webinar Archives - Helicopter Association International

HAI@Work webinar, Jul. 8: Fatigue and Maintenance Duty Cycle Management

Jen Boyer — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 10:00:25 +0000

Panelists to share best practices for prevention, ramifications of poor management. Fatigue is a significant issue in the rotorcraft industry, and maintenance personnel face a particular risk for the problem due to nighttime and rotating shift work, long and unregulated duty times, sleep disruption, and cumulative sleep deficits. Fatigued technicians can experience impaired judgment, difficulty focusing, memory lapses, lowered moods and motivation, and other performance limitations. The result can be mistakes and oversights that contribute to devastating accidents. Fortunately, a strong maintenance management mindset paired with good awareness and team communications can combat fatigue and vastly increase overall maintenance safety. Join us for the Jul. 8 HAI@Work webinar as members of the HAI Safety Working Group share their firsthand insight into how maintenance management can take a proactive approach to avoid fatigue within their operations. They’ll discuss the issue from three vantage points: management’s perspective, the technician’s point of view, and the legal consequences of failing to take steps to prevent fatigue. Our panelists for the webinar will be: Tarek Loutfy, Senior Operations and Flight Safety Manager, Flight Test Operation, GE Aviation Duke Puharich, Safety Director, Siller Helicopters Robert Lakind, Aviation Attorney, Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader In this webinar (more…)

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HAI@Work webinar, Jul. 1: Salute to Excellence Humanitarian Service honorees, plus preparing for the 2021 fire season

Jen Boyer — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 10:00:06 +0000

With record high temperatures and a historic drought, the industry is preparing for a fire season like no other. Throughout the night of Sep. 5, 2020, members of the California National Guard (Cal Guard) 40th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) rescued 242 people and numerous pets from the uncontained Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno. In the end, the soldiers described the experience as much worse than flying in combat. Labor Day vacationers that day were cornered by the blaze, huddled on a beach and in the forest’s Mammoth Pool Reservoir, suffering from burns, broken bones, and difficulty breathing due to smoke inhalation. With a UH-60 Black Hawk and a CH-47 Chinook, the 40th CAB flew three harrowing missions each that night to bring the people to safety, earning the team the 2021 HAI Salute to Excellence Humanitarian Service Award. Hear from the team itself at the Jul. 1 HAI@Work webinar, where members of the 40th CAB will tell their heroic story and discuss the growing dire conditions that could increase the need for more such rescues this year. They’ll then join panelists from Erickson and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to (more…)

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HAI@Work webinar, Jun. 24: How to fly neighborly in your R44

Jen Boyer — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 10:00:18 +0000

HAI Fly Neighborly / Environmental Working Group member shares tips for reducing helicopter noise, maintaining positive community relations. Local, state, and even federal legislation is beginning to limit helicopter operations as a direct result of community noise complaints. When we voluntarily choose routes, power settings, maneuvers, and flying styles to reduce our noise footprint, we can reduce the cause of these complaints. What better group to set an example than those operating one of the world’s most popular helicopters—the Robinson R44? Indeed, R44 pilots and operators have the power today to protect the entire helicopter industry’s ability to fly in the future. HAI Fly Neighborly/Environmental Working Group member Eric Jacobs will explain how at this week’s HAI@Work webinar, on Jun. 24. In addition to covering the basic tenets of the FAA’s Fly Neighborly Noise Abatement Training program, Jacobs will share valuable tips and insights about how to mitigate helicopter noise, including specific guidance on how to apply these tactics when operating the heavily flown R44. In this webinar you’ll learn: What noise abatement is Ways to reduce your noise footprint in an R44 How Fly Neighborly training helps improve community relations The potential fallout when pilots don’t mitigate helicopter noise (more…)

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HAI@Work webinar, Jun. 17: What the NTSB Most Wanted List Means to You

Jen Boyer — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:11:29 +0000

Image above: Mark Bennett NTSB members to share how helicopter accidents inspired the two aviation safety improvements on the 2021–2022 list. For years, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published its biennial Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements, a set of recommendations that addresses the most egregious accidents. For 2021–2022, the list includes only two aviation items, both directly affecting helicopters: one calls for requiring safety management systems (SMS) in all revenue passenger-carrying aviation operations; the other, for installing crash-resistant recorders and establishing flight data monitoring programs. What led to these recommendations? How will they affect rotorcraft operations across all sectors of our industry? What are the benefits? The potential issues? We’ll explore these questions and others during the Jun. 17 HAI@Work webinar, at 4 pm eastern (UTC-4). Two NTSB members will present the board’s rationale for making the recommendations, and afterward, HAI President and CEO Jim Viola will conduct a Q&A between the panelists and webinar attendees. Our speakers for the webinar: Bruce Landsberg, Vice Chair, NTSB Michael Graham, Board Member, NTSB. In this webinar you’ll learn: What’s implied in the two NTSB recommendations Which accidents led to their creation The goals for each recommendation What (more…)

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HAI@Work webinar, Jun. 10: Salute to Excellence Communications Award & Opportunities for Women in the Rotorcraft Industry

