Mark Huber

Mark Huber is a public policy analyst and aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, turbine business aircraft, and transport category aircraft. Since 1985, his defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

Articles by Mark Huber

• Controlled burns: Safety changes on the horizon for helicopters

  ​Good news. The past July — typically the worst month of the year for helicopter accidents — was…

  Thursday, September 15, 2016

• Russia: The next HEMS growth market

  The success of the helicopter EMS model in the U.S. is prompting its emulation worldwide. While many…

  Friday, August 12, 2016

• Drone day afternoon: A closer look at the FAA’s new rules

  We'll soon see if the new FAA drone rules — the much heralded ​Part 107 — will bring some sky sanity…

  Friday, July 15, 2016

• Medicare can actually push HEMS toward rationality

  Many would argue that the helicopter air ambulance industry in the U.S. as currently constructed is economically…

  Friday, June 24, 2016

• The party may soon be over for air medical companies

  If you couldn't tell by the score, you could tell by the song. On the old television broadcasts of "Monday…

  Thursday, June 09, 2016

• Applying aviation risk factors to medicine

  ​Aviation and medicine have a lot in common. They both require the ability to master a body of knowledge…

  Thursday, May 26, 2016

• Bad attitudes lead to bad medicine

  A friend had been suffering with abdominal pain and related gastrointestinal issues for weeks. He tried…

  Friday, May 13, 2016

• The end of ER diversions

  ​The problem of emergency room overcrowding is not new. It creates a chain of failure, particularly…

  Thursday, April 28, 2016

• Sleepless flights: ICAO working on pilot fatigue guidelines

  ​Word from Montreal is that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — that august repository…

  Friday, April 15, 2016

• Get ready for more rotorcraft regulation

  A stagnant fatal accident rate combined with pressure from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)…

  Thursday, March 31, 2016

• Thinking small could yield big results

  ​If you attended the Heli-Expo show earlier this month in Louisville, you got to see snow as well as…

  Thursday, March 17, 2016

• Painfully participating in North Dakota

  ​Over the last year, there has been a barrage of negative stories in both the state and national media…

  Thursday, March 03, 2016

• No, we have not failed

  The current issue of Rotor & Wing features a photo of crumpled helicopter wreckage on the cover beneath…

  Friday, February 12, 2016

• A helicopter noise standoff in Los Angeles

  The subject of helicopter noise in the Los Angeles Basin is an emotional topic for those on both sides…

  Friday, February 05, 2016

• Is IFR for everyone really the answer?

  ​Last year, a coalition of industry trade groups released a white paper advocating easier instrument…

  Thursday, January 21, 2016

• Don’t rule out vertical lift just yet

  ​It didn't take long for the chattering class to start writing the obituary for the AgustaWestland…

  Friday, January 08, 2016

• Simulation in HEMS benefits everyone

  Hats off to University of Michigan Survival Flight nurses Chad Stoller and Jeff Thomas for winning this…

  Thursday, December 10, 2015

• FAA working to bring big changes to helicopter safety

  In November, the FAA announced it has tasked the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee's (ARAC) Rotorcraft…

  Friday, December 04, 2015

• Mental hygiene: Can regulations prevent the next Germanwings tragedy?

  ​So when exactly is someone too mentally unstable to be trusted with the flight controls of an aircraft?…

  Friday, November 20, 2015

• Smile for the camera: Cockpit recorders are here to stay

  ​Surveillance cameras are everywhere today — where we shop, live, work and drive. In our post-9/11…

  Thursday, November 05, 2015

• Decide or die: The use of EDP in difficult weather conditions

  ​For a number of years now, the National EMS Pilots Association has been promoting an idea its calls…

  Thursday, October 22, 2015

• Safety is not just a priority — it’s a core value

  Robert Sumwalt has been a member of the National Transportation Safety Board since 2006. Prior to joining…

  Thursday, October 08, 2015

• Saturation nation: Are we nearing the end of HEMS fleet expansion?

  ​Is the expansion party over for helicopter EMS? Increasingly, the tea leaves are pointing in that…

  Thursday, September 24, 2015

• Everyone benefits from tactical medical training

  It was a warm summer afternoon. I pulled into the hotel parking lot and immediately noticed something…

  Thursday, September 10, 2015

• Small steps to help out first responders

  Are you doing things that make it more difficult for first responders? The issue recently came up in…

  Thursday, August 27, 2015

• Hot offloading for heart patients

  When and when not to "hot offload" a patient — in other words ingress or egress with the main helicopter…

  Friday, August 07, 2015

• Green is the new black for Ornge pilots

  A rather public debate has been raging all summer up in Ontario with regard to what are safe nighttime…

  Friday, July 24, 2015

• The perfect storm for a pilot shortage: Part III

  The declining number of retired military pilots entering civil aviation, coupled with the potentially-crippling…

  Friday, July 10, 2015

• The perfect storm for a pilot shortage: Part II

  The U.S. civil aviation industry has long relied on the military to train a good share of its pilots…

  Thursday, July 02, 2015

• The perfect storm for a pilot shortage: Part I

  For years, we’ve heard much about the coming helicopter pilot shortage, brought on in no small part…

  Friday, June 26, 2015

• The decision to fly — How do you make it?

