The Hangar Z Podcast

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. 

Between them, they represent both experience and the next generation of aviation professionalism—Brian Dunn with an incredible 50 years in the cockpit, and Brian Atkinson just four years into what is already proving to be an exceptional career.
In this episode, we dive into their individual paths into aviation, the lessons learned along the way, and the shared mindset that brought them together in a moment that would define both of their careers.

You’ll hear the gripping story of an in-flight emergency while fighting a fire in an Airbus Super Puma—low, slow, and heavy with a full bucket of water, moments away from making a drop, when they suddenly lost all electrical power and experienced dropping rotor RPM. What follows is a powerful account of teamwork, communication, and composure under extreme pressure.

This is a story about preparation meeting reality, and how recent simulator training directly influenced their decision-making in those critical seconds. Ultimately, it’s about professionalism, trust, and doing the job when everything is on the line.

This is an incredible conversation you won’t want to miss.
Thank you to our sponsors CNC Technologies, SHOTOVER Systems and Spectrolab.

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 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.

These teams serve as a 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.

Today’s episode comes to you from inside the hangar at United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater — the final stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour.

Joining us are MH-60T pilot Lieutenant Commander Nathan Jones and helicopter rescue swimmer Zachary Sowers, two Coast Guard professionals whose journeys to this moment are as inspiring as the missions they fly.

Nate comes from a proud family legacy of service. He began his career in the Coast Guard Reserve before earning an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Through discipline, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, he earned his “Wings of Gold” and now flies the powerful MH-60T Jayhawk — one of the most capable search-and-rescue platforms in the world.

Zach’s path started with a life-altering near-drowning experience as a young boy. What could have been a tragedy became motivation. Swimming lessons turned into competitive success, which led to a Division I scholarship, work as a lifeguard, and eventually a calling to serve — becoming one of the Coast Guard’s elite rescue swimmers. Today, he is the one entering the water in the worst conditions imaginable so others can make it home.

In this episode, we discuss incredible real-world rescues and the relentless, constant training that keeps these aircrews sharp and ready at a moment’s notice. We learn more about Air Station Clearwater’s mission set, the vast area they cover, and the extraordinary support personnel behind the scenes — the maintainers, operations specialists, and ground crews — whose expertise makes every launch possible and every rescue achievable.

You’ll also gain deeper insight into the MH-60T Jayhawk — its capabilities, mission versatility, and why it remains such a critical asset for maritime search and rescue, law enforcement, and disaster response.

From powerful rescue stories to the disciplined preparation that makes them possible, this conversation highlights teamwork, trust, and a shared commitment to saving lives.

Thank you to our sponsors  Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch, Precision Aviation Group and SHOTOVER Systems.

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 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.

These teams serve as a 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.

Today’s episode comes to you from inside the hangar at United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater — the final stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour.

Joining us are MH-60T pilot Lieutenant Commander Nathan Jones and helicopter rescue swimmer Zachary Sowers, two Coast Guard professionals whose journeys to this moment are as inspiring as the missions they fly.

Nate comes from a proud family legacy of service. He began his career in the Coast Guard Reserve before earning an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Through discipline, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, he earned his “Wings of Gold” and now flies the powerful MH-60T Jayhawk — one of the most capable search-and-rescue platforms in the world.

Zach’s path started with a life-altering near-drowning experience as a young boy. What could have been a tragedy became motivation. Swimming lessons turned into competitive success, which led to a Division I scholarship, work as a lifeguard, and eventually a calling to serve — becoming one of the Coast Guard’s elite rescue swimmers. Today, he is the one entering the water in the worst conditions imaginable so others can make it home.

In this episode, we discuss incredible real-world rescues and the relentless, constant training that keeps these aircrews sharp and ready at a moment’s notice. We learn more about Air Station Clearwater’s mission set, the vast area they cover, and the extraordinary support personnel behind the scenes — the maintainers, operations specialists, and ground crews — whose expertise makes every launch possible and every rescue achievable.

You’ll also gain deeper insight into the MH-60T Jayhawk — its capabilities, mission versatility, and why it remains such a critical asset for maritime search and rescue, law enforcement, and disaster response.

From powerful rescue stories to the disciplined preparation that makes them possible, this conversation highlights teamwork, trust, and a shared commitment to saving lives.

Thank you to our sponsors CENTUM, CNC Technologies and Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch.

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

On this special edition of show, we welcome Tim Lynn, a veteran law enforcement and news gathering pilot with 24 years of flight time in Southern California.

We're going to discuss the recent dramatic and sudden changes in airspace throughout the country that seemed to start in the Los Angeles area.

Tim shares his experience and knowledge of that airspace, and what he thinks we need to do to get the word out on the realities of operating public safety rotorcraft in these airspaces.

We'll discuss the Federal Aviation Administration's recent general notice, eliminating visual separation in B and C airspace.
We also discuss what public safety aviation needs to do to inform and educate people making decisions that affect our missions. Many of these missions are life-saving.

Join us for this conversation.  It’s an important one, in this special edition of The Hangar Z Podcast.
Thank you to our sponsors Airbus, Metro Aviation and Precision Aviation Group.

Welcome to the HangerZ podcast brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS and partnered with Vertical Valor Plus. 

Today's episode was recorded on the floor of Verticon in Atlanta, at the Vertical Plus booth. We had a great week at Verticon and several great conversations and this was one of them. Today's guests are Lt Brad May and Sgt Dustin Gomez of Pasadena Police Department's Air Support Unit. 
Lt May has a unique history in the unit. He's been there as an officer, a sergeant, and now the lieutenant of the unit. Great conversation about that. 
Sgt Gomez talks about his unique situation, and about learning the ins and outs of the air support unit.  
We also discussed the purchase of two new Bell 505s for the unit. They worked with CNC Technologies to get everything done--the whole package. We'll talk about that relationship with CNC, and how unique it is. You don't want to miss this episode.  
This was a great conversation on the floor of Verticon. Hope you enjoy it. 
Thank you to all our sponsors and thanks to all of you who listen and watch. We really appreciate your support. Don't forget to like and subscribe. 
Thank you to our sponsors BLR Aerospace, Dallas Aviation and Metro Aviation.