The Hangar Z Podcast

Episódios

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  Leadership & Trust: The power of consistency with Delaware State Police part 1 | Ep 386 17.09.2026 1h 8min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special two-part series, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely are joined by Vertical Plus editor-at-large Brent Bundy and Delaware State Police aviation commander Jeff Whitmarsh for a conversation about leadership, trust, and developing a high-performing multi-mission aviation unit. We break down the foundational frameworks driving excellence, including the pivotal reset that shifted J...
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  Wade Bourassa’s blueprint for smarter police aviation part 2 | 385 14.09.2026 46min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. Today’s episode was recorded at the Vertical Valor Plus booth, on the floor of APSCON in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We are honored to welcome Wade Bourassa, pilot and supervisor of the Saskatoon Police Aviation Unit. Wade is the 2026 recipient of the Airborne Public Safety Association's Robert L. Cormier Memorial Award, recognizing his extraordinary commitment to advancing law enforcement av...
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  Wade Bourassa’s blueprint for smarter police aviation part 1 | 384 10.09.2026 48min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. Today’s episode was recorded at the Vertical Valor Plus booth, on the floor of APSCON in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We are honored to welcome Wade Bourassa, pilot and supervisor of the Saskatoon Police Aviation Unit. Wade is the 2026 recipient of the Airborne Public Safety Association's Robert L. Cormier Memorial Award, recognizing his extraordinary commitment to advancing law enforcement av...
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  Data, Fatigue & Innovation: Joel Smith on Building Hero Aviation part 2 | 383 09.09.2026 1h 7min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special two-part series, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely are joined by L.A. City Fire Department (LAFD) pilot and safety officer Joel Smith for an inside look at the high-stakes world of LAFD Air Operations. Joel breaks down the tactical precision and intense training required to battle massive, wind-driven California wildfires like the Palisades in the Leonardo AW139, navigate ex...
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  Flying the Frontlines: Inside L.A. City Fire with Pilot Joel Smith part 1 | 382 09.09.2026 1h 2min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special two-part series, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely are joined by L.A. City Fire Department (LAFD) pilot and safety officer Joel Smith for an inside look at the high-stakes world of LAFD Air Operations. Joel breaks down the tactical precision and intense training required to battle massive, wind-driven California wildfires like the Palisades in the Leonardo AW139, navigate ex...
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  Tactical Labs, Zero Ego, Real Training: Why ECHO 2026 Is a Must-Attend | Bonus 28.08.2026 48min

  Welcome to this special joint episode of the Hangar Z Podcast and the Valor Flight Crew Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special episode, Jon Gray of Hangar Z and Blake Shrider and Mike Fadale of the Valor Flight Crew, preview the 2026 ECHO Public Safety Aviation Conference. High-quality public safety aviation training doesn’t need a massive price tag. The 2026 ECHO Public Safety Aviation Conference is heading to Philadelphia Sept. 20 to 23 at the ...
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  How Blades of Valor Turned a Vision Into a Powerful Public Safety Story Part 2 | Ep 381 27.08.2026 1h 7min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. We're glad you're with us, because today we're pulling back the curtain on one of our favorite projects of the year—the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour through Florida. For this special episode, we've brought together the entire team that made the tour possible. Joining us are editor-at-large and photographer Brent Bundy; photographer and videographer Scott Kellerman; my co-host, Jon G...
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  How Blades of Valor Turned a Vision Into a Powerful Public Safety Story Part I | Ep 380 24.08.2026 1h 6min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. We're glad you're with us, because today we're pulling back the curtain on one of our favorite projects of the year—the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour through Florida. For this special episode, we've brought together the entire team that made the tour possible. Joining us are editor-at-large and photographer Brent Bundy; photographer and videographer Scott Kellerman; my co-host, Jon G...
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  Nicholas Ianiero - APSCON 2026 - Maintainer of the Year | Ep 379 20.08.2026 1h 12min