  Determining when to launch — and when not to — is the most fundamental and consequential decision…

  Thursday, June 11, 2015

• 3 exciting innovations that impact the EMS community

  There has been lots of news on the technology front in the last few weeks. Here is a look at three innovative…

  Friday, May 29, 2015

• Nurse’s death highlights risky nature of hoisting operations

  ​It's happened again. Another EMS rescuer has plunged to her death during a hoisting operation. ​This…

  Friday, May 15, 2015

• New Mexico police shape up after fatal helicopter crash

  The National Transportation Safety Board has taken state police forces to task for a series of fatal…

  Friday, May 01, 2015

• Air Methods making big moves in HEMS industry

  I've always liked company executives who make big moves and have a passion and a vision for their business.…

  Friday, April 17, 2015

• Will the government finally stop short‑changing HEMS providers?

  It's no secret that the federal and state governments short-change helicopter EMS providers when it comes…

  Thursday, April 02, 2015

• 7 ways to make helicopter operations safer

  ​The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) is a volunteer organization that does excellent work…

  Friday, March 20, 2015

• New EMS sleep study to examine the effect of shift work

  Those of us who have ever worked rotating, overnight or long shift schedules know all too well the inherent…

  Friday, March 06, 2015

• Extreme sports or extremely stupid? Risk‑takers place burden on medical system

  ​Is it an extreme sport or just extremely stupid? That's the question I had after a recent PR blurb…

  Friday, February 20, 2015

• SAR privatization good for UK, other countries

  The U.K. is embarking on an experiment that will see much of the helicopter search-and-rescue missions…

  Friday, February 06, 2015

• How a British HEMS company survives as a nonprofit

  ​Well, it looks like Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, will start flying helicopter EMS…

  Friday, January 23, 2015

• Let’s call ‘lasing’ helicopters what it really is: Attempted murder

  ​The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund published its annual compilation of officers killed…

  Friday, January 09, 2015

• Should doctors fly in helicopters?

  Few aeromedical programs feature a physician aboard the aircraft. But should they? And is this worth…

  Wednesday, December 17, 2014

• EMS crews need to think like Aaron Rodgers

  ​An EMS crew can learn a lot from a top-performing NFL quarterback. For the last five weeks, my beloved…

  Thursday, December 11, 2014

• Alaska is a deadly place to fly

  Flying in Alaska is a whole different cat. I've done it exactly once. It was both awe-inspiring and occasionally…

  Monday, December 01, 2014

• When bad things happen to good organizations

  ​I recently spent several months looking into a rather baffling fatal helicopter accident. A well-trained…

  Friday, November 14, 2014

• In helicopter EMS, it’s the crew that’s golden

  What is the main benefit of helicopter EMS? Most everyone would say the time it cuts in getting patients…

  Friday, October 31, 2014

• Civil HEMS finally arrives in China

  A couple of months ago, I asked the CEO of a helicopter manufacturer why it was taking so long for the…

  Friday, October 17, 2014

• USHST looking for volunteers to help improve helicopter safety

  ​The ​United States Helicopter Safety Team is looking for a few good men and women to join its Implementation…

  Friday, October 03, 2014

• When drones attack: FAA must act soon on unmanned aircraft

  This was inevitable. Last month a drone conflicted with the operation of an EMS helicopter in Dayton,…

  Thursday, September 18, 2014

• ‘Gray Bird 333’ comes through during Ebola epidemic

  Concern over the recent Ebola virus epidemic recently focused the global media spotlight on obscure Cartersville,…

  Friday, September 05, 2014

• Boom in helicopter leasing is good news for medevac industry

  ​The stampede to cash in on the burgeoning deepwater offshore energy market has spawned a series of…

  Friday, August 22, 2014

• Benefits of FBW extend to helicopter medevacs

  Pilots undoubtedly know what Fly-By-Wire is: An aircraft system whereby a pilot makes control inputs…

  Friday, August 08, 2014

• Blades inside the cabin: The next step in air medical services

  Earlier this year I wrote about the growing trend of performing airborne blood transfusions on trauma…

  Friday, July 25, 2014

• Group therapy: Close-call stories help improve flight safety

  The Center for Medical Transport Research will hold its annual Safety Story Workshop from Oct. 22-24…

  Friday, July 11, 2014

• Are fixed-wing aircraft the right fix for patient transport?

  While there will always be a need for helicopter EMS, particularly in urban areas, the industry is increasingly…

  Thursday, June 26, 2014

• Prince William shouldn’t scratch his piloting itch

  It's been a year since Britain's Prince William walked away from the cockpit, piloting search-and-rescue…

  Friday, June 13, 2014

• Sounds in the night: Flying in the middle of nowhere

  ​I live in the area of the United States that can be charitably called the middle of nowhere. Step…

  Friday, May 30, 2014

• Helicopter safety and the sleepy summertime blues

  Summer — the fat season for helicopter EMS — is quickly approaching, and with it comes a spike in…

  Friday, May 16, 2014

• Vertically challenged: The rooftop helipad debate

  Rooftop helipads have always been controversial. The debate was triggered anew in March in Seattle, when…

  Friday, May 02, 2014

• Creating a culture of safety

  ​Organizations build a safety culture over time in large ways and small. In the hundreds of commercial…

  Thursday, April 17, 2014

• The little picture: How weather cameras impact flight safety

  ​Within the next few weeks, the FAA is expected to make a decision on whether to install aviation weather…

  Friday, April 04, 2014

• Helicopter safety improving, but progress still needed

  At the recent Heli-Expo convention, Air Methods' chief pilot Scott Tish stood next to an oversized flatscreen…

  Monday, March 24, 2014

• What the FAA’s rule change means for HEMS

  ​The FAA's exhaustive new final operations rule for helicopter air ambulance, commercial helicopter…

  Friday, March 07, 2014

• Balancing risk and reward for responders

  If you are at Heli-Expo Feb. 25-27 in Anaheim, Calif., check out Paul Ratté's safety presentation Feb.…

  Friday, February 21, 2014

• In California, a warning sign for future helicopter regulation

  California has long led the nation in many public policy trends, from mandating lower-emission automobiles…

  Friday, February 14, 2014

• Flying the box: The safety benefit of light helicopter simulators

  ​There was a time when only those pilots flying medium or heavy helicopters in the military or the…

  Friday, January 31, 2014

• Blood in the sky: The growing trend of transfusing patients in the air

  In December, the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) in Canada became the latest in a growing number of HEMS…

  Thursday, January 16, 2014

• Flying HEMS into Haiti

  ​The Caribbean nation of Haiti — the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere on half the island…

  Tuesday, January 07, 2014

• Handcuffing the crew: When rules and regulations get in the way

  ​We all need rules. Especially those of us who fly. The days of reckless barnstorming — especially…

  Monday, December 16, 2013

• Full tilt: The future of helicopter design leaning to propellers

  The future of helicopters is ... propellers! The Pentagon recently awarded initial development contracts…

  Thursday, December 12, 2013

• Point and shoot: Improving low-altitude navigation

  Expansion of low-altitude approaches, routes and weather stations/reporting devices are critical to improving…

  Tuesday, November 26, 2013

• Rx for HEMS: Faster and lower

  ​How low can you go? (And live.) That has been the perpetual question as the FAA continues to work…

  Friday, November 08, 2013

• Last act: Final days of a rural hospital

  ​It was the final, ignominious insult. Our little, local rural hospital had been abandoned, snapped…

  Friday, October 25, 2013

• The next big thing: U-EMS

  Over the last decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven their worth in military applications…

  Friday, October 11, 2013

• Flying into entropy

  The Affordable Care Act passed, people read it, and many still can’t fathom all that it implies, especially…

  Thursday, September 26, 2013

• Don’t demonize the machine

  In late August, another Eurocopter Super Puma crashed into the North Sea near the United Kingdom. Four…

  Friday, September 06, 2013

• Why your helicopter seat feels like a brick

  NASA is planning to drop-test a surplus Marine Corps CH-46 helicopter on Aug. 28 with the goal of gleaning…

  Monday, August 26, 2013

• Serving the public: Medevac services through Maryland State Police

  For the better part of a decade, my daily commute included a stretch on the 64-mile ring of paved terror…

  Friday, August 09, 2013

• Failure to communicate: Learning lessons from Ornge

  In July, Ontario's coroner released the results of his long-anticipated investigation into 40 patient…

  Friday, August 02, 2013

• Too fat to fly: Effect of weight on air medical transport

  When is a medevac crewmember simply too fat to fly?

  Friday, July 19, 2013

• EMS helicopters? Not in my backyard

  NIMBY — the acronym means "not in my back yard." People are all for new power lines, airports, factories,…

  Tuesday, July 02, 2013

• Just say no to MVFR

  Pilots by their nature are largely optimistic and dedicated to completing the mission, a trait that seems…

  Friday, June 21, 2013