In a significant move along the road toward improving helicopter safety charted by the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), the industry has signed up to a rotary-wing version of the established International Standard for Business Aircraft Operation, to be known as IS-BAO (HE).
Representing the helicopter operating sector at the signing were Helicopter Association International president and co-chairman of the IHST Matt Zuccaro, the HAI's chairman Mark Gibson, the British Helicopter Association's chairman Brian Humphries, who is also the president of the European Business Aviation Association, and the chairman of the European Helicopter Association Dr Vittorio Morassi.
The ceremony took place at the ILA Berlin air show, and the International Business Aviation Council director general Don Spruston signed the agreement simultaneously at the council's headquarters in Montreal.
Humphries says: "IS-BAO is a code of best practice developed by the industry for the benefit of the industry. It is our contribution to promoting highly professional and safe operational practices." Morassi says the IS-BAO has already demonstrated its safety effectiveness and standardisation benefits in the business aviation sector, and adds: "We are confident that it will achieve similar results for the global helicopter operating community."
The IHST, launched in 2005, is dedicated to reducing helicopter accidents by 80% by leading an assiduous review of accident information that will yield a data-driven prioritisation of regional safety strategies.
"This historic safety initiative is in keeping with the goals of HAI and our soon to be implemented safety accreditation programme, as well as the IHST mission," says Zuccaro, adding: "While the core standards for the IS-BAO (HE) will be unchanged from those created for the business aviation community, contents of the helicopter version will uniquely include a helicopter hazard assessment and operations manual templates for offshore/onshore, including instrument flight rules operations, special operations and helicopter emergency services."
Source: Flight International