  Welcome to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by HeliCASTS and in partnership with Valor Plus. For this episode of Hangar Z, 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. Nicolas shares the journey that took him from aspiring pilot to licensed aircraft...
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  Todd Jager Shares the Hard-Earned Lessons That Changed Aviation Tactics Part 3 of 3 | Ep 378 17.08.2026 1h 13min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. This is a three-part podcast! Make sure you listen to all three. Today, we're honored to welcome retired San Diego Police Department Chief Pilot Todd Jager. Todd is a true aviation professional with more than 10,000 hours of rotorcraft flight time, over 1,000 hours in fixed-wing aircraft, and more than 4,100 hours as a Tactical Flight Officer. Throughout his remarkable career, Todd p...
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  Todd Jager Shares the Hard-Earned Lessons That Changed Aviation Tactics Part 2 of 3 | Ep 377 13.08.2026 1h 14min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. This is a three-part podcast! Make sure you listen to all three. Today, we're honored to welcome retired San Diego Police Department Chief Pilot Todd Jager. Todd is a true aviation professional with more than 10,000 hours of rotorcraft flight time, over 1,000 hours in fixed-wing aircraft, and more than 4,100 hours as a Tactical Flight Officer. Throughout his remarkable career, Todd pla...
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  Todd Jager Shares the Hard-Earned Lessons That Changed Aviation Tactics Part 1 of 3 | Ep 376 10.08.2026 1h 14min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. This is a three-part podcast! Make sure you listen to all three. Today, we're honored to welcome retired San Diego Police Department Chief Pilot Todd Jager. Todd is a true aviation professional with more than 10,000 hours of rotorcraft flight time, over 1,000 hours in fixed-wing aircraft, and more than 4,100 hours as a Tactical Flight Officer. Throughout his remarkable career, To...
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  Over the black ocean: Teamwork, determination, and the rescue of 3 survivors Part 2 | Ep 375 06.08.2026 1h 6min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and Valor Plus. On today's episode, we're honored to welcome Deputy Jonathan Lazada and Deputy Chase Gomez of the Indian River County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit. Jonathan and Chase are the recipients of the Airborne Public Safety Association's Aircrew of the Year Award, as well as the FLIR Vision Award in the Life Saving category, recognizing their extraordinary efforts during a search that ultimately saved three ...
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  Over the black ocean: Teamwork, determination, and the rescue of 3 survivors Part I | Ep 374 03.08.2026 1h 9min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and Valor Plus. On today's episode, we're honored to welcome Deputy Jonathan Lazada and Deputy Chase Gomez of the Indian River County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit. Jonathan and Chase are the recipients of the Airborne Public Safety Association's Aircrew of the Year Award, as well as the FLIR Vision Award in the Life Saving category, recognizing their extraordinary efforts during a search that ultimately saved three ...
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  How Has Modesto’s New Air Unit Made a Positive Impact on Public Safety? Part 2 | Ep 373 27.07.2026 1h 10min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this episode we are heading to Modesto, California, to hear how a brand-new air support unit was built from the ground up, and how it’s already changing the way the department fights crime, protects officers, and serves the community. Lt Mike Hicks and Lt Kalani Souza were both involved from the opening decision to start an air unit. They share the process and the many challeng...
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  How Has Modesto’s New Air Unit Made a Positive Impact on Public Safety? Part 1 | Ep 372 23.07.2026 1h 12min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this episode we are heading to Modesto, California, to hear how a brand-new air support unit was built from the ground up, and how it’s already changing the way the department fights crime, protects officers, and serves the community. Lt Mike Hicks and Lt Kalani Souza were both involved from the opening decision to start an air unit. They share the process and the many challeng...
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  What makes a tactical training legacy last for over 25 years? Part 2 | Ep 371 20.07.2026 56min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special two-part series, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely are joined by Clay Lacey of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Harald Brink of the Dutch National Police to explore the 25-plus-year legacy of Jack Schonely’s tactical training. From individual officer safety to agency-wide operations, Jack’s framework for apprehending fleeing suspects has become a g...
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  What makes a tactical training legacy last for over 25 years? Part 1 | Ep 370 16.07.2026 52min

  Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. In this special two-part series, hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely are joined by Clay Lacey of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Harald Brink of the Dutch National Police to explore the 25-plus-year legacy of Jack Schonely’s tactical training. From individual officer safety to agency-wide operations, Jack’s framework for apprehending fleeing suspects has become a g...
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  Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Air Unit: Longline rescue and air support part 2 | EP 369 13.07.2026 1h 5min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. On today's episode, we're taking you to California's Central Valley as we visit the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office Air Support Unit. Joining us are Deputy AJ Nikkel and Deputy Tyler Liburdi, who both serve as pilots and tactical flight officers. We'll explore the fascinating evolution of their aviation unit—from its beginnings as a volunteer organization to the professional ...
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  Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Air Unit: Longline rescue and air support part 1 | EP 368 09.07.2026 1h 7min

  Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. On today's episode, we're taking you to California's Central Valley as we visit the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office Air Support Unit. Joining us are Deputy AJ Nikkel and Deputy Tyler Liburdi, who both serve as pilots and tactical flight officers. We'll explore the fascinating evolution of their aviation unit—from its beginnings as a volunteer organization to the professional ...