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FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR


New Editor in Town – A Humble Reflection First, let me say that I am honored and humbled to be


the new Editor In Chief of Rotorcraft Pro. Being totally hon- est, it was not something that was on my radar, or even a position I would have previously considered. However, as with many things in life, the planets align, people move along, and the next thing you know an opportunity presents itself. Being close to Rotorcraft Pro for the last couple years did make my decision easier and I am excited about this new challenge. With this being said, I am here and it’s my goal to take my 20 years experience in the helicopter indus- try and continue to grow this magazine and the Rotorcraft Pro Media Network (RPMN) into something unique which also adds value to our industry. Naturally, I cannot do this on my own, so to guide our future direction, I will rely on the Rotorcraft Pro team, our many loyal readers, and all our supportive advertisers.


Get Your Rotorcraft Pro APP Speaking of new opportunities, Rotorcraft Pro is now


available through our new Rotorcraft Pro App for the iPad/iPhone. (Don’t yet have an iPad? We’ll be giving one away at Heli-Expo to celebrate! Make sure you stop by Booth #8861 in Dallas, TX, Feb. 12-14.) You may current- ly get our app in the Apple App Store and Newsstand, and soon it will be available for Android OS devices. Expect to see Rotorcraft Pro also continuing to expand our presence in the helicopter community with the use of video, photog- raphy, educational seminars/webinars, and through our websites (Justhelicopters.com & Verticalreference.com).


Heli-Expo 2012 Around the Corner Generally, Heli-Expo is the first temperature reading


taken that measures the health of our industry for the upcoming year. It often sets the tone, and if you read between the spun headlines, one can get a pretty good indi- cation of what the year ahead will look like. With US tax reform, offshore drilling legislation, a ramp down of two wars, a collapsing European economy, and a defining U.S. Presidential election before us, there are too many potential change agents lingering ahead to predict the performance of the 2012 helicopter industry. Having said that, Heli-Expo almost always seems to shed some light on what we can expect in the year ahead. So we encourage you to join us as Rotorcraft Pro will be bringing you press, images, and video as we come out of the show in both our magazine and online.


Inside the Book this Month In this issue, we focus on Simulation and Flight Training


Devices (FTD’s). Due to regulatory changes and lower cost technologies, this segment of our industry has been one of


FEBRUARY 2012 4


the fastest growing. Helicopter simulators are not only hav- ing a positive impact on the work-a-day lives of pilots at big operators, but also all the way down to the 10-hour student pilot in primary training. We look at simulation and FTD’s from three angles: Regulatory changes, technology improve- ments, and how two primary flight schools are using simu- lation to enhance their businesses. Finally, we round out with a product focus segment that props up seven different simulators from seven different manufacturers.


Be safe in whatever you do!


Lyn Burks Editor In Chief lyn.burks@rotorcraftpro.com


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