Untitled - HFI Historical Archive - Helicopter Association International

NlCDONNELL 

DOUGLAS

EDITORIAL STAFF 

Publisher 

Frank L. Jensen, Jr. 

Editor 

Daniel P. Wars ley 

Associate Editor 

Carolyn A. Vujcec 

Production Manager 

Edward F. DiCmnpti 

Art Director 

James S. R. Brown 

Contributing Editors 

Ronald C. Bunch 

Alexander G, Dickey 

Glenn A. Leister 

Mauhew D. Ubben 

Editorial Advisory Board 

Jobn Anderson 

New Englund Helicuptcr Pilots AssocialiOIl 

Frans Bokma 

Europc;1n IIdiooph:r Opcrmor.< CommiHcc 

Davie A. Buschkottcr 

ProtCssiOlml Helicopter PilOls Association of 

CalifomilL 

Lynn Clough 

Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference 

Guy Lloyd 

Helicopter Associmioll of Auscmlia 

Ron Lombardo 

Eastern Region Iklicopll!r COllncil 

Jack Thompson 

Mid-Atlllluic Ifclicoplcr Associmion (MAliA I 

In additioll. mc:rnbcrs of HAl. its boon! of Dircemrs. 

cornmiuee chainncn (lnd HAl swff rvc: on 

ROTOR's Edilurilll Advir.llry Boord. 

ADVERTISING STAFF 

(703) 550-8421 

Kathie Gruel. 

Marjorie K. McRae 

ROTOR (1SSN) 0lW7.H31XJ I, 1"",'Isloro 'l"''''''' hy d", 

1Ic11copicr A __ i.,i"" Intern." .. ",I. Iblll Duk" Si.tt,. 

AIeand'; •• Vif"m. l2314·J4J'l: (7Q3J 6IU-4b4b. Cr.opyriglll 

19811 by ,'''' IIdi",,\*, ," A .. "",iaI_ Inlcmolinlnl. AU ."hr:. 

...,. .,r"'Idurn,m of ROTOR In ... ""Ie Of In pun ... II> 

1=in"'" C· 

pn:;.oeIJII

4 ROTOR 

UP FRONT 

Before gelling to the "theme" Oflhis issue of ROTOR ... the humanitarian role of the helicopter in Ihe 

modern world ... 1 would like to louch upon another timely topic, ie., top leadership: 

Jensen and Secretary Samuel K. Skinner. 

Jensen and Administrator James B. Busey. 

Secretary of Transportation Samuel K. 

Skinner has established himself as a truly 

outstanding individual. Clearly endowed with a 

great mind, Secretary Skinner is a pilot. a leader, 

and closely in touch with the real world. He 

visited HAl's offices during the recent Board 

meeting,* and impressed all of us with his 

first-hand knowledge of aviation mailers. 

Secretary Skinner has been awarded by HAl the 

designation of "Honorary Helicopter Pilot". 

More significantly. he is quite interested in 

getting his add-on ticket as a real helicopter 

pilot! We're very fortunate 10 have Mr. Skinner 

as our Secretary of Transportation. 

FAA Administrator James B. Busey IV, 

selected for this position by Secretary Skinner, 

confirmed by Congress and appointed by 

President Bush, isanolherlop-notch individual. 

(Allhough Busey is not yel rated in helicopters, 

his son, James B. Busey V, is a civilian 

helicopter night test engineer.) Adminslralor 

Busey recently spent almost two hours with 

HAl's Board··, where there was a very candid, 

open e)(change of views. I am certain thai 

Administrator Busey will be among the all-time 

top administrators of the FAA. 

Look at the piclure ... the President of the 

United States. the Secretary of Transportation 

and the FAA Administrator, all piiOlS! Do we 

dare 10 hope thai, with Ihis line-up of winners 

at the lOp, perhaps they can bring about a relUm 

10 reality on the part of those few in the FAA 

who are imposing unreasonable regulatory burdens on the civil aviation industry ... primarily 

through draconian enforcement procedures? I would like 10 hear your views on [hat IOpic. 

The civil helicopter industry was greatly saddened by the dC'llh Sept. 4 of RObe11 L. Suggs, Chainnan 

of the Board of Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. *"'* 

Now to the subject of helicopters as humanitarian servants of society. Every one of us in the 

helicopter industry. whatever our role. should be most proud of the record which our remarkable 

machine has made as a lifesaver! Please read the articles on the following pages which describe just 

a few of the disasters in which the helicopter has been the hero ... and lei your chest expand with the 

knowledge tl1U1 you, as a helicopter professional, are parI of that winning team. To quote the theme 

from HAl's 1988 show. "HELICOPTERS. ABOVE ALL. SAVE LIVES !n 

• See (mide 011 {Jage 6 

•• Set' arficlt, oll/Joge 8 

* •• Set' (lI"fic/e 011 /mge 39 

?e::: . 

Publisher 

Fall 1989

THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY: 

A MAP TO GET FROM NOW TO THE FUTURE 

By Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner 

The nation's greatest ll'allSportalion 

project, President Eisenhower's inler· 

state highway system. i!> nearing COIllpletion. 

Americ111ls are proud of their 

freedom and ability to trowel from one 

end of our land \0 the other. TIle next 

challenge is how [0 preserve and enhlLllce 

our mobility. 

We cnnnol lnkcour tnlllsporialion system 

for granted. We l11usl maintain and 

selectively expand our roads ,md transit 

systems and cnhllllce our air traffic 

capacity. Walking Ihrough a busy airport 

or sitting in rush hour Inlffic 

provides rcal mClIning to Ihe words 

"capacity problems" in tnmsl>ortalion. 

1'!owever,lIs Jimmy Duntll1c said, "YOll 

ain't seen nothing yet." By the year 

2000, U.S. airlines will be carrying 70 

percent more passengers than today and 

over 200 million cars :md trucks will be 

crowding our highways. 

Staggering Statistics 

These st:lggcring statistics signal the 

critic;11 need for a national transportation 

policy that addresses today's 

problems. and deals with our coumry's 

transportation needs into thc year 2020 

and beyond. Such a systcm is essential 

to the country's economic vitality and 

its nutional defense. 

Few business executives would think 

of operating their company without a 

strlltegic plan. Yet. transportation accounts 

for as much as a fifth of our 

Ilation's gross Ilational product and as a 

nation wedo not have:l firill assessment 

Mr. Skinner is lite Secretary of 

Transporlatioll oflhe Unired Slates. 

6 ROTOR 

of where we are headed or the obstacles 

we aTe likely to encounter. 

Assessment High Priority 

One of my highest priorities is to 

develop such an assessment by the 

beginning of 1990. A group of experts 

from both goveTllrncm and the private 

sector. called the N:ltion:d Transportation 

Pol icy Team. is developing a 

slr.ltegic policy to help make transpor 

\;Ition more efficient. less expensive. 

and. above nil. safe fOT the American 

consumer. 

nlis te,ull consists of several major 

working groups that will zero in on 

specific 'Ireas of transportation. They 

lire; 

Urb'lIl/Suburban Transportation 

Systems and Services 

Rural America Transportalioll 

Systems and Services 

[ntercity Passenger: Domestic 

Transportation Systems and Services 

Intercity Freight: Domestic 

Transportation Systcm and Services 

[ntemat ional TranslxlrIat ion S ystems 

and Services 

Innovation and Human F;lctors in 

Trunsport:ltion 

111ese groups wi II hold publ ic hearings 

und work with transportation industry 

associations to llssess current demand 

:md project future transportation needs. 

TIle policy will consider how mass 

t T:msil. h ighwa ys. ai rports. sell ports. and 

r:lilroads can complement each other 

and provide tOlal transponation service 

to Americlltls. The team will seek 

answers to questions such as: How can 

we solve the problems of 'Iirpon congestion 

and nil' traffic contro[ capncity? 

What is the future for high-speed passenger 

trains in heavily populated 

transportation corridors of the country? 

1·low can we rcpair:md extend our highway 

and bridge systems and who will 

pay the bi lis? em privilte entrepreneurs 

be "primary players" in llUlSS transit services? 

