Revolutions in Vertical Flight

In our first series, we learnt about the history of vertical flight and discovered the key pioneers and revolutionary moments that created the rotorcraft industry we know today. In our second series, we learn more about the helicopter’s role in society, and how it helps overcome obstacles, protect the public and ultimately save lives. In this episode, we hear how autonomy will be a defining trend in the future of aviation. Fully autonomous aircraft could one day supplement or even replace traditional helicopters. In particular, huge investments have been made in electric vertical takeoff and landing, or EVTOL platforms, which could one day transport goods and passengers within cities and beyond. But what does this mean for the future of the industry?

In our first series, we learnt about the history of vertical flight and discovered the key pioneers and revolutionary moments that created the rotorcraft industry we know today. In our second series, we learn more about the helicopter’s role in society, and how it helps overcome obstacles, protect the public and ultimately save lives. In this episode, we'll hear about the many advantages that helicopters offer during disaster response and hear from pilots from around the world about this most stressful of missions.

In our first series, we learnt about the history of vertical flight and discovered the key pioneers and revolutionary moments that created the rotorcraft industry we know today. In our second series, we learn more about the helicopter’s role in society, and how it helps overcome obstacles, protect the public and ultimately save lives. The helicopter has become an essential tool for militaries, parapublic agencies and emergency services. But its unique characteristics have also ensured a vital role for the helicopter across a myriad of commercial activities. 

In our first series, we learnt about the history of vertical flight and discovered the key pioneers and revolutionary moments that created the rotorcraft industry we know today. In our second series, we learn more about the helicopter’s role in society, and how it helps overcome obstacles, protect the public and ultimately save lives. In this episode, we hear how at the end of the Vietnam War, thousands of young helicopter pilots returned to the US looking for work. Many of these men used their flying skills to adapt the helicopter for new jobs, along the way creating entirely new industries that still play a critical role in society today. Airborne law enforcement is one of the most important examples.

Content warning: This episode contains content that may be upsetting to some listeners, including descriptions of how helicopters have responded to real-life tragedies. While we feel the comments are essential in telling the complete story, listener discretion is advised. In our first series, we learnt about the history of vertical flight and discovered the key pioneers and revolutionary moments that created the rotorcraft industry we know today. In our second series, we learn more about the helicopter’s role in society, and how it helps overcome obstacles, protect the public and ultimately save lives. In this episode, we hear how an unforeseen consequence of the Vietnam War was the introduction of helicopters as civilian air ambulances. The arrival of thousands of young experienced helicopter pilots in need of a job helped drive the evolution of helicopter EMS in the US, offering their skills to rapidly transport patients to hospitals - massively increasing their chances of survival.