More than 200 hoist operators, crewmembers, and pilots from around the world came together to discuss hoist training, case studies, and technical briefings during the annual Collins Aerospace Goodrich Hoist Operators Conference from Feb. 24 to 25.
“What sets this conference apart is that it’s an operator’s conference. It’s not a Collins Aerospace conference where we get up and talk about our products,” Sun Lee, Collins Aerospace business development manager for hoist and winch, told Vertical. “Collins realizes the importance of this meeting. We recognize the value of what this group brings to the industry, and we will continue to support this community.”
The two-day event included presentations from rescue experts, trainers and operators from the search-and-rescue, law enforcement, and emergency medical services sectors. Collins Aerospace also provided updates on its aftermarket support, Pegasus hoist system, and other product updates.
Among the speakers included Lachlan Slatyer, Toll Group flight examiner and ACE Training Centre manager of human factors. Slatyer kicked off the expert presentations with a look at a hoist rescue operation near Sydney, Australia, in March 2021.
During the incident, the pilot suffered spatial disorientation resulting in a near-accident situation. Slatyer discussed ways to improve and avoid a similar plight.
“Everything starts with good communication,” he stated. “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training. Successful missions don’t just happen, they must be trained for.”
Attendees also heard from Lynn Burttschell and Bill Hanson from Travis County Emergency Services who provided real-world examples of treating heat-related injuries. Meanwhile, Dave Weber from Utah-based Intermountain Life Flight and Mountain Rescue Collective talked about dealing with mass casualty incidents, in which he analyzed the February 2021 fatal avalanche outside Salt Lake City, Utah, and explained response and treatment methods.
Dr. Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung, one of the leading air rescue organizations in Europe, covered the varying conditions in which hoist operations can be conducted and the factors that must be considered, such as day versus night operations, over land versus water, calm versus windy, etc.
Jason Quinn, a rescue specialist with SR3 Rescue Concepts and host of Vertical HeliCASTS’s The Real ResQ Podcast, detailed the process to properly condition hoist cables and showed methods approved by various manufacturers, along with issues that can arise.
The conference concluded with the presentation of the Rescue of the Year Award to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office rescue pilot Mike Calhoun for his work in tackling a challenging hoist operation of an injured hiker in September 2023.
“This is a great conference. It allows us to connect with operators and for them to receive great training,” said Tre Blake from Axnes, the maker of tactical airborne wireless communications systems and one of the venders that attended the conference.
Next year’s hoist conference will take place from March 8 to 9, 2025, in Dallas, Texas — the weekend before the newly rebranded Vertical Aviation International’s (VAI) annual convention, now named Verticon.
