Resource Hub

The Gulf of Mexico is home to nearly 2,000 offshore oil and gas platforms, from production rigs with a handful of personnel to sprawling drilling platforms. As oil fields are explored and exploited farther offshore, operators must respond to the challenges. PHI responded with the H145.

A picturesque rural town of 14,000 in northeastern Oregon, La Grande is nestled in a fertile farming and ranching valley surrounded by snow-tipped mountains. The community is fairly isolated, an hour’s drive from the next town of similar size, Pendleton, Oregon, and hours away from larger communities. La Grande is the county seat for Union County, which has a total population of about 25,700 occupying slightly more than 2,000 square miles.

What if an operator could tell—just by looking at a computer screen—that a particular bearing on an aircraft was showing signs of premature wear? How would that change how maintenance is planned and conducted?

The US National Transportation Safety Board recommends that all Part 135 operators install flight-data monitoring (FDM) technology. But every operation can reap FDM’s safety and operational performance benefits. Best of all, modern FDM equipment is lighter, less expensive, and easier to use than legacy models, placing the technology within reach of small and medium-sized operators. Below are five best practices to help you on your FDM journey.

In 1976, 38 black US airline pilots—roughly half of all black pilots then employed by US carriers—met for two days in Chicago to discuss how they might increase the number of minority young people seeking to enter the field of aviation; the group ended up founding the Organization of Black Airline Pilots.

HAI is pleased to announce the election of three new members to its Board of Directors, selected by HAI members during HELI-EXPO 2020 in Anaheim. Additionally, the board created the role of special adviser for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to consult on shaping the safe integration of UAS into our shared airspace.

Many aspects of our prepandemic lives, such as shaking hands or drinking from public water fountains, may never return, and there can be confusion about what activities are OK. To help its members reassure the public about their commitment to safe practices, HAI has introduced the COVID Clean Program.

HAI is pleased to announce the launch of the International Partnership Program to enhance safety and cooperation across the worldwide vertical lift community. This program will benefit the entire rotorcraft industry by promoting common safety and operational standards and best practices, and by facilitating a collaborative approach to building and sustaining the global industry.

Operations both small and large have experienced a lower volume of flights because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as layoffs and furloughs. In this environment, keeping your skills current can be challenging.

To learn what pilots are doing now to get ready for flight after the pandemic, we surveyed our readers anonymously. Specifically, we inquired about their companies’—and their own—investment in training and the effect the virus has had on their employment and proficiency status.

SMS works when people are empowered to act on safety.

I once asked one of our veteran aviation investigators what the toughest part of his job was. His response: seeing in accident investigations the same safety deficiencies over and over again that, for some reason, haven’t been addressed.