The Hangar Z Podcast

Welcome back to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. 
We’re excited to be on the third stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour, coming to you from the beautiful state of Florida.

The Blades of Valor Tour spotlights public safety aviation units recognized for outstanding service, and celebrates those who go above and beyond. We aim to promote the good work these agencies do and highlight the standard of excellence they set. 
Thank you to the 2026 Blades of Valor sponsor, Switlik, and the support of Massif Flight Suits. Without your sponsorship and support, this tour would not be possible.
These teams serve as the benchmark for the public aviation community. Our mission is to share their stories of unwavering commitment, courage, innovative leadership, teamwork, and technological innovation from agencies setting the standard in public safety aviation, inspiring others to raise the bar in service and safety.

Today’s episode was recorded inside the hangar at Miami-Dade Fire Air Rescue, and we’re joined by Capt Jason Vanbuskirk and pilot Alberto Camacho. We’ll dive into the recent regional fly-in held at the base, a Vertical Valor Plus air-to-air photo and video shoot that included the department’s Marine Unit, and an in-depth overview of air rescue operations.

You’ll also hear a detailed description of the Leonardo AW139, from crew makeup and mission sets to the equipment that makes these missions possible. And of course, we’ll talk about the incredibly diverse area of operations, spanning dense urban environments, the Everglades, and open water.

This is another great discussion on mission readiness and the training required to stay current in a wide variety of skillsets.

Many thanks to Vertical Valor Plus, and all our sponsors, for making this Blades of Valor Tour possible. This is a one-of-a-kind tour that includes photography, videography, print, and podcasting. Stayed tuned for lots of original content in the weeks and months ahead. 
Thank you to our sponsors CENTUM, Dallas Avionics and Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch.

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. 

We are on our first stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour. This is our third annual tour, and we are excited to be in the great state of Florida.
 
Today we are with Lt Pilot Drew Nicoletti and Pilot Ron Bloezer from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit. Both are military veterans who bring that experience to one of the most versatile aviation units in the country. We'll take a deep dive into the Bell 429 and why it's such an outstanding platform for the wide range of missions this unit must be ready to handle.
 
The conversation also covers how the aviation unit works closely with specialized teams including SWAT, K9, and Marine units, the extensive training cycle required to stay sharp across so many skill sets, and what emergency preparedness in Florida really looks like-from daily operations to major natural disasters. 

This is a great discussion on mission readiness, teamwork, aviation done right, so let’s get started.
Thank you to our sponsors CNC Technologies, Precision Aviation Group and Spectrolab.

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. 

We are on our first stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour. This is our third annual tour, and we are excited to be in the great state of Florida.
 
Today we are with Lt Pilot Drew Nicoletti and Pilot Ron Bloezer from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit. Both are military veterans who bring that experience to one of the most versatile aviation units in the country. We'll take a deep dive into the Bell 429 and why it's such an outstanding platform for the wide range of missions this unit must be ready to handle.
 
The conversation also covers how the aviation unit works closely with specialized teams including SWAT, K9, and Marine units, the extensive training cycle required to stay sharp across so many skill sets, and what emergency preparedness in Florida really looks like-from daily operations to major natural disasters. 

This is a great discussion on mission readiness, teamwork, aviation done right, so let’s get started.
Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Rotorcraft Support and Spectrolab.

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Magazine.
In these episodes, Hangar Z hosts Jack Schonely and Jon Gray are joined by pilot Scott Hines and tactical flight officer (TFO) Alex Marti from the Fort Worth Police Department’s Aviation Unit. 

Scott brings a deep aviation background as an U.S. Army aviator who flew the Bell OH-58D Kiowa, completing two combat tours in Iraq, before later transitioning to Black Hawks with the National Guard and flying medevac for Air Methods. That experience ultimately led him to Fort Worth PD. 

Alex is also an Army veteran who joined Fort Worth PD and worked his way into aviation, first serving as a reserve TFO before earning a full-time position in the unit. 

Together, we dig into changing the culture within an aviation unit, the challenges and wins of developing and formalizing a TFO program, operating the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, and share impactful experiences flying over Fort Worth. Along the way, we also take a deep dive into the OH-58D Kiowa, its capabilities, and why it left such a lasting impression on those who flew it.

Please take a moment to like and subscribe to the Hangar Z Podcast. We appreciate your support.
Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Summit Aviation and Technisonic Industries Limited.

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Magazine.
In these episodes, Hangar Z hosts Jack Schonely and Jon Gray are joined by pilot Scott Hines and tactical flight officer (TFO) Alex Marti from the Fort Worth Police Department’s Aviation Unit. 

Scott brings a deep aviation background as an U.S. Army aviator who flew the Bell OH-58D Kiowa, completing two combat tours in Iraq, before later transitioning to Black Hawks with the National Guard and flying medevac for Air Methods. That experience ultimately led him to Fort Worth PD. 

Alex is also an Army veteran who joined Fort Worth PD and worked his way into aviation, first serving as a reserve TFO before earning a full-time position in the unit. 

Together, we dig into changing the culture within an aviation unit, the challenges and wins of developing and formalizing a TFO program, operating the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, and share impactful experiences flying over Fort Worth. Along the way, we also take a deep dive into the OH-58D Kiowa, its capabilities, and why it left such a lasting impression on those who flew it.

Please take a moment to like and subscribe to the Hangar Z Podcast. We appreciate your support.
Thank you to our sponsors Rotorcraft Support, Inc., Summit Aviation and Trakka Systems.