Episode 289 - Women in Law Enforcement: Helicopter Pilots Breaking Barriers 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! Today’s episode comes to you from the floor of VAI Verticon 2025 in Dallas, Texas, where we recorded live at the Vertical magazine booth. Host Jack Schonely is joined by three outstanding guests: Pilot Natalie Hernandez of the San Antonio Police Department, Sgt Pilot Yvette Tuning of the Los Angeles Police Department, and Kodey Bogart, pilot and CEO of KB Aviation Solutions. Each of these accomplished women followed a unique path into law enforcement aviation, and together they share valuable insights on a wide range of topics, including technology, budget considerations, safety and training best practices, SMS, and the challenges ahead for our industry. We also discuss the panel they were preparing to present at the Airbus booth the following day. This was an engaging and inspiring conversation, and we’re honored to have had all three aviators join us. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to The Hangar Z Podcast—we truly appreciate your support. Thank you to our sponsors CNC Technologies , Airbus and Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing .