Episode 286 - Blades of Valor Tour 2025: Inside Texas DPS Aviation Part 1

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS , in partnership with Vertical Valor Magazine . Listen closely for your chance to win awesome prizes from Heli Life! Throughout 2025, every episode of The Hangar Z Podcast will reveal a secret word. Once you catch it, head to contests.verticalhelicasts.com to enter! This three-part series was recorded on location in Texas at the McKinney Air Center, as part of the 2025 Blades of Valor Road Tour. This year, our journey takes us to four agencies across four states, showcasing their exceptional work through print, video, and right here on the podcast. The Blades of Valor tour wouldn’t be possible without the support of Airbus and Massif Flight Suits . The Texas Department of Public Safety Aircraft Operations Division has an outstanding program supporting multimission public safety aviation operations throughout the great state of Texas. During this conversation, we are privileged to speak with Texas DPS assistant chief Marcus Tomerlin, Captain Saben Emery, and Lieutenant Clay Lacey. These conversations highlight the importance of solid leadership and a great unit culture, the value of internal and external training, and the crucial role of internal marketing—such as detailed activity reports and video documentation—which showcase the agency’s achievements, justify operations, and secure funding for the aircraft division. For more about our visit to Texas DPS, be sure to check out the article written by Brent Bundy in Vertical Valor magazine and check out the incredible video footage captured by Lloyd Horgan on the Vertical Magazine YouTube channel . Thank you to our sponsors Metro Aviation , Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch and SHOTOVER .