The Hangar Z Podcast

How Glenn Daley's Experience Shapes Aviation Safety Part 3 | Ep 362 15.06.2026 1h 15min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Our guest is retired Lieutenant Glenn Daley of the New York City Police Department Aviation Unit. Glenn’s career in airborne law enforcement spans decades of service, leadership, instruction, and experience, that has taken him around the world. This conversation is powerful, emotional, educational, and, without question, one of the most important discussions we have had...

How Glenn Daley's Experience Shapes Aviation Safety Part 2 | Ep 361 11.06.2026 1h 6min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Our guest is retired Lieutenant Glenn Daley of the New York City Police Department Aviation Unit. Glenn’s career in airborne law enforcement spans decades of service, leadership, instruction, and experience, that has taken him around the world. This conversation is powerful, emotional, educational, and, without question, one of the most important discussions we have had...

How Glenn Daley's Experience Shapes Aviation Safety Part I | Ep 360 08.06.2026 1h 8min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Our guest is retired Lieutenant Glenn Daley of the New York City Police Department Aviation Unit. Glenn’s career in airborne law enforcement spans decades of service, leadership, instruction, and experience, that has taken him around the world. This conversation is powerful, emotional, educational, and, without question, one of the most important discussions we have had...

Inside SR3: Revolutionizing Rescue Training | Ep 359 04.06.2026 1h 8min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This episode was recorded live from the floor of VAI Verticon 2026 in Atlanta at the Vertical Plus booth. In this episode we catch up with two returning guests and highly respected rescue and aviation professionals, retired Las Vegas Metro officer and owner of SR3 Rescue Concepts, Dave Callen, along with longtime law enforcement pilot and SR3 instructor, Tony Weber. This...

Episode 358 - Blades of Valor Tour 2026: Inside Broward Sheriff's Office Part 3 01.06.2026 1h 1min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This three-part series comes to you from the hangar at Broward Sheriff's Office as part of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour, where we had the opportunity to interview Sgt Paul Seda and pilot Carl Spear. 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...

Episode 357 - Blades of Valor Tour 2026: Inside Broward Sheriff's Office Part 2 28.05.2026 1h 1min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This three-part series comes to you from the hangar at Broward Sheriff's Office as part of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour, where we had the opportunity to interview Sgt Paul Seda and pilot Carl Spear. 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...

Episode 356 - Blades of Valor Tour 2026: Inside Broward Sheriff's Office Part 1 25.05.2026 58min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This three-part series comes to you from the hangar at Broward Sheriff's Office as part of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour, where we had the opportunity to interview Sgt Paul Seda and pilot Carl Spear. 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...

Episode 355 - Trends in the Helicopter Industry Featuring Terry Miyauchi Part 2 21.05.2026 1h 14min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. In this two-part series of The Hangar Z Podcast, host Jon Gray is joined by OG co-host Jeff Ratkovich and industry veteran Terry Miyauchi. The conversation takes us on a deep dive into the evolving landscape of public safety aviation. Fresh off his transition from Bell to launching his own public-safety-focused consultancy, Terry helps unpack the global trends, leadership philosop...

Episode 354 - Trends in the Helicopter Industry Featuring Terry Miyauchi Part 1 18.05.2026 1h 12min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. In this two-part series of The Hangar Z Podcast, host Jon Gray is joined by OG co-host Jeff Ratkovich and industry veteran Terry Miyauchi. The conversation takes us on a deep dive into the evolving landscape of public safety aviation. Fresh off his transition from Bell to launching his own public-safety-focused consultancy, Terry helps unpack the global trends, leadership philosop...

Episode 353 - The Foundation of Honor: A Police Week Special with Craig Floyd Part 2 14.05.2026 1h 12min

Welcome to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This episode is being released during Police Week 2026, a time set aside to honor the brave men and women in law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others. It’s a week of reflection, remembrance, and gratitude for our fallen brothers and sisters. Today’s guest is someone who has dedicated much of his life to ensuring those sacrifices are never forgotten—Crai...

Episode 352 - The Foundation of Honor: A Police Week Special with Craig Floyd Part 1 11.05.2026 1h 11min

Welcome to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. This episode is being released during Police Week 2026, a time set aside to honor the brave men and women in law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others. It’s a week of reflection, remembrance, and gratitude for our fallen brothers and sisters. Today’s guest is someone who has dedicated much of his life to ensuring those sacrifices are never forgotten—Crai...

