The Vertical MRO Podcast
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, where we explore the fascinating world of helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul. Our episodes feature MRO experts who share invaluable tribal knowledge and stories that are sure to inspire current and aspiring industry maintainers.
Episodes
Welcome to another episode of Vertical MRO Tech Talk presented by Bell.
In this episode of Vertical MRO Tech Talk presented by Bell, host Jon Gray continues the conversation on autopilot systems with Dawn Lehto and Tad Morley. This time, focusing on the Bell 407 Autopilot Flight Control System (AFCS) discussion. Building on the system overview from Part I, the team takes a deeper dive into troubleshooting common autopilot is...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus
What does one of the world's greatest endurance athletes have to teach the aviation maintenance industry? More than you might expect.
In this episode of Vertical MRO, hosts Jon Gray and David Kreutzkamp welcome James Lawrence, better known as the Iron Cowboy, ahead of his keynote presentation at the 2026 Vertical MRO Confere...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
For this episode of Vertical MRO, recorded live at APSCON 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely sit down with Nicolas Ianiero, aircraft maintenance engineer with Canadian Helicopters supporting the York Regional Police Air Support Unit and the recipient of the 2026 APSA Technician of the Year Award.
Nico...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In Part II of their conversation with aviation leader Ray Bennett, hosts Ronnie Ries and Faith Ortega take a deeper look at how the aviation industry responds when safety is put to the test.
Drawing on firsthand experience supporting operators through major industry events, Ray shares his perspective on accident response, c...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
For this episode of Vertical MRO, hosts Ronnie Ries and Faith Ortega sit down with aviation leader Ray Bennett for a conversation about the people, values, and experiences that shape safety in aviation.
Drawing from a career that spans operators, maintenance organizations, manufacturers, and industry leadership roles, Ray r...
Welcome to Vertical MRO Alerts, presented by Bell!
In this Alert, Bell 429 Product Support Engineering Lead Sebastien Rousseau discusses Alert Service Bulletin 429-26-74, which introduces a one-time inspection of certain Bell 429 main rotor mast assemblies for machining marks on the inner diameter.
Sebastien explains Bell's investigation that these machining marks can affect mast fatigue life, and the required actions...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In Part II of their conversation, Jon Gray, Howie, and Reinaldo Caceres of Nabu Pro shift their focus to one of aviation maintenance's biggest long-term challenges: preserving knowledge before it leaves the industry.
As experienced maintainers retire, decades of troubleshooting experience, operational lessons, and hard-earn...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
For this episode of Vertical MRO, host Jon Gray and co-host Howie sit down with Reinaldo Caceres, founder and CEO of Nabu Pro, to explore how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape aviation operations and maintenance.
A commercial pilot turned technology entrepreneur, Reinaldo shares the journey that led him from t...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In Part II of this conversation, Ronnie continues the discussion with Mike Kunkel of PG&E on the realities of building and sustaining a just culture in aviation operations.
The episode focuses on the challenges organizations face when trying to move from compliance-driven safety programs toward environments buil...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In this episode, Ronnie sits down with Mike Kunkel, safety management system program manager at PG&E, to discuss his path through aviation and the experiences that shaped his approach to safety leadership.
The conversation begins with Mike’s early flying experiences in Alaska and his time supporting law en...
Welcome to another episode of Vertical MRO Tech Talk presented by Bell.
In this episode of Vertical MRO Tech Talk presented by Bell, host Jon Gray is joined by Greg Judd, along with Gabriel Leveille and Jason Estaphan, to discuss the Garmin G1000. This conversation provides a deeper understanding of how the system can directly support maintainers in their day-to-day work. As avionics platforms continue to evolve, systems lik...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
For this episode, Jon Gray sits down with Don Lockie of Aviation Resources Group and Peter Van Dael, product manager at Navi-Gate, for a live conversation recorded on the show floor at Verticon 2025.
While logistics often happens behind the scenes, it plays a critical role in keeping aircraft, components, and maintenance op...
Welcome to Vertical MRO Alerts, presented by Bell!
In this Alert, Product Support Engineering (PSE) Manager Marc Dubé is joined by Gilbert Gaudreault, 407 PSE Lead, to discuss the release of Garmin G1000H NXi Software 24 and the associated service directives issued for Bell 407GXi operators.
Marc and Gilbert explain why Bell released an Alert Service Bulletin for certain aircraft equipped with two-axis and three-axis autopilo...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
Recorded live during the 2025 Vertical MRO conference, this panel discussion explores what continues to attract people to the helicopter maintenance industry—and what the industry must do to support the next generation of maintainers.
Featuring insights from Dale Martel of Okanagan College, Mike Broderick of HeliDoc, ...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In this episode of Vertical MRO, recorded live as part of the Blades of Valor 2026 tour, hosts Jon and Jack sit down with Jerry Zsigo, aircraft maintenance technician with Miami Dade Air Rescue.
Jerry shares what it takes to maintain aircraft in one of the most demanding environments in aviation—South Florida&...
The Vertical MRO Podcast continues its special Flying Bulls conversation with Anthony Hill and Werner Horvath from the Red Bull Flying Bulls.
Following Vertical MRO’s milestone 100th episode, hosts Jon Gray and Faith Ortega reconnect for part II with the Flying Bulls technical team in Salzburg, Austria, while recording from the Vertical MRO studio.
Anthony and Werner take a deeper dive into the realities of maintaining and rest...
The Vertical MRO Podcast welcomes Anthony Hill and Werner Horvath from the Red Bull Flying Bulls.
To celebrate episode 100 we recorded remotely with the Red Bull Flying Bulls maintenance team, they were on the floor of Hangar 7 in Salzburg, Austria, we participated from our studio.
Anthony Hill and Werner Horvat join hosts Jon Gray and Faith Ortega for a wide‑ranging conversation about what it takes to keep one of the...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In this episode of Vertical MRO, hosts Jack and Jon sit down with Thomas Edison, director of maintenance for the Broward Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit.
Thomas shares his path into aviation maintenance and what it takes to support mission-critical aircraft in a law enforcement environment, where uptime directly impacts operat...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
Recorded live in Kelowna during the 2025 conference, this episode of Vertical MRO features a panel discussion with Don Lockie of ARG Aviation Resources Group—returning to the podcast—and John Ross, logistics supervisor at Eagle Copters Maintenance Ltd.
Together, they break down the realities of cross-bor...
Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Vertical Plus.
In this special crossover episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, we team up with the hosts of Cancelled for Maintenance—Six and MBP—for a conversation that brings the fixed-wing and rotor world together.
What starts as a simple collaboration quickly turns into a deeper look at the shared realities of aviation main...
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