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November 14, 2021

MD Helicopters Award Transition Training Scholarship To ERAU Student

Over The Scholarship’s 10-Year History, MD Helicopters Has Awarded More Than Two-Hundred Thousand Dollars

MD Helicopters has reported that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Campus student Brandon Hutchins was selected as the 2021 recipient of the MD 500 Transition Training Scholarship valued at approximately $12,000. The MD 500E Transition Training Scholarship was developed to support the next generation of rotorcraft pilots. Over the scholarship’s 10-year history, MD Helicopters has awarded more than two-hundred thousand dollars in training opportunities to 12 students.

Embry-Riddle Professor Looks At Flight Skill Deterioration

When it comes to flying airplanes, the “use it or lose it” rule applies to keeping pilot skills sharp. There has been no greater time in recent history, however, when pilots lacked a chance to “use it” than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when airlines halted or greatly reduced their services. This stretch of time, according to an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researcher, had an alarming impact on pilot proficiency. “What surprised me was the level of skills deterioration over such a short duration,” said the study’s principal investigator, adjunct professor Dr. Rajee Olaganathan, citing a 50% increase in pilot errors following the pandemic-re