Episode #126 - Taming the Alps: Daniel Aufdenblatten of Air Zermatt - The Helicopter Podcast

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Welcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical
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Buckle up for an unforgettable in-person episode of The
Helicopter Podcast, recorded live at Verticon, with your host
Halsey Schider and co-host Jon Gray, the voice behind the Hangar
Z Podcast!

Today's guest, Air Zermatt CEO Daniel Aufdenblatten, takes them
on a wild ride through his remarkable life in aviation, starting
from his childhood in the shadow of Zermatt’s towering Swiss
Alps, where helicopters were the lifeline of the mountains.
Daniel recounts his bold move to the U.S., diving headfirst into
flight training at Hillsboro Aviation (now Hillsboro Heli
Academy) and racking up a jaw-dropping 1,800 hours in just two
years with three companies.

Daniel shares a laugh-out-loud story about his Air Zermatt job
interview that landed him a role with one of the world’s premier
helicopter operations. He describes the steep learning curve of
long-line work in an Airbus AStar (AS350 B2), including a
heart-pounding tale of slinging concrete to a remote site,
pushing the helicopter to the edge of its envelope. Daniel shares
about the intensity of flying with night vision goggles (NVGs) in
Switzerland’s pitch-black rural nights, and offers insights on
building self-confidence and embracing patience while mastering
new challenges.

Don't miss this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, packed with
humor, heart, and the kind of rotor talk that will leave you
inspired!

Thank you to our sponsors Precision Aviation Group, Vertical
Aviation International and Hillsboro Heli Academy.

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