Episode 351 - Mike Durant: Blackhawk Down and Beyond Part 2 07.05.2026 1h 13min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Today, we are truly honored to be joined by Michael J. Durant—retired Chief Warrant Officer 4, Night Stalker, and MH-60 Black Hawk pilot—whose story is one of extraordinary courage, resilience, and unwavering determination. In this episode, Mike takes us all the way back to his very first flight in a helicopter—the moment that sparked a passion and set the course for a remark...

Episode 350 - Mike Durant: Blackhawk Down and Beyond Part 1 04.05.2026 1h 17min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Today, we are truly honored to be joined by Michael J. Durant—retired Chief Warrant Officer 4, Night Stalker, and MH-60 Black Hawk pilot—whose story is one of extraordinary courage, resilience, and unwavering determination. In this episode, Mike takes us all the way back to his very first flight in a helicopter—the moment that sparked a passion and set the course for a remark...

Episode 349 - APSCON 2026: What to Expect in Fort Lauderdale 30.04.2026 47min

This episode of The Hangar Z Podcast is brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. The Hangar Z Podcast welcomes Airborne Public Safety Association CEO/Executive Director Dan Schwarzbach, APSA President Dave Ellis and Broward Sheriff's Office Sergeant Paul Sada. In this episode of The Hangar Z Podcast, we have the opportunity to talk about APSCON 2026 ahead of the July 13–17 conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During the conversation, we talk a...

Episode 348 - Navigating Mental Wellness with Dave Wuertz: Peer Support in Action Part 2 23.04.2026 1h 4min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. Today’s episode is a powerful and deeply human conversation centered on service, trust, and taking care of one another in some of the most demanding environments imaginable. Our guest is Dave Wuertz, manager of peer support for PHI Air Medical. Dave’s story is shaped by a lifetime of service in the medical field—starting with an emergecny medical technician (EMT) class in colle...

Episode 347 - Navigating Mental Wellness with Dave Wuertz: Peer Support in Action Part 1 20.04.2026 1h 6min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. Today’s episode is a powerful and deeply human conversation centered on service, trust, and taking care of one another in some of the most demanding environments imaginable. Our guest is Dave Wuertz, manager of peer support for PHI Air Medical. Dave’s story is shaped by a lifetime of service in the medical field—starting with an emergecny medical technician (EMT) class in colle...

Episode 346 - John Nielsen: Transforming Law Enforcement Aviation Part 2 16.04.2026 1h 15min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Today’s episode features a true pioneer in airborne law enforcement—retired California Highway Patrol (CHP) pilot John Nielson. With more than 11,000 hours as pilot in command and another 3,400 hours as a second-in-command, John’s career is a masterclass in dedication, innovation, and mission-driven flying. We start at the beginning of his journey on the ground, patrolling ou...

Episode 345 - John Nielsen: Transforming Law Enforcement Aviation Part 1 13.04.2026 1h 19min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Today’s episode features a true pioneer in airborne law enforcement—retired California Highway Patrol (CHP) pilot John Nielsen. With more than 11,000 hours as pilot in command and another 3,400 hours as a second-in-command, John’s career is a masterclass in dedication, innovation, and mission-driven flying. We start at the beginning of his journey on the ground, patrolling ou...

Episode 344 - Coldstream Helicopters: Calm Under Fire in a Helicopter Crisis 09.04.2026 1h 16min

Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Today’s episode comes to you from the floor of Verticon in Atlanta, recorded inside the Vertical Plus booth, where the energy of the industry and the people who drive it were on full display. Our guests are pilots Brian Dunn and Brian Atkinson of Coldstream Helicopters in Kelowna, British Columbia—this year’s recipients of the VAI Salute to Excellence Pilots of the Year award...

Episode 343 - Blades of Valor Tour 2026: Inside U.S. Coast Guard Clearwater Part 2 06.04.2026 1h 17min

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Plus. Thank you to 2026 Blades of Valor Tour sponsor Switlik Survival Products and the support of Massif flight suits. Without your sponsorship and support, this tour would not be possible. Switlik Survival Products supports aviation, marine, military, and search-and-rescue with a wide variety of high-quality survival products. To learn more, go to Switlik.com The Blades of Valor Tour ...