IHST Maintenanance Toolkit – ES

Feb. 29, 2012, Contact: Duncan Trapp, Phone: +44 (0)1224 846455

Bristow CEO Bill Chiles and Capt. John Steel of the Irish Aviation Authority Named to the Executive Committee of the International Helicopter Safety Team  

CHICAGO – The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), a worldwide organization leading a multi-year effort to reduce the civil helicopter accident rate, has added two new members to its Executive Committee – Bill Chiles, president and chief executive officer of  Bristow Group, and Capt. John Steel of the Irish Aviation Authority.

Chiles heads Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS), the leading provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry based on the number of aircraft operated, and one of two helicopter service providers to the offshore energy industry with global operations.  The Company has major operations in the North Sea,Nigeria, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, as well as most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world; includingAlaska,Australia,Brazil,Russia, andTrinidad.  In addition, the company provides search and rescue services and offers pilot training throughBristowAcademy.

Capt. Steel serves as the Manager General Aviation Standards for the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).  Prior to joining the IAA, he was a helicopter pilot and an instructor in the U.K. Royal Navy and operated in the anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue and amphibious assault roles. On leaving the Navy, he was involved in a variety of helicopter operations such as offshore operations in the North Sea, police air support, helicopter emergency medical service, lighthouse support, marine piloting, and has included training and testing in all these areas. His civilian career also has included positions such as chief pilot, head of training and quality manager.

The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) was formed to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate. 

The group’s mission is to reduce the international civil helicopter accident rate by 80 percent by 2016.

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This effort is co-chaired by a government member (the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) and by an industry member.  Major industry participants include AgustaWestland, the American Helicopter Society International, Bell Helicopter, Bristow Group, CHC helicopter, Eurocopter, the Flight Safety Foundation, the Helicopter Association of Canada, the Helicopter Association International, Shell Aircraft, and Sikorsky Helicopter. 

IHST members also establish international partnerships in countries with significant helicopter operations and work to encourage the overseas industries to carry out accident analysis and develop safety interventions.  Worldwide partners now supporting the work of the IHST include government and industry participants from theUnited States,Canada,Brazil,Japan,Australia,India,Russia, and multiple countries inEuropeand in the Middle East/North Africa region.                                             

More information about the IHST, its reports, its safety tools, and presentations from its 2011 safety symposium can be obtained at its web site: (www.IHST.org).

The video is available on the HAI website.

• Chapter 1 – Identifies policies, procedures, and human responsibilities that organizations use to capture and then achieve their desired level of safety. Policies characterize the nature and performance of an organization whilst procedures define how to execute these policies. The section on human responsibilities identifies the duties, responsibilities, authority, goals and objectives that impact an SMS.
• Chapter 2 – Identifies the theories and philosophy behind creating an SMS program that emphasizes the use of 12 core elements in designing an effective SMS plan. These elements include the objectives and expectations which are core to a robust and functional SMS.
• Chapter 3 – Organised, systematic guidelines are provided that can be followed over time to implement an SMS. A checklist for the 12 elements will help to guide organizations in SMS preparation.
• Chapter 4 – Contains a variety of resources to assist in designing an SMS manual for organizations wishing to establish an SMS. It includes a definition of terms, checklists and a CD containing examples of forms used in implementing and managing an SMS.

Jan 2012 - The helicopters ability to approach, manoeuvre, land and take-off from an off airfield Landing Site or unprepared Landing Site is one of the most important aspects of helicopters operations.

The various landing sites such as hotels, golf courses, sporting venues, etc can vary in their dimensions, approaches, hazards, elevation, and location, the same basic principles should be employed.

Landing sites that are remote from an airfield offer various challenges to the pilot and consequently have resulted in a significant number of accidents. Unlike at an airfield there is generally, little or no assistance in the assessment of wind, guidance on appropriate approach directions or information on other traffic. Hazards not normally experienced at an airfield such as wires, obstructions, uneven landing ground, trees, Foreign Object Damage, livestock and pedestrians are quite likely to be found and require a heightened degree of situational awareness by the pilot who needs to expect the unexpected!

The brochure HE3 was developped by the EHEST Team and covers the:

• Planning and Preparation
• Landing Site Identification
• Landing Site Recce
• Types of Approach
• Manoeuvring in the LS
• Departure
• Pilot Errors

EHEST_Analysis_Report_FR_2011 (FRENCH)

EHEST_Analysis_Report_ES_2011 (SPANISH)

EHEST_Analysis_Report_DE_2011 (GERMAN)

This efforts to prepare a European wide accident analysis of helicopter accidents was unique and served to derive work priorities for the implementation teams.

The survey can be viewed at : General Aviation survey

the results are published below:

• Results of General Aviation Survey – Part I
• Results of General Aviation Survey – Part II