How can public tmnsportntion 

relieve some of the pressure on the highw:ly 

and aviation systems? Will 

trnnsponation into space be a mission 

contrtlilcd by the fedel'ill govcrnme11l or 

by the private sector'! Will U.S. 

maritime resources be :ldcqllflte forcivil 

and military needs? 

Environment, Trade j Economy 

Must be Considerea 

For this 10 be a renlistic transportation 

strategy forthe next century. it must :llso 

consider factors such ,IS: ellvironmental 

impact. international tT:lde. economic 

opportunity. energy resources. and national 

security requirements while 

painting the transportation picture of the 

21st century. 

After this assessment. we must then 

find the mellllS to get the job done. Wc 

may have more requirements th'lIl 

resources. bUI this should stimulate 

creOJtive solutions. lIot illduce stagnation. 

Both the highway :lnd the :lirport 

programs will be reauthorized in 1991. 

This pl'(x;c.s will provide an 0pl>or· 

\LInity to work with Congress in lackling 

some of our tough tr.lnsportation 

problems and present ing a vision lor the 

future. 

There are many variables remaining. 

but one item is certain--this effort will 

require cooperation from every level of 

government. rrom every aspect of the 

private sector and from every creative 

trans l >Oftation user. 

In the coming weeks you or your organization 

Illay have constructive ideas 

regarding the future of transportation. [f 

so please send them to me. OUTworking 

groups will seek to incorporate thcm 

into the National Transl>OT\illion Policy. 

Input from all aspects of the transportalion 

industry is illl l >onanl. 

[ like Wayne Grctzky's delinition of 

slnltegy. Ice hockey's greatest player 

says he skates to where thc puck is going 

to be. Our t:l5k is to anticipate transport:llion 

needs and stay ahe:ld of the curve. 

-, 

Il:=. 

Fall 1989

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Which advertising methods 

will make that vision a 

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Ask our customers: 

• Boeing Helicopter 

• ERA Aviation 

-Asso. of Aeromedical 

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• Duke Medical Center 

to name a few! 

Our products provide a rifle 

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other media and place your 

message directly in the hands 

of your prospects. 

They reinforce your BEST 

advertising, "Word of 

Mouth"; with useful and 

appreciated items that keep 

you visibJe. 

Call20/20's experienced 

aviation advertising 

consultants at: 

8 ROTOR 

1-800-678-7828 

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P,O. Box 80277 

Chattanooga, 37411 

Admiral Busey meets with HAl Board. 

(Ed. Note: Wi,II permissioll of Adm;lIi.\'/I'(/(or 

Bw;l'Y. r(IIII/!/" ,hal/ prim (/ 

"stalll/O/'ll" ASK THE AD 

MINISTRATOR cofumll illlhiJ i.u//(' of 

ROTOR. we wiff iI/stead prilll excerpls 

frolll IIi.f me/'Iil/g recelllfy lI'itll NAI's 

Board of Director'. at II'IIi( __ II tillle tile 

a/)m'e photog rlIlJIIII'(lS rakel/.) 

Administrator Busey met with HAl's 

Board of Directors, during n regularly 

scheduled meeting. After welcoming 

comments and inlroductions. HAl made 

:1 20-minute slide presentation- on I·IA I 

history, org,l1lization and progml1ls. 

Then the Administrator made wille 

informal commellls. prior to opening 

the discussion: 

BUSEY: It is a pleasure to be here 

with you today. This i.\ one or my first 

visits to a Washington-area avi:uion 

tr:lde :lssoeiation in my new capacity. 

Although I am not rated as a helicopter 

pilot. I have nown milil,")' helicopters 

quite a bi!. Also, I have discussed HAl 

with (FAA ExecUlive Director) "Tex" 

Melugin. and received glowing words 

from him. about IA1. And I do have a 

growing appreciation for the role of 

helicopters in civil aviation. 

Concerning my new responsibilities 

as FAA Administrator: 

• I feel very good about working with 

Secretary of Transportation Sam Skinnel". 

He has already let me know that he 

williellve to FAA the resl>onsibilities of 

regul:uion and safety enhancement. 

• I am quite favorably impressed with 

the high professional standards of the 

FAA's workforce. at all levels. 

Some of my objcctives are: 

• To continue to improve aviatiOIl 

safcty across the bomd. 

• To get thc moncy out of the Avi:uion 

Trust Fund. to be spent for the purposes 

for which it was collected. 

• To really "Outreach" ... to aviation 

interest groups such as HAI.:ls well as 

.. This slide p/'CJellf(l/ioll inc/II(les 116 

35 mm slilles. (/Irlllta. {/ /'ecordl'(f audio 

I/flrm/ion. C opie. al'l' amilable tllroug It 

HAts D(//! WlI/'sll'y. 

ASK THE 

ADMINISTRATOR 

pilots. mechanics tlnd other clements 

of the industry. which must all be 

heard from and listened to. I illlend to 

do my best to hear all sides of the 

issues . 

• To improve thc infrastruClUre for 

air traflic control . 

• To position FAA to provide ser 

vice with mllximum benefit :lcross 

the entire spectrum of the industry. 

including helicopters, :lnd all of 

general aviation. air carriers. and the 

public. 

Well. those :Ire my opening COIllments. 

Shll11 we open it up for discus 

. 

slon , . 

HAl: !-IAI's quarterly magazine 

receives wide distribution ("veragc 

print run 17500 copies). We IIlIVC been 

very pleased to have" column called 

ASK THE ADMINISTRATOR, 

which has been supported by FAA's 

Administrator since ROTOR started 

(1ast ye:lr). Will you continue with this 

column? 

BUSEY: I have seen the column. Yes. 

I will continue with it. 

HAl: FAA's enforcement practices 

IllIve become actually counter-productive 

to safcty. This problem is n01 isolated 

to helicopters ... it arfects all segmcnts 

of avilltion. All of the aviation 

trade publications are c:lTTying stories 

on this topic. 

Basically, all of us in the industry 

agree lhat scor-flaws and bad operators 

must be dealt with, :md harshly. But the 

FAA has swung 100 far in Ihe enrorce 

ment direction. Many opcr..llors have 

just phtin quit talking to the FAA in 

SpeClOrs, for fe .. r of punitive actions. It 

is re:llly irn l >Ort:lnt th:lt we restore g()(X1 

communic:ltiolls betwecn civil 

operators and Ihe FAA. 

Since FAA took lIuthority/discretioll 

"W:lY from the FSDO :lnd Illoved this 

rurther up the linc. the close relationship 

between loenl inspectors/operators hus 

been lost. and safety is "clU:llly being 

diminished in the process. 

We frequently hear FAA employees 

agreeing with this viewpoinl. 

lllere has been continuing ambiguity 

in the interpretation of regul:ttions. For 

one exmnple. the pertinent FAA handbook 

for inspectors actually contr.tdicts 

FAR 133. We also have the problem of 

regulation by AC (advisory circular). 

.. nd both the handbooks and the AC's 

are being used to short-circuit the rule 

making process. 

(COl/lilli/cd 011 ,,/e 36; 

Fall 1989

GSA Administrator Responds to FAA Administrator About Excess Aircraft 

Richard G. Austin has served as Acting 

Administrator of the U.S. General 

Services Administration (GSA) since 

September, 1988. 

A former member of the executive 

committee of the Republican Central 

Commiltee 01 Sangamon County, III. 

and the 1981 While House Conference 

on Aging, Austin served since 1986 as 

regional administrator for GSA's slxstate 

midwest region headquartered In 

Chicago prior to his appointment as 

GSA deputy administrator with White 

House concurrence. 

Austin Is a decorated U.S. Marine 

Corps veteren who served In South 

Vietnam, and a malor In the illinois 

Army National Guard, serving as public 

affairs officer for the Adjutant General 

lor the State of illinois, his homestate. 

The GSA, a 20,OOO-employee central 

management agency, sets lederal 

polley In area of supply and service 

procurement, properly management, 

teleeommuncalions, and automated 

data processing. 

Richard G. Auslln 

The (lIffowillg leiter hy Ri£:hard G. AII.lill. 

