News Briefs  

In a ringing endorsement of the IHST safety initiative, the Chief Executive Officers of AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter Textron, Eurocopter and Sikorsky Aircraft gathered at Heli-Expo to sign a joint letter on February 21, 2010 captioned “A Call for Action by Helicopter Owners.”

You’ve heard of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and its ambitious goal to reduce the worldwide helicopter accident rate by 80% in 10 years. Our work is in progress. We’re nearing the end of four years of proactive safety work and are on the way to achieving our safety goal. The IHST’s US Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (US JHSAT) is looking for a few motivated men and women to continue the work begun following the International Helicopter Safety Symposium in 2005.

IHST Posts Risk Assessment Tool - Seeks Operator Feedback Analyses of helicopter accidents conducted by the IHST indicate that small and medium sized helicopter operations would benefit significantly by implementing a series of data driven recommendations. This self
assessment tool is intended to provide small and medium sized operators and private pilots an opportunity to assess their operation relative to key IHST recommendations for the US fleet.   Use of these recommendations does not guarantee risk free operation of helicopters; however, it does provide insight on those aspects of helicopter operation that if fully embraced, will significantly reduce helicopter operational risks. Please take a look at the tool and take the feedback survey