CHC Europe, based in Aberdeen, Scotland, but operating also from Denmark, Ireland and Norway, is part of the world's largest helicopter group and one of the biggest operators serving the offshore oil support industry in the North Sea. It flies 14 Eurocopter AS332l/L2 Super Pumas and four Sikorsky S-61Ns, but will be replacing the latter with four Sikorsky S-92s starting in 2005.
This is a company snapshot of the systems CHC Europe uses to manage its safety standards:
* Safety management: CMC Europe has a closed-loop safety management system (SMS) structured to comply with the UK Civil Aviation Authority CAP 712, which itself is harmonised with the rules of other European Joint Aviation Authorities states. CHC Europe is leading the worldwide CHC group in defining an updated SMS that is being implemented globally, using its own experience, plus methodology inspired by best practices in other companies like Shell and Schreiner Aviation. CHC is in the process of developing a paperless, online internal reporting system to make flightcrew and maintenance incident reporting easier, simpler to process and more effective for analysis. It has a no-blame "just culture" incident reporting system for pilots and maintenance personnel. CHC's flightcrew and maintenance error management (MEM) reporting system, it says, have earned employee trust to the extent that they "almost encourage over-reporting", but the MEM reporting has often led to beneficial organisational or procedure changes.
* Flight operations monitoring: CHC Europe is taking part in the CAA's helicopter operations monitoring programme (HOMP), but the company prefers the terminology flight data monitoring (FDM) to HOMP. CHC executives say they have been "pleasantly surprised by the results" and see FDM as potentially cost-beneficial despite heavy initial equipment costs. The company says it "is committed" to FDM.
* Pilot selection and training: CHC Europe recruits pilots with at least a full commercial pilot's licence (H) and an instrument rating, plus 1,500h flying, and its selection procedure includes psychometric testing and simulator checks. The company trains suitably qualified pilots who pass its tests for their type rating at no cost.
* Engineer/mechanic training: CHC carries out its own maintenance and trains its own maintenance personnel. It has a "mature apprentice" scheme that takes candidates through on-the-job training towards European licences. The CHC Group is a major third party helicopter maintenance supplier through its subsidiary ASTEC.
* Unauthorised parts protection: CHC Europe maintains a vigilant system to check out spares supplies against unauthorised remanufactured spare parts. If it has any doubts, the company says it "quarantines" parts until it is able to check their history.
Source: Flight International