Cellauf Serl'ia.l· Al/millil'/l'fIlioll 

(GSA) Ac/illg Al/milli!UI'(I/(}/', is ill 

r('spllIIse to former Felh'r(11 II I'illiioll IIl/millisrrmioll 

(FAA) IIdmillislmlor Mr. 1'. 

Affllil Mcllrf()r·. "Relif(!lIIelll 0/ DOD 

MifiwI)' Neikopll'r.I·" l/r/icle, I'rilll('d ill 

the SprillK 1989 is.fIIl' o/ROTOR. 

We are advised by the Departmcnl of 

Dc!fense (DOD) thai apprOlumatc::ly 900 

helicopters of various types are schcduled 

for rellrcment rOm) current Am)y assignments 

by fiscul year 1992, About 400 of 

these arc VB-I H "Huey" helico p ters. The 

U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is mterested 

in obtaining 104 VH-IH's in connC{;lioll 

with Slale coopcr.l1ive forest fire control 

program re4uircrnenls. Our records indicate 

thnl 13 helicopters were Ir.lllsfcrrcd \0 

the USFS earlier this yellT for Slate usc. 

No addiliol1111 VH-11-l's arc antici p ated 

\0 be released by DOD as excess p nor to 

fi sc al year 1991 becnuse of known 

projected demand in connection with 011going 

DOD programs such as foreign 

mililury sales, drone target uses, and law 

enforcement support. Approximately 30 

EI-I-I helicopters. which consist of a VI-!- 

11-1 airframe with significant modifications 

for special electronics warfare missions, 

ll1:ty be dClcnnined excess by DOD 

later this year. 

(Co/llinl/cd OJI fwgc 35) 

Addilimw/ ill/UI'mOlioll re{ali"e 10 issues 

l'lIi.n!d ill Mr. McArtor's lmide i.f oll/fillcd 

ill the hox below. 

ACQUISITION ANI) USE OF EXCESS DOD HEUCOIYI'ERS nY FEDERAL CIVIL AGENCIES 

Uy Richard G. Austin 

Q. HM thc GSA perfomlcd an annlysis of the llircmfl to be 

lmnsferrcd demonslr;uing lhm it is clc.lrly a benefit to the l'lxpayer 

10 refurbish this fleet of aging aircraft,! 

1\. While GSA makes excess property nvnilable for lransfer to 

Olher Federal agencies. the dClenllin:llion to aC( l llire such property 

is lIlade by the pOient ill1 recipient. GSA docs nol perform 

cosl/bcnefit analyses pertaiuing to other llgencies' excess properly 

llcquisitions. In this instance. the individual State's participllting in 

the USPS's coopcnl1ive forest fire cOll1rol progmm would make the 

cconomic delermin:nion 10 acquire excess niremft in lieu of exercising 

other alternatives under applicable State laws and regulations. 

Q. What aooul surety? To wh;lIl1irworlhine.s sllIndllrd will these 

aircmft be cCrlificd ,U1d l11ain\;li11cd'! Will public aircraft oper"tor. 

continue to be allowcd to carry personnel and c:lrgo in aircraft 

certilied in the reslricted cmegory'! 

A. Any DOD helicopters lransfcrred for usc by Federal. Stale. or 

local govemlllcnt aelivities would be subj(..'Ctto stalutory prOvisions 

npplicable to "public" aircrnft. 

Q. Is the long tcml impact of transferring this large neet of aging 

miliHlry aircraft to the publ ic operators not el\l\cerbnting the 

problems uncovered in theGcneml Accounting Office report. A viat 

ion Safety: Federal Regulutio n of Public Aircraft. (see 

GAO/RCED·87-19BR. Deccmber 1986)? 

A. This GAO reporl dealt primurily with lhe issue of whether and 

to what elllent FAA regUlations and Nmionlll Transportation SafelY 

Board (NTSB) procedures should be upplied 10 public aireraft. 11 

concludcd without specific recommendnlion lhm the Congress 

should consider lhese mallers.lllld also noted thatthcrc WHS no clear 

consensus among FAA and NTSB regarding appropriate actions. 

Q. Because public operalions ure self-insuring (underwriuen at 

tnl\l:h1yer expense). has an impact analysis been conducted evnluating 

the increased liability of conducting operations with aircraft in 

an airworthiness cluegory prescribed for civilian operator.; by the 

FAA? 

Fall 1989 

A The previously citcd GAO repol'l. Aviation Safety: Fedeml 

Regulmion of Public Aircraft (GAO{RCED·87-19BR). concluded 

lhat there is no cle ar dcmonstmtion that surely problcm stern from 

lhe ,Lbsence of FAA and NTSB ovcrsight of public aircraft. 

Q. The civil hclicopter industry has spent decades on rcsearch and 

dcvelopmcntto eng ineer quieter airemfi , comply ins with even more 

.lringenl noise abl.1lement restriClions. Hns lhe GSA conducted a 

noise impacl study lodctennine lhe cffectthis largc numbcr of older 

technology militllry helicopters will have on continuing public 

Ilcccplnncc of the helicopter industry? 

A. A noise implLct slUdy on helicopters has not been conducted by 

GSA. 

Q. In lestimony before Congress on September 28.1988. GAO 

spoke of improving GSA's focus relative 10 implemcL1ling all thc 

GAO recoml1lendations regl1rding avimion administTlllion. 'flIc 

lmnsferofthe aging neet ormililary aircmf1 appears in conllicl with 

lhc avi:uion cnvironment of the 1990's in general. nnd initiatives 

fostered by the FAA. GAO and OMB in pmiclilur. 

Whal is the status of GSA's effort 10 implcment the recommendations 

made by GAO for a centralized aviation administr;lIion 

office? 1(Sce Federal Civilian Agencies C:m Better MUllllge Their 

Aircmft :mtl Rdaled Serviccs. GAOJPLRD-83-64, June 24. 1983). 

lmd more recenlly by OMS in lheir Circular A-126 (Januury 18. 

1989)]. 

A. GSA h:1S implemented II centralized public aircr .. n invemory 

systcm. which was referenced in both the 1983 GAO report lind 

more recenlly in lhe revision orOMB Circular A-126. 

Cenlmlized administration of the :tircrnft manngemenl program 

outlined in A-126 is currently housed in the GSA Feder .. 1 Supply 

Service's Tmnsportatioll Managemenl Division. We're are !Ilso 

working wilh OMB to streamline the A-76 procedures rclative to 

public aircraft. 

Finally. GSA has begun the process of establishing an interngency 

committee to address public uircraft management issues. We ill\ticipate 

this commillee will be fully opcrJtional later this yeur. 

ROTOR 9

HELICOPTERS SA VE THOUSANDS OF 

SUDANESE FROM STAR VA TlON 

By Ted Veal 

This i lite slory of how three Colunl 

bia Helicopters' Boeing l07s supplied 

food 10 remote villages when no other 

method of transport was possible. 

The year WllS 1985. Thousands of 

Sudanese in the western province of 

Darfur knew what it"s like 10 be without 

food. Some villages had gone without 

gr

(Cfllllillll(!(ljrom I}(IRe 10) 

Sudanese village anxiously awaits grain delivery by helicopter. Over 7 

million pounds o!sorghum grain were Uown to remote areas. 

operations. Flying seven days a week 

for over 14 week.. the three helicopters 

amassed a lotal of 2600 hours, an 

average of close to nine hours per day, 

per helicopter. 

Considerin g Ihe operalion was 

rcslricted \0 daylight periods only, Ih;s 

effort may well be a record for susla;ned 

helicopter operations, if not under nor· 

mal slaleside based conditiOIlS, then cer 

tainly for remote area operalions. 

Heavy Rains, Blowing Sand 

Flying conditions varied from heavy 

nlins to blowing dllS! and slmd. Each 

night. maintenance crews worked 10 

rCildy lhe machines for the next day's 

nying wilhout benefit of hangars or 

other shelters to shield them from the 

sornelimes torrential downpours ;md 

high winds or from the voracious ap 

petites of insects. 

The U.S. AID relief program with 

helicopter nights ended arler 100 days. 

