R44 Helicopter Pilot Stories: Delivering Supplies After Hurricane Helene

Max talks with John Kinard of AeroLuxe Aviation, based in Nashville, which operates a fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including R44 and R22 helicopters. Following Hurricane Helene, the company became involved in relief efforts after seeing the devastation in North Carolina. John contacted the Ashville, NC EOC, and was told that help wasn’t needed. Nonetheless, AeroLux decided to fly three R44 helicopters to the disaster area to see how them might assist. The helicopters operated out of a base at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Asheville, which had been converted into a command center. Immediately after arriving, the team began delivering supplies to isolated communities cut off by flooding and landslides. They navigated challenging mountainous terrain, landing directly in confined areas to deliver food, water, and medical supplies. The team also saw firsthand the extensive damage, including multimillion-dollar homes washed away by floods. Despite hot, difficult conditions, AeroLuxe flew daily missions, carrying food and supplies. The company spent five days flying relief missions, and John emphasized the satisfaction of helping people in need. AeroLuxe is already looking at ways they may help this week with Hurricane Milton in Florida. If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Patreon. Support the Show by buying a Lightspeed ANR Headsets Max has been using only Lightspeed headsets for nearly 25 years! I love their tradeup program that let's you trade in an older Lightspeed headset for a newer model. Start with one of the links below, and Lightspeed will pay a referral fee to support Aviation News Talk. Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset $1199 Lightspeed Zulu 3 Headset $899 Lightspeed Sierra Headset $699 My Review on the Lightspeed Delta Zulu Send us your feedback or comments via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Mentioned on the Show AeroLuxe Aviation Operation Airdrop Hurricane Helene Relief Operation Airdrop Facebook Page AERObridge website AERObridge Facebook Page Hope on Short Final North Carolina Airports Association NBAA Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator database GoCajunNavy.org Buy Max Trescott’s G1000 Book Call 800-247-6553 Buy Max Trescott’s G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553 Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we’ll make a couple of dollars if you do. Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android. Check out Max’s Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/ Social Media Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook Follow Max on Instagram Follow Max on Twitter Listen to all Aviation News Talk podcasts on YouTube or YouTube Premium "Go Around" song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.