would you like to know more? Flick me a message!In this episode we’re talking about something a little closer to home: Tropical Cyclone Fina, which has just passed through Darwin Nov 22nd.Patreon Black Friday sale - 30% off Patreon subscriptions - Code BLACKFRIDAYSupport the showEmail: [email protected] Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au Affiliate Links: Pilot LogbookDigital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!! Nav & Co Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST Social Media Links: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaTikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustraliaPodcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au