'!lle Sudanese harvesled their crop of 

dura by that time. and a bumpcr harvesl 

looked promising due 10 large amounts 

of rainfall that growing ljcason. quite in 

conti.lSI 10 the previous few years of 

drought 

Cruig Noren, project development of 

ficer ror U.S. AID in Nyala. calculated 

th:lt thousands of lives were saved from 

famine beC.lUSC of U.S. efforts. Credit 

musl also be given to world org:miza 

tions and other nalions who were bllck- 

Fall 1989 

ing the farninc relief program in Sudan. 

jusl onc of thc African countries where 

sllIrvlltion was occurring. Ethiopia, 

Chad and Mali had serious food 

shonagcs: they too were receiving help. 

Never before had there been such a con 

certed effort by as mllny first-world na 

tions to feed lind bring relief to the un 

rortunlltc and starving peoples of third 

world nations. 

Total hours: 2.598 hours 

Food hauled: 7.488.300 pounds 

Fuel lind misc: 893.100 pounds 

A 

II Helicopter 

Association 

,, International 

Editor's nOle: U.S. A I D h,ld considered 

sending H cOlltingcIII of U.S. AmlY Blilckhawks 

to accomplish this mi .... ion. HAt 

requcsted a cost compurion of milimry 

'IS. civil helico]lter.. Using CllsI figure 

provided by the U.S. Anny. U.S. AID 

officiul issued (I rcqucSl for proposal llild 

thell cOlllraeted with Columbi:1 Helicol>tcr.;. 

This bcc:tmc 1I "win·win" situation: 

the starving Sudanese got lhcir rood and 

the U.S. taxp:lycr paid much less ror 

helicopter support. 

PROJECTS: 

HOTELS 

OFFICES 

HOSPITALS 

INDUSTRIAL PARKS 

CORPORATE CENTERS 

CONVENTION CENTERS 

LAW ENFORCEMENT 

PUBLIC UTILITIES 

SERVICES: 

FEASIBILITY STUDIES 

SITE LOCATION 

FLIGHT PATH ANALYSIS 

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN 

HELIPORT RETROFIT 

COMMUNITY INTERFACE 

GOVERNMENT PROCESSING 

MANAGEMENT 

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES 

VERTtCAL AERONAUTICS INTERNATIONAL 

6910 Hayvenhurst Ave . • Van Nuys. CA 91406 

TELEPHONE (8\8) 901-1434 

FAX (818) 988·4n7 

ROTOR 11

HELICOPTERS PLA Y IMPORTANT ROLE 

IN NTSB INVESTIGA TIONS 

By James l. Kolstad 

"Let's get a helicopter up as soon 

after an accident as possible .o we 

can gel a good look at (he wreckage 

site," 

That is a typical comment from 

investigators al the National 

Transportation Safety Board 

(NTSB) following an accident. It 

;llso suggests the important role 

helicopters arc playing in accident 

investigations. 

Hovering Ability Makes 

Hel icopters Superior 

Reconnaissance is just one of the 

jobs fOf which helicopters are so 

well suited. und they are considered su 

perior 10 light aircmft because of their 

ability to hover. But it goes beyond this 

because helicopters can reach rcmote 

areas to transport investigators, rescue 

victims and quickly remove important 

wreckage from accident siles for 

1:lbo11ltory analysis. 

As the nation's chief transponafion 

accidcllI investigation agency, all 

NTSB investigators must use every 1001 

avai lable to develop the facIual 

evidence so crucial to determining the 

probable cause of an accident and 

recommending what can be done to 

prevem a recurrence. It is nOl surprising, 

then. that helicopters have come to play 

such an important role. In some 2.500 or 

.o aviation :u,:cideills II year. hel icoplers 

are used by our investigators about 30% 

of the time in one way or another. 

And it's notjus\ in aviation acci(ienls 

Ihat helicopters al1: pressed into service 

by NTSB. Board investigators lise Ihem 

when necessllry for transportation and 

to help survey accidelll sites resulting 

from pipeline explosions, bridge collap 

ses. and railroad and highway col 

lisions. And, of course. helicopters are 

used al times for marine accidents . 

./all/t's L. Ko/swd is (lClillg cllairl//all of 

Ihe NlIIiollal Trall.tporl(l{iol/ Safel), 

Board. 

12 ROTOR 

A team of one dozen Invesligators eKamined the 

site of the Cessna accident. 

Wide Application in Accident 

Investigation 

Out it's in ;\viation accidenls th:L1 

helicopters seem 10 have their widest 

Hpplicalion. 

Here

(Cmllillllt'djrnlll l)(IK" 12) 

Location and Recovery 

Impossible without Helicopter 

Similarly, a McDonnell Douglas 500 

helicopter W:IS used ror wreckage and 

victim recovery in an accident that oc 

curred in 11 remote HawaiiHll Island val 

ley in June. A Scenic Air Tours twill 

engine Beech 18 slammed into an 

1.800-foot high valley wall and all 

cleven abo:ml were ki lled. WithoUi the 

usc or a helicopter. location. inspection 

and recovery from the 70-80 degree 

slope would have been virtually impos 

sible. 

The reconnaissnnee capabilities of 

helicopters is evidenced in two recent. 

separate accident investigations. The 

best known of these involved the 

sabol:lge of Pilll Am night 103 which 

crashed at Lockerbie. Scotland lasl 

December. killing 270 persons. 

111ree Aerospatinle AStars were used 

by separate teams or investigmors to 

scour the countryside looking ror bomb 

damaged pll1'tsofthe aircraft. Parts from 

night 103 were strewn over hundred. of 

square miles. mnny of which were dif 

ficult to rc:leh except by air. The effort 

W:IS IIccolllplished with the necessnry 

urgency with helicopters. Without 

them. the job would have been a walk 

ing search through the countryside that 

could have taken years. 

The second accident occurred laSI 

March ncar FLWorth. Texas when the 

cargo door on an Evergreen Airlines 

DC-9 suddenly opened after lakeoff and 

the plane crashed. The aircraft wascom 

ing back to the airport for an emergency 

landing. Both pilots. lhe sole occupanls. 

were killed. 

NTSB Used Helicopter to Save 

Personnel and Time 

InvestigUlors used a Bell-206, with a 

pilot .md tWO observers aboard, nying:1I 

about 200 feel over the DC-9's route of 

night, 10 see if anything had fallen off 

the jet. Usc of the helicopter s:IVed personnel 

and time. 

Helicopters also playa signific:Ult role 

in searching for accident wreckage and 

victims of smaller aircraft. An area 

where this is particularly so is Alaska. 

For instance. in July. a plane crashed 

on Bums Glilcier. locllted Ileal' Whinier. 

Fall 1989 

Alasb. resulting in four fmalities. 

Helicopters were used extensively in 

senrcll unci victim recovery as well as 

tr.msportution of Safety Board person 

nel to the uccidenl site. The light plane 

was from a U.S. Air Force Aero Club. 

The helicopter. provided by the Air 

Force was /I Sikorski ],]-3. It was invalu 

able in the invcstigmion for the Safety 

Board. 

In :mother case. a pilot executed :111 

instrument approach. descended below 

minimums. and struck 11 rnotlnlain. The 

accident occul'red on Hinchbrook Isl:md 

near Valdez. Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard 

helicopters were used. first. to locate the 

wrcckage. then to tr.msport the NTSB 

investigator and others to the accident 

site. 'nle site was located at Ihe 2.000- 

foot level of a mount:lin on an extremely 

remole portion of the island. 

Vital Investigative Tool 

The Safety 8oal'd has long recognized 

the importance of helicopters as 11 vital 

investigative 1001 and welcomcs their 

increasing utility for life saving. scat'ch 

and rescue. photographic missions. 

night path reconstruction and wreckage 

recovery. 

James l. Kolstad became a member 

of the National Transportation 

Safety Board (NTSB) in 1987, and 

was appointed, by President Reagan 

in 1988, the NTSB Chairman of the 

Board for a two-year term. 

Since joining the NTSB, Kolstad has 

headed Safety Board teams investigating 

both railroad and aircraft acddents. 

Kolstad's experience in 

transportation and aviaiton has been 

In both the private industry and 

government sectors. 

He was Director of Community and 

Congressional Affairs for lhe former 

Civil Aeronautics Board in 

Washington from 1973·78, and 

served as Head of Corporate Communications 

for Frontier Airlines lor 

seven years. Kolstad also served as 

Director of Intergovernmental Relations 

for the U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 

A Washington, D.C. native, Kolstad 

served in the U.S. Navy from 1962- 

64. 