Thomas McKenzie — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:06:38 +0000

Image above: iStock/MachineHeadz Special two-part event honors one woman in aviation, explores career paths for others. Today’s vertical flight industry is changing rapidly, with new technological advances, safety improvements, and career opportunities for aspiring aviation professionals—including women. At a special two-part HAI@Work webinar this week, we’ll honor one of these women while hearing from four others about the unlimited career paths available to women in aviation and how to access them. Join us Jun. 10 at 4 pm eastern (UTC-4) as we acknowledge 2021 HAI Salute to Excellence Communications Award winner Jeanette Eaton, VP of worldwide strategy and business development at Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company. We’ll talk with Eaton and debut HAI’s video about her achievement. We’ll then hold a panel discussion on career opportunities for women in the rotorcraft industry, including a question-and-answer session. Our panelists will be: Autumn Cabaniss, S-76 Pilot, HeliFlite Heidi McBride, AW119 VFR Captain, Era Helicopters Allison McKay, CEO, Women in Aviation International Joni Schultz, Aviation Insurance Broker, The James A Gardner Co., and President, Whirly-Girls. In the webinar, participants will hear about: The defining moment in Jeanette Eaton’s career path Growing a vertical lift career through networking, education, and mentoring opportunities The variety (more…)

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Drones: Why and how they should join your aircraft fleet

Jen Boyer — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 10:00:20 +0000

Image above: iStock/acavalli HAI@Work webinar explores the benefits of adding UAS to your operation. For years, they waited in the wings as their potential was tested, but today, there’s no doubt about it: drones are here and they’re providing the services our customers need. Helicopter operators who’ve incorporated drones into their businesses are reaping the benefits through expanded services, while those who haven’t could very well experience a loss of business down the road. During the HAI@Work webinar on May 27, a group of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) experts and helicopter operators who’ve incorporated drones into their businesses came together to share the hows and whys of embracing drones, the pitfalls to avoid, and the potential for helicopter operators to lead the way in their use. The panelists were: Scott Burgess, professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and chair of HAI’s UAS Working Group Mark Colborn, retired reserve officer, Dallas Police Department Jonathan Daniels, CEO, Praxis Aerospace Concepts International Mark Gibson, president and CEO, Timberland Helicopters Tombo Jones, director, Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, an FAA-designated UAS test site Nate Robie, manager of unmanned aircraft systems, Dominion Energy. “The proliferation of drones into the aviation industry has really been on the uptick (more…)

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HAI Safety Symposium analyzes 2019 Survival Flight crash and lessons learned

Jen Boyer — Mon, 10 May 2021 10:48:02 +0000

HAI@Work webinar focuses on the value of a strong safety culture in preventing accidents. On Jan. 29, 2019, a Survival Flight air ambulance Bell 407 crashed four miles northeast of Zaleski, Ohio, after entering inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC), killing three. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ultimately cited the operator’s “inadequate management of safety” as the primary probable cause. The factors contributing to the accident are eye-opening and offer a great deal of insight into the importance of maintaining a strong safety culture and how to develop one. At the HAI@Work webinar on May 6, experts from NTSB and other safety-focused organizations, including HAI, analyzed the accident as part of the annual HAI Safety Symposium. Typically held at HAI HELI-EXPO® and jointly produced by HAI, the FAA, and the NTSB, the symposium examines safety trends in the helicopter industry. The panelists at last week’s webinar included: Matt Cabak, Team Lead, Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention, FAA Clint Johnson, Chief, Alaska Region, NTSB Rick Kenin, Chief Operating Officer—Transport, Boston MedFlight, and Chair, HAI Safety Working Group Matt Rigsby, Air Safety Investigator, Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention, FAA Shaun Williams, Senior Aviation Accident Investigator, Central Region, NTSB. Williams began (more…)

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Ingenuity’s rotor blade designers on how to fly a helicopter on Mars

Jen Boyer — Mon, 03 May 2021 10:00:52 +0000

The aircraft’s composites manufacturer and aeromechanical engineer share how they overcame the odds. The HAI@Work webinar on Apr. 29 was quite literally out of this world. Some of the great minds that enabled a helicopter to fly on another planet joined HAI President Jim Viola at the event. The three presenters shared the process, design considerations, trials, and eventual success of creating rotor blades that let Ingenuity, the Mars Helicopter, fly on the Red Planet: Eric Howard, aerospace sales director, North America, Toray Advanced Composites Sean Johnson, thermosets product manager, Toray Advanced Composites Ben Pipenberg, aeromechanical engineer, AeroVironment. As of the time of the webinar, Ingenuity had flown three times on Mars, performing beyond expectations and the tests performed on Earth. The successful flights were no small feat: the atmosphere on Mars is 1% that on Earth, making a simple 16-foot flight off the surface equivalent to flying at 100,000 feet at home. The secret to the aircraft’s success lay in large part in the unique design of its oversized blades. Howard, Pipenberg, and Johnson shared fascinating details about Ingenuity’s design iterations as well as what was needed in the advanced composites chosen for the blades. The presentation included several notable points about the (more…)

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