SKYBAUM BLOG

JAY LUGO

HELICOPTERS AND VERTICAL FLIGHT

SkyBaum Blog   Florida Aviation Network September 2026

As stated on last month’s blog I was fortunate enough to attend an introductory course on FAR 133 External Load & Longlining Operations at Jerry Trimble Helicopters in McMinnville, Oregon

The course dealt with the various technical parts of FAR 133, regulations, helicopter performance as well as couple of hours vertical reference flying as well as flying with an actual external load. 

Carded pilots must carry this card while performing longline operation.

During my time in Oregon in addition to meeting tons of new student pilots attending the school for a myriad of certificates & ratings in both airplanes & helicopters I also participated in a newer virtual group of pilots called the ‘Helicopter Pilot Study Group’.

In one of the meetings I introduced Jerry Trimble to the group & a member (Jay Bunning) suggested we have Jerry as a special guest in one of our FAASAFETY Webinars. Well late August we did just that.

Through a collaboration with Melanie Folcik Barillaro (FPM), my cohost John Ledrew, Jerry/Alison Trimble & yours truly think we did a pretty fair job explaining how unique FAR 133 operations are to the general public as well as helicopter pilots looking to work a longlining job in the future. A link of the presentation has been provided below;

Next month we’ll take a deep dive into the Helicopter Pilot Study Group & meet its creator John Ledrew. 

SkyBaum Blog Sept 2026 /F / FAN Photos over the years/ FAN Photos 2026