"Operating 

costs 

for which 

helicopter 

did you say? 

Ho/d on, 

I've got 

them all 

right 

here." 

The Aircraft Cost Evaluator 

Helicopters gives operating costs for all 

the popular turbine helicopters. It is 

published by the same people who 

h made The Evaluators for jets and 

turboprops the reoogri2ed """" "'ds "" 

lhe industry. 

An indispensable reference Ihal 

puts In corrrnand d all the rumbers 

)00" need to be >OJr firm's authority on 

costs. When considerIng a new 

helicopter or at budget time. Any lime 

the boss wants some expense related 

answers fas\. 

There are t'NO pages for each 

helicopter. An update fNerY six months. 

Here are numbers can count on to 

be consistent, conservative and reliable. 

It's a resource every helicopter operator, 

consultant or dealer sl'\(>ujd have. 

For all !he facts, write: 

Al Conklin 

Associates, Inc. 

II1/bnllatioll SefVices for AVlCUWIl 

P.O Box lt42 • Orleans . Massachusetts 

• 02653 (508) 255-5975 

ROTOR 13

· .. _Ioo ."_ 

r.o . .... .. 6IiW , .... .. no, .... a.\ 7GiOi 

3,U711-4Il' ! T., .. 012 ...... ' FAJ! 3,1\..070.U,H 

_, ld_n.l _.rflt1W7 

14 ROTOR 

SAFETY MUST BE MAINTAINED, 

NOT MA NDA TED 

By Don Andrews 

One of our great early American 

heroes, Benjamin Franklin. wrote about 

a program he designed 10 eliminate all 

of his shortcomings and vices. The approach 

WllS simple: concentmte on each 

vice one at a time: once one weakness 

was mastered. move on to the next 

shortcoming .md tackle it. By approaching 

self-improvement in this manner, 

Franklin concluded that he would see 

dramatic results in a very short period of 

time. 

Whll! he soon discovered. however. 

was that a vice, once conquered. {lid not 

stay sulxlued. If Franklin rciaxe{1 his 

guard even slightly. the vice reappeared. 

The lesson Ben Franklin leamed 

about defeating personal problem areas 

has a direct application to our mission 

of accident prevention and risk management. 

We Keep Repeating Our 

Mistakes 

Then! is un old axiom concerning 

aircraft accidents that states "there arc 

no new accidents. just new ways of 

repeating the same old mistakes." 

Every time I read of a weather-related 

accident, I recall the very first accident 

I was exposed to over 30 years ago. A 

friend of mine was killed when he attempted 

to push the weather. when 

neither he nor the aircraft were certified 

for instrumcnt night. We just keep 

repeating the smne old mistakes in differenl. 

bUl rarely origin.Li, ways. 

Ben Franklin's Lesson 

Applicable To Safety 

When accident investigations establish 

a failure of a part or system. we ,Ire 

quick to implemcnt a fix. These "4uick 

fixes" come in the fOnll of airworthiness 

directives. mandatory service bulletins, 

or other direelion from the rmmufae 

IUrer or the appropriate civil aviation 

authority. But when the investigation 

indic:ltes human error, or that human 

faclor.; were involved, we oftcn lind it 

difficult to produce a valid fix. 

When an attempt 10 corTect human 

error is made. it is oftcn in the form of a 

new rule to follow. We must remcmbcr 

DOli Alldrews is l'i("e presitlellf, Hocky 

MOllntaill Helkopters. allll chairlllall of 

HAl" oS SafelY COllllllilll'e. 

the lesson Ben Franklin taughl us: more 

new rules are not the answer. We simply 

cannot write a rule 10 address every 

conceivable wny that can be used 10 

create an accident. Therefore. if more 

rules arc not the solution to improving 

safety and enhancing risk rn:U1l1gement. 

whal is,! 

Professionalism Is Key 

The answer i. simply to!:11 professionalism 

on the parI of all pi lOIs and 

mechanics, and an aggressive safety 

program at all levels in an organization 

that contributes to the professionalism 

of the individual crew members. The 

safety programs must aWlck head-on its 

four mortal enemies: carelessness: 

stupidity: ignorance: and complacency. 

A safety officer's role is not ellsy. The 

job description is nOl well defined, the 

t:lsks are illusive, the result.:lre difficult 

to quantify. and the work is never completed. 

Whcre a sound safety program 

exists. however. professionalism 

abounds. 

A safety officer recently addressed 

these issllcs in his monthly report. He 

stated. "One of the strongest attribllles 

of thi. particular contract is thaI safety 

is foremost in everyone's mind and is 

never sacrificed. Across the board, the 

people involved in this program have 

given .afcty the priority it dcserves." 

A wonderful endorselllenl, my wish is 

that all safcty officers enjoyed Ih:lt typc 

of support. He continued to say, "II is 

one thing 10 get your progmm on th

HEll-EXPO '90, the Civil Helicopter Trade 

Show, Combining the Best of Today and 

Tomorrow 

Helicopter Association lnlcmalional 

(HAl) President Frank L. Jensen Jr. is 

confident thal l·IArs HEll-EXPO '90, 

Fcbnmry 4-6, 1990, Dallas. TX, will set 

:I precedent for the next decade of future 

civil helicopter industry expositions. 

"HAl's ]'IELI-EXPO '90 will usher in 

the 90's as a decade of outstanding opporlLLnit)' 

and growth for the civil 

helicopter industry," Jensen s:lid. 

Annually aUrHcling between 8,500 - 

9,000 auendees. HEll-EXPO '90 participants, 

while focusing their attention 

on the innovations

A viation Associations Help Develop Transportation Policy 

By Matthew Ubben 

The National Aviation Associntion. 

(NAA) n coalition of trade associations 

representing all components of civil 

aviation. including Helicopter Associatioll 

International (HAl), recently expressed 

its endorsement of the Department 

of Transportation's dcveJopmcllI 

of a national transportation policy as 

"high priority" in a leller to Transportation 

Secretary Samuel K. Skinner. 

The coalition requested thaI it and the 

Secretary "work together" in developing 

a "provision in the Nccific National Aviation 

Policy." TIle letter also recommended 

"an extension of al least thirty (30) 

clays" of tile September 1. 1989 dC:ldlinc 

for comments. as published in thc 

Federal Regisler. 

Policy Statement Will Establish 

Framework 

The National Transportation Policy 

Statement. to be issued by the Secretary 

early next year, will establish the 

framework through which decisions on 

transportation infrastructure. services 

and related needs can be systcmatically 

assessed lind implemented during the 

next decade. lind inlo the 21st century. 

The Dcpart1l1cIH's policy development 

process consists of four principal 

components. 

The first coml>onent. "A Context for 

Transportation Po[icy." will briefly examine 

thc cutTcnt ll:1tiorw[ transponation 

system and its external environment. 

and will summarize key issues. 

both cross-cutting and modal specific. 

related to transportation today nnd in the 

ne:lr future. 

Outreach 

The second component will focus on 

policy development outreach. The third 

component will focus on public issues 

seminars and the last component will 

focus on overall policies and strategics. 

In addition to the above three components. 

the development of a national 

transpon

For nearly 40 years. Sikorsky Aircmft 

has honored the skill and courage of 

individuals participating in a helicopter 

lifesaving mission by awarding the 

Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award 

(commonly known as the Winged "S",) 

Initiated in 1950, the lifesaving Res· 

cue Award Progrllnl at Sikorsky 

Aircraft recognizes pilots and aircrew, 

in both the military and civiliun sectors, 

who have taken pan in:1 rescue, lifesav 

ing or MEDEVAC mission in 1I 

Sikorsky helicopter. More than 20,000 

awards have been presented to U.S., 

foreign military and civilian helicopter 

crews since its inception. 

One of First Known Missions 

One of the rirst known helicopter 

lifcs

HELICOPTERS PROVE CRITICAL DURING 

By Bryan Blixhaven 

For years. helicopters h:id been an in 

tegral part of Alyeska Pipeline Service 

Co. 's oil spill contingency 1 '1:111 should 

a major spill ever occur at or near the 

Valdez. Alaska \cnllinllS of the Trans 

Alask

(COn/illllet/from !JlI!W Ill) 

McKeown pul experienced aircrafl 

oper:non; on the task of allocating 

aircraft for lhe appropriale missions. 

He sel up an organizational schematic 

based on aircnlft needs. manpower. 

equipment and olhcr assels and assembled 

a base support elcmenl 10 lake 

cllre of fac ilities. life suppon equipment. 

fuel and ramp management and 

other mission-suPP0l1 OIeli vilies. 

Specific Uses 

Er:l's V:tldez b;lse manager Wall 

Woodrow said the majority sharc of 

hclicopler operations in thc sound and 

surrounding oilcd areas have been dcdic:lted 

10 movemenl of personnel ;lIld 

equipment. For example. Era has two 

Aerosp;lIiale Twin Sial'S on contract 

with VECO. an oil proouclion servicing 

company. to move its beach cleanup 

force from thcirshipbo.ud accommodations 

to the cleanup sites. 

Smaller helicopters such as Bell Jet 

Rangen; arc being uscd :IS observmioll 

platforms and to direct boats in skimming 

operations in the sound. 111C Jet 

Ranger coordin:I1es the OIctions of two 

ships with a line of booms (absorbent 

material used to SD:lk up the oil) strung 

between. 

L;:lrger rotary aircraft are deployed in 

various situ;ltions whcre large freight or 

personnel loads dictate the expense of 

Bell 212 or I;lrger cmf1. The 212 has 

been used extcn.sively to move up to a 

dozen employees al ;, lime to work or 

supporl sites. 

The 212's have also been deployed to 

move marine mammals. birds and other 

wildlife to rescue centers in Sew;lrd. 

Horner. Kodiak and other local ions. 

The 212'5 larger cargo area allows the 

animal handlers to ride along with specially-designed 

portable kennels filled 

with Oilers. seals. seagulls and olher 

creatures injured by Ihe spill. 

The Aerospmiale Twin Stars have 

filled the gap between the 212 and the 

Jet Ranger. With a five-passenger 

capacity. the Twin Star is tailor made for 

dropping off slll;llIer loads of people or 

gear. serving as a medical evacuation 

appamtus and ferrying relief and work 

crews back and forth. 

Other rOlary wing aircraft have been 

used in more specialized projects. In 

Fall 1989 

mid-July. Era moved a lOO-foot communications 

tower 01110 a remote mountaintop 

from Ihe Vnldez airport for oil 

spill cleanup opemtions. Using ,I Super 

Puma AS332L. Era transported the 

8.000 pOllnd-plus tower and equipmell1 

in one piece to the top of a nearby peak 

Ul>illg a l,:u:-.IOIII III"dl,: Iillg ilppilr;llu. 

Helicopters: A Cost Effective 

Alternative 

While the price of helicopter operations 

is higher than fixed wing. the cost 

is more than recoul>cd when considering 

the speed and eflicicncy offered by 

rotary wing aircraft. L;:\Ilding on top of 

a mountain 01' rescuing a sick crewman 

from the deck or ;m oil rig could take 

hours longer using tmnsportlltion other 

Ihan a helicO I )ter. 

Years :lgo. oil companies used boms to 

Ir;Ulsport oi I rig workers. However. llfter 

;tssessing the cost and the time factor in 

using that method oftmnsportlltion. the 

industry quickly realized it would be 

cheaper to get the workcrs 10 and from 

Ihe job sitc using Ihe helicopler. Addilion;dly. 

when critical parts were 

nce(tcd. the hel icoptcrcould move those 

parl. quickly to tcchnicians at a 

moment's notice. 

Commercial and mililUry helicoplcn; 

are positioned to respond to any cmergency 

anywhere in the world in a m;uter 

of hours. In the C:lse of the Exxon V;lldez: 

oil spill. Era Aviation. Inc. alone 

went from one helicopter to 17 operat· 

Cleanup crew boarding ERA's Bell 212·s. 

ing out of Valdez in a m;lIIer of five 

d;IYs. To do that. Era mobilized helicopters 

from all over the nalion. 

The next task for opcrators in the are;l 

will be the expectcd ph;lse down program 

in the face of adverse weather 

conditions. The helicopter neel will be 

an inlegml part of the work. :IS Exxon. 

VECO ilnd other companies involved in 

the spill scale down Ol:ler:ltions for the 

willler. ECluipment. supplies ;tnd the 

substantial work force will have 10 he 

ferried to shore to wait out several 

monlhs ofmargirwl wealhrCOlllmon to 

the sound. 

State Requires That 

Contingency Plans Include 

Helicopters 

There is no doubt that the industry's 

ability 10 respond immediately 10 a 

major emergency was again proven 

with the Prince William Sound oil spill. 

The helicopter proved agnin to be the 

workhorse for emergency airlift operations. 

Every emergency contingency plan in 

the Slate of Alaska requires rOlOr 

aircraft sllPI>ort. whether the operation 

is oil spill cleanup. forest fire ormedical 

evacuation. Gelling the goods :md the 

manpower on sile eXI>cdiently can mean 

the difference between life or dellih 

failure or success. and the industry ha 

spent yean; fine-wning its helicopter 

operation with that urgency in mind. 

 

ROTOR 19

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME ABOARD! 

Join us in welcoming the 

following companies and 

individuals who have 

recently joined [·IAI. If you 

would like further infonnalion 

on membership in HAl 

or know of someone who 

quulifies as u member, contact 

HAl's Membership 

Manager Kille Miller to find 

out how an HAl membership 

can work to your 

benefit! t1 

REGULAR 

OPERATORS 

Air Shark Copter Co. 

Bowie. MD 

Aircraft Operations Inc. 

Louisville, KY 

B.C. Helicopter Service 

Inc. 

Pittstown, NJ 

Bellevue Helicopter Inc. 

Bellevue. WA 

Blair & Son. 1nc. 

Bryn Mawr, PA 

c.c. Air 

Los Angeles. CA 

Choate Trucking 

Bel Air. MD 

COllllllonwealth Je\ 

Service, Inc. 

Sandston. VA 

DN Air Charter, Inc. 

lillie Ferry, NJ 

Gary Foster 

(Private Owner) 

Sterling City. TX 

David M. Friedline 


Dayton,OH 

Glllrick Helicopters, Inc. 

Hamillan, MT 

Helicopter Services Inc. 

Jenkimown, PA 

JR Copters, LId. 

S!. Paul. MN 

H. Randolph Klein 

(Privnte Owner) 

Ocala, FL 

20 ROTOR 

Lear Siegler, Inc. 

Morristown. Nl 

Darrell Lingle 


Clearfield, PA 

Frank Menix 

(Privllte Owner) 

Big Spring. TX 

Mir.sion Aviation 

Fellowship 

Redlands, CA 

Ohio Valley Helicopters 

Cincinnati,OH 

Pocono Helicopters Ltd. 

Stroudsburg. PA 

Roman Catholic 

Archdiocese 

of Los Angeles 

Archbishop 

Roger Mahony 

Los Angeles. CA 

Ritel CopIer Service Inc. 

Hudson. IA 

South Bay Scenic Flights 

San Pedro, CA 

T-Air Helicopters. Inc. 

Columbus, 01-1 

Tridair Helicopters. inc. 

Costa Mesa. CA 

ASSOCIATE 

The CIT Group 

Industrial Financing 

Fort Lauderdale. FL 

Fairchild AviatiOIl 

Recorders 

Clearwater. FL 

Helicenlro Llcla. 

Bogota, Colombia 

Sunrise Helicotpcr. Inc. 

Spring. TX 

SUSTAINING 

(Individual) 

Russell M. Appleton 

Tucson, AZ 

Stacey Brcitbart 

Old Westbury. NY 

Robert J. Carnie 

Calgary - Alberta. Canada 

Sam Castillo 

Bogota. Colombia 

Edward Cole 

Newtown. PA 

Steven E. Cooper 

Gladesville. Austmlia 

Peter Dorland 

Ellenwood, GA 

Nicholas Ferraro 

Rialto, CA 

Michael A. France 

Brunswick,OH 

Pierluigi Fumagalli 

Galibate. Italy 

Opal Hassell 

Denver, CO 

Robert A. Heyde 

Santa Clam. CA 

Joseph C. Kenles 

Saull Ste. Marie. MI 

Erich M. Linder 

Cleveland.OH 

La urence W. Lytton 

Scarsdale, NY 

1·lernan G. Morales 

Bogota. Colombia 

David J. Morse 

Kansas City, MO 

Clemente M. Ortega 

Ciuclacl Bolivar, 

Venezuel,t 

Peler R. Oswald 

Danville. CA 

Luis Pinilla 

Bogota, Colombia 

Jose A. Ramos 

Bronx. NY 

Bernard Scharf 

Great Neck. NY 

James Slaller 

Gaithersburg. MD 

Jay Hamillon Tabor II 

Kamuela. H [ 

LI.Conward S.Thompson. 

USMCR 

l;lcksonville. NC 

Andrea Tr.wersi 

Milan, Ituly 

PILOTS 

Jeff Allen 

Arctic Air Service 

Allen S. Conrud 

U.S. Navy 

Ansennot Emmanuel 

Helog Ltd. 

Daniel J. Grossman 

Paramount Aviation 

Corp. 

Mark Pyles 

Metro Aviation, Inc. 

Markus Schiess 

Sunrise Helicopters 

Harvey Simon 

Helicopter Minit-Men. 

Inc. 

George M. Tawes 

City of Los Angeles 

Dale L. Weir 

Columbia Helicopters, 

Inc. 

MECHANICI 

TECHNICIANS 

David C. Burch 

Bell HelicopterTextron. 

Inc. 

Donald J. Fisher 

Pammount Aviation 

Corp. 

STUDENTS 

Martin Duval 

Chicago, IL 

Rasti Farhad 

Long Beach. CA 

Ken Petrelli 

Maywood, NJ 

Sharon M. Vail 

Scotch Plains, NJ 

Fall 1989

HAl's New Award 

Honors 

Mechanics/Technicians 

I-IAI recently honored 157 mechanics 

lind technicians with its new "Avitllion 

Mechanicffechnician SafcIY" award in 

recognition of their outstanding COIltribution 

[0 snfelY in the civil helicopter 

industry. 

The award, prescnted 10 certified lIvialion 

Illechanics

SMOKE 

by Mel Larson 

My phone rang carly on 

the morning of Novclllbcr 

21. 1980. Ilhoughl il 

IVlIS my hOle] wake-up 

en!1. but it was TV-I), 

reporting l1wl lile sky wns 

ntlc(1 with smoke from 

the direction of Ihe thell 

MGM Grand (now 

Bally's) and Caesars 

Pnlace hotel-casinos. 

both on the Las Vegas 

SHip. They needed II 

helicopter \0 pick II I ' their 

ClInlcr

Helicopter Performs Lifesaving Work in Colombian 

Volcano's Aftermath 

Al 9:04 pm. Novem 

ber 13, 1985. Nevado 

del Ruiz. a 17.716 fool 

dormant volcano 110 

miles west of Bogola. 

Colornbiu, erupted in 

full fury. The rirs[ 

eruption. which shot 

ash and steam Illiles 

high over the Andes. 

was followed ninety 

miml1es later by a mas 

sive explosion. Theil, 

an eerie silence fell 

over [he land. 

n,e white hal molten 

rock nowed Oui of the 

volcano mehing mil 

lions of lOllS of ancient 

ice. W:ucr, mixed with m;lI. began [0 

rush down the mounlllin. T I le tidal 

wave of viscous mud.known as lahar. 

casclIdcd down the slopes. funncl ling 

illlo three river channels. 'nlC uiguni Iia 

River lalll1f poured over the lown of 

Annero covering more than three 

qU:lrlcrs of the !Own in a thick layer of 

mud. Thousands were killed lind 

hundreds of survivors were partially 

buried. 

Super Puma Pressed Into Action 

When aerial rescue operations were 

finally able to begin four days lalel'. 

Canada's Sealand Helicopters' (now 

Canadian Helicopters) Aerospatiule 

Super Puma (AS332-C) was pressed 

into uction along with all olheravailable 

"irefllfl. 

It WUli a stroke of luck that the high 

powered Newfoundland-based Su]>cr 

Puma happened to be working in 

Bogota. Colombia for Occident.1I 

Petroleum when the emergency arose. 

Occidental released the Puma and 

generously paid for all the rescue work 

subsequently done by the aircraft. 

lVil" 1J(!rmissirm [mm Ihe puhli.l'her. Ihi. 

arlide 11'0.1' e.n'r l Jll'tJ by jlll/Y GO.l'IIl'Y. 

ManageI' o[ CO/POI't/fl' RcI(I/;o/ls. 

ClIIuulial/ Helicoptel's Cmp .. [rOIll (/II 

al'lil'ie hy UII'I'Y Carlx)1 l'''filled. "A 

Cal/adi(ll/'s Colombian Ollyssey." 

whil'h \\'(1.\' prill/ell i" fhe Fall. J9R5 

"Hl'licoJJf(,I'J Magldl/('. Calltu/t,." 

Fall 1989 

---- -.- -- -- -- -- - 

• 

Super Puma used by Sealand during rescue work In Colombia. 

Captained by Canndian Rob Freeman 

and co-piloted by Colombian Gabriel 

Ospina. the SUIx:r Puma proved able to 

perform well .ll high altitudes as well ali 

lift thousands of pounds of supplies :md 

carry 18 survivors at one time. The 

helicopter·s unique hovering ability 

also made it an invaluable :lsset in all 

aspects of the rescue ol>CTlItions from 

the quicksand-like mud. 

Flight and Maintenance Crew 

Outstanding 

The new generation twin-engilled 

Super Puma. which had been introduced 

10 the market in 198 1. performed. of 

course, only as well as its outstanding 

night and maintenance crew. Freeman, 

an English sl>caking Newfoundlander, 

shared nying dUlies 50/50 with Ospina 

whose excellent nying skills and in 

timate knowledge of the country made 

him invaluable 10 Ihe operation. As al 

ways, the "ircraft·s l x:rfonl1:lI1ce was 

:llso dependant on the nl:lintenancc 

crew who worked 'round the clock in 

the ash-I:ldened :lttHosphere to keep the 

Puma airworthy. 

The first llfternoon 011 the job Rob and 

Gabriel sl}(Jlled two men tr . lPIx:d in the 

sticky mud up to their :lrmpits. Gabriel 

hovered the big rumn low over the sur 

vivors lind held it for over half an hom 

as workers stood in the doorway strug 

gling to pry the men loose from the 

tenacious hold of the hardening mud. 

Fin'llly. after repeated allel1lp1., both 

men were rescued ;lnd Rob climbed 

away from the sea 

of desolation that 

was Annel'o. 

The Super Puma . 

which ultimately 

made many niglus 

into the afrcctcu 

areas, continued 10 

fly supply and 

evacuation mis 

sions lit the nlte of 

40-50 hours 11 week. 

Due to the high al 

titude capabilities 

of the AS332-C. 

Rob also was asked 

to fly a team of 

scientists up the 

slopes of Nevada del Ruiz to install 

waming equipment every 1000 feel \0 

monitor the volcano's slatus. Lc:lpfrog 

ging up the mountain, they worked their 

way up 10 Ihe 15.000 fool level where 

they made their highest landing and 

take-off 

Scientists Viewed the Crater 

Once finished. the pi lOIS climbed the 

Supcr Puma up to 17.500 feet 10 allow 

the scientists to view the crater itself. 

After 20 minutes of circling the still 

steaming bowl. Rob headed back down 

to the staging area at Manizales Airport, 

about 15 miles west or!he volcano. 

PleaslIIlIly surprised. he had only 

dmwn 15 degrees of pitch at 80 knots 

ilnd felt the helicopter still had some 

power Icf. in reserve. 

