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Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!

In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider sits down with JD Parsons of Colorado Highland Helicopters to talk about a different approach to flight training.

JD shares his path from trucking entrepreneur to helicopter operator, and how that background shaped the way he thinks about flight school. The conversation focuses on challenging traditional training models, including his use of the MD 500 as a primary training aircraft and a strong emphasis on high-altitude, scenario-based flying.

They dig into the realities of student retention, the importance of building confidence without ego, and how real-world mission profiles—like search and rescue or utility work—can better prepare pilots from the start. JD also discusses safety culture, decision-making under pressure, and why open communication in the cockpit is critical to long-term success.

This episode is a practical look at how training can evolve to better reflect real-world operations—and what it takes to build safer, more capable pilots from day one.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors, Airbus, Hillsboro Heli Academy and Robinson Helicopter.