Skywheels Test Pilot Greg Bradley

12/22/20 • 32 min

(December 22, 2020) In September, Skywheels Rotor Systems completed flight tests. Test pilot Greg Bradley put the new blades through their paces and goes over flight maneuvers and data acquired. Receive firsthand information about new rotor blade performance and flight characteristics.

Previous Episode

Skywheels Founder Jim McCutchen

(December 7, 2020) Jim McCutchen began manufacturing McCutchen Skywheels rotor blades in 1985. Following a successful run until 2001, his company manufactured 6,000 rotor blades. To put that into perspective, if you placed the rotor blades end-to-end, they would stretch 17-miles long. That's a lot of rotor blades. During his time of ownership, Jim did considerable research and testing. Our podcast begins with an update from Skywheels President Joe Covelli. Joe details his goal in bringing Skywheels back on the market and manufactured again to match the original McCutchen Skywheels rotor blades for their safety and performance characteristics. The goal was met in the summer and fall of 2020 during test flights by two pilots who confirmed the new rotor blade sets had the same flight performance characteristics as the originals.

Next Episode

Skywheels Stability with Former Owner Jim Lezie

(January 12, 2021) Jim Lezie owned Skywheels Rotor Systems from 2001 to 2018. He is a seasoned veteran of rotorcraft. Jim’s been around rotors for years as a pilot in both the California Air National Guard and a military service member. When ABC Network News was looking for expert comment on the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash in 2020, they called and interviewed Jim Lezie. Jim was extensively involved with new owner Joe Covelli in the Skywheels transition, and ultimately bringing the product back into manufacturing and on the market again. In this podcast, Jim offers a great perspective on Skywheels and its stable and reliable performance. You will enjoy listening to his comments and perspective.