This weekend, as the helicopter industry gathers in Houston for its annual Heli-Expo, talk among operators, service providers and manufacturers inevitably will focus on safety – how the industry fares, what it can do better.
Helicopter safety, like that of all aviation, is leagues ahead of where it stood a few decades ago, and the industry devotes enormous effort and resources to improving its record. Still, helicopter safety trails most other aviation categories.
The equipment continually improves – systems become more reliable, avionics grow ever more sophisticated. Meanwhile, operator error accounts for the largest number of accidents. Regulators, top operators, helicopter associations and the insurance industry all agree – regular, quality training is the best route to improving this record.
A Training Breakthrough
At Heli-Expo, FlightSafety International will promote its groundbreaking new Level 7 flight training devices, which deliver training that compares favorably to the cost of in-aircraft instruction yet provide the clear benefits of simulation-based training.
These devices remove another barrier – perceived cost – to regular helicopter training, and point the way to a future in which helicopter safety records approach that of the rest of aviation. We’ll be watching to see what other innovations emerge from the annual rotorcraft extravaganza.
