Based out of the Hemet-Ryan Airport, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit hosted law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, and military aviation units from across Southern California for its annual safety fly-in on Oct. 18, 2023.
Units from as far north as Ventura and Kern counties, to the south in San Diego, as well as many other units from Los Angeles and surrounding communities, were among the numerous agencies in attendance.
Throughout the morning, pilots and aircrews from the various units learned tactics and best practices by discussing recent calls and experiences they had, as well as outcomes and takeaways that may be beneficial for others to learn from.
“Our annual fly-in is an opportunity for us as aviators to share our experiences, mistakes, and knowledge with each other in hopes of learning from others,” said Riverside Sheriff’s deputy and pilot Manny Romero, who spoke about the importance of these types of fly-in events. “In my experience, I’ve made some mistakes. I’ve always felt it was important to get our crew together and debrief the mistakes. By discussing what I did wrong, someone else may remember my debrief if they encounter a similar scenario and act appropriately.”
The event featured two guest speakers, including Mike “Mac” Crumlin, a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot from 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and Paul “Zit” Svitnetko, a retired USMC helicopter pilot.
“I had help from [owner of RESCU3D] Robert Galletta, who had contacts for our two guest speakers,” Romero said. “Without his help, and [without] them sharing their stories and lessons learned, I would have never known about the sacrifices both men made so that we can enjoy our freedoms.”
Both former military helicopter pilots discussed the importance of consistent high-level training and crew resource management, along with looking out for arrogance and complacency in aviation, using their own real-world experiences to illustrate these points.
Reflecting on the planning and end results after the fly-in, Romero said “as far as this year’s event, I feel it went extremely well. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into coordinating an event like this, and our team stepped up and helped make it happen.”
He said the team at Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit have accomplished “so much to be proud of, and it was great to be able to share those successes with others. In addition, I have an incredible amount of respect and appreciation for our military and first responders.”
Events like this provide an opportunity for local law enforcement and other aviation units, as well as industry representatives, to learn, network, and catch up with old contacts and make new connections to benefit the entire sector.