Crew Performed Heroically 

Not only did the Super Puma and its 

crew perfonn heroically on the volc.mo 

rescue operations bUI also Ihey were 

called on (II the same time to altempt a 

totally unrelated rescue in the high 

Andes. Based on Ihe Puma's exemplary 

high alti.ude perfomlance 011 Ihe first 

day of the volcano opemtions. Rob was 

asked by the Colombian authori.ies ifhe 

would go 10 Ihe rescue of a plane that 

had crashed II days e:lrlier above the 

10.000 foot level of the Andes. Due to 

the high altitude Ihe military helicopters 

(COl/liIlUCIJ Otl l '"gl' 27) 

ROTOR 23

OPERATOR PROFILE 

CHRISTOPH 31 : Omniflight's Berlin Operation 

By Ronald Bunch 

West Berlin may be isolmed in muny 

respects from West Gcnnany, but it is 

not isolated from lhe services nommlly 

offered by the Allgemeine Deutsche 

Automobile Club 

(ADAC) network of rescue 

helicopters with the 

c;llI-sign "CI-IRISTOPH". 

Mosl of Berlin is 

covered by seven 

Notarzlwagcns. Illrge 

emergency service 

vehicles under control of 

the Fire Depllnmcn!

REGULATORY REVIEW 

IGIA RESPONSE TO HELIOPSI4 PROPOSALS 

By Ronald Bunch 

lllC UniTed Stales Interagency Group 

on InternatioJl:l1 Aviation (lOlA). in 

response to the Intcmatiorml Civil Aviation 

Organization's proposed changes 

to helicopter standards and reeom· 

mended practices. has sent ICAD COlnments 

recognizing the need for improvements 

in several areas. The lOlA 

has expressed concern Ihal proposed 

standards arc more appropriate 10 Ihe 

adverse climates of "harsh" opemling 

environments than [0 worldwide operations. 

Recommending a two-lier system of 

standards similar to Ihat of the International 

Maritime Organiz;lIion (IMO). 

the response disagreed with reliance on 

only on-shore ahcrnalcs for [Me operations, 

expressing concern that such 

restrictions would require c:lrrying 

more fuel :It the expense of passengers 

and degr..de the economics of offshore 

operations. 

Two landing lights 

Since most lranspon c,l!egory hel icopters 

already conduct night openltions 

As 

safely with [l single landing light, disagreement 

was expressed with the 

proposed "excessiye" re

By Paul Powers 

HELP Created for Life-Threatening Situations 

Helicopters have made more than 

400,000 rescues from high places, low 

places. hot pillces and cold places 

throughout the world. 

There is good reason for this. According 

to a recent comparative emergency 

medical transportation study released 

by the JouI'I1111 orlhe American Medical 

Association, Ihe chances of surviving 11 

very serious injury are morc than twice 

liS good when a helicopter is used for 

emergency transport.· 

The helicopter has unquestioningly 

proven itself in lllany appliclIliol1s induding 

life-threatening situations. The 

Dall:ts-Fort Worth MctToplex Helicopter 

Emergency Lifesaving Pilln (HELP) 

was created in 1982 to provide helicopter 

assistance in the event of: high-rise 

building tire. noods. lornadoes, aircraft 

cmshes. major induslrial accidenls and 

mass CHsuullies from htlzardous 

m;lterials accidenl. or spills. (The 

HELP Emergency/Accident phone. 

answered 24 hours a day. is: (817) 282- 

4600.) 

Coordinated Effort 

Helicopter SUppOrL was to be accomplished 

through the coordinated effans 

of the Dailas(farmnt Counly offices 

of Emergency Preparedness. A viation 

Management. Fire and Police 

Departmenls and the Bell Helicopter 

Textron Corp. 

TIle CilY of Dallas' Centrol Fire Dispalell 

serves HS the focal poinl for 

receiving. eV:lluating and implemenling 

the HELP whose participants nlso include 

the Texas AmlY National Guard. 

the U.S. Anny Reserve ;uul the U.S. 

Marine Corps. Reserve. 

Forty-One Participating 

Hospitals 

Fourteen hospitals. which participale 

in the Dallas/Fort Worth HELP, have 

designated. marked helistops. Twentyseven 

hospilOlls have a designated. un 

(·Thl' AMA JOl//"IIol SIII//IIUII)' Sf(/ll'S. 

"A .1'I1IIiSlil'al alltllysis r/l'siglll'll 10 

IJ /,l'Ilic" //lor/ali!)' !JtI.'it'd 011 il/jur)' 

sel'i'ri!y rel'C'lI/ell ... rhl'H' lI'a. (/ 52% 

rl'lIIiCrioll i 1/ IJrulim/l'd mortality of the 

lIermllet/iClIl R/'(}/I{J. which \\'l/.r highly 

si,l/ifiCflllf. N) 

Pmt/ Powers i, Director of SafelY (11/({ 

Cl'I'rificfl tioll for /Jell Neli('oprer 

Textroll, IIIC. 

26 ROTOR 

marked arell upon which a I·IELP 

helicopter can land, 

TIle first HELP event was a workshop 

in February. 19M2. TIlc cilies of Dallas 

:md Fort Worth had requested :lssistnnce 

in fonmllizing high-rise rooftop 

evacuations, In one six-month period, 

the Metroplex ,Irea hadexpericnced five 

high-rise lires involving three hotels. ,Ill 

aparlment and a hospital. The area also 

has seen significant nooding. and there 

lire an average of three conf'inned tornadoes 

per yellr. 

Exercise Scenarios 

·Ille firsl HELP cxercise was a highrise 

rooflOp eVllcumion in Dallas in 

Nov" 1982 in which the cilY activated 

il. emergency celller to carry out 11 complete 

rn,ISS c;lsu:Llty scenario. 

In May. 1983 the HELP plan was implemented 

10 exercise a scenario involving 

the crtlsh of a simulated 8727 in 

Irving. Texas, 

Undcr the scell

Colombian Rescue 

(Comilll/cli fmm {}{lXI' 23) 

Rob Freemon i.t lite Chief IFR Pi/nl for Sea/alld Nelit:nfHer,\" of SI. JOhl/',f 

Neuiol/l1(J/olld who flew IIII' rest'//(' ",i.\'.\';o/l.\' (/esc:ri/)et/ ill (lte (I(.'COIIII)(III)';118 

arlie/e. His niflectiolls oil /he missioll "/'pet/I" ill lhis hox. 

It has always bothered me thaI I Tl!(;civcd the lion's share (of media attCll 

tion)whcll, in fact. it WilS a team effort by a truly internalional crew. The first night 

Gabriel Ospinu made as my co-pilot ill Ihe SUI>er Puma was \0 the volcano. We 

would not have been nCcricnce. we meshed well as a team. To illustrate: I knew the aircrafl and lOok 

care or the English requirements (deilling with scientists. volcanologists. etc.) He 

knew the terrain. and took care or the Spanish (ATC. military etc.) 

We shared the nying duties 50/50 right rrom day one. As Gabriel Ospinosa is 

still part or the Calladian Helicopter ramily in Ecuador. he should gct the recog 

nition he deserves. The CHC maintenance crews worked miracle. in keeping the 

helicopter airworlhy. Each night round us in a different Colombian tOWIl. with few 

spare parts. Even in the ash-laden atmosphere. the crews worked round-the-clock 

to keep us opemlionnl, as well, during the nying. They st:lyed on-board 10 assist 

the injured. :tet as loadmasters and helpers as well. 

Iwd been unable 10 reach the scene 

where 1I Piper Seneca III had crashed in 

bad weather. Rob and Gabriel agreed to 

altempt the reSClle. 

Ec]uipped with only 11 shovel and 11 

rope, the military reSClle specialists 

were picked up by the Super Puma at 

Paslo, 35 miles from the crash site. 

Despile the clouds and heavy Hlin 

showers, the crew bcgan the long climb 

up the mountain range. knowing that 

lime was critical if there were any livc,'1 

10 be saved. finally. when all hope of 

sighting the cmsh had almost been ex 

tinguished, due to the min lind low 

visibility. there it was! AI just over 

11.000 feet the remains of the Seneca 

were scallered over Ihe mountain. 

Rob circled. looking in vain for 11 level 

pot 10 land. It seemed hopeless. Just 

tiS he was about to helld back to PaslO 

they S l >OlIcd a hand waving ncar the 

remains or the :tircran. Local nