Volo Mission aims to combine structured skillset training with a focus on human factors to deliver the highest level of training for the utility helicopter industry. Volo Mission Photo
In January 2013, Los Angeles Helicopters partner Andre Hutchings and LAH President Kimberly Hutchings chose to leave LAH in order to focus exclusively on the external-load/utility industry. Together they have created Volo Mission, a training company that focuses exclusively on educating, training, and informing the external-load/utility industry.
“Our main mission is to educate in all aspects of the external-load/utility industry in order to help create and promote a safer environment for all that work amongst it. We are not limiting our training and education to just pilots, or just firefighting, or just flight training. We truly believe a well informed, well prepared, and well trained industry, means a safer industry for everyone,” explains CEO Kimberly Hutchings.
Andre was mastermind and creator of the former LAH longline course that catered to commercial pilots seeking to learn vertical reference and longline skills. The decision to separate from LAH and focus solely on the utility industry was difficult for Andre because he spent close to 14 years with his partners growing LAH to be the premier flight school it is known to be. However, balancing the challenges of a flight school and career in the heavy lift industry left little time for Andre to implement new ideas and additional training exercises.
With a combination of Andre’s experience working in the utility industry for 19 years and Kimberly’s research pertaining to helicopter Part 133 (external-load/longline) accidents while obtaining her Master’s degree from Embry-Riddle in Aeronautical Science with specializations in Human Factors and Safety Systems, it became obvious to them just how important it was to focus on informing, educating, and training this sector of the helicopter industry.
Volo Mission will offer training and education for the entire utility industry, not just pilots. Volo Mission Photo
“Even though the LAH VR/longline course had been one of the most demanding and difficult training programs, based on decades of learning, experience, and working in the utility sector, we believed we could do better. By applying more focus and emphasis on human factors with a combination of structured skillset training, Volo Mission will take training and education to the next level. We are no longer focusing solely on training individual pilots for their next career advancement, our focus is now on training the entire utility industry. This includes government agencies, military, and companies working VR and longline, as well as, experienced pilots, ground crew, and managers,” says Andre.
In order to have the ability to expand in all areas of training and provide customers with the best instruction possible, Volo Mission will be relocating from its current location at a five-acre training site in Perris Valley, CA to a 38-acre training site approximately an hour from Dallas, TX. The move to the new location will kick off 2016 with a special helicopter fire-training seminar in February. The fire seminar will become an annual event with guest speakers and representatives from helicopter utility equipment companies.
For more information on Volo Mission or the special annual helicopter fire-training seminar that’s coming up, contact info@volomission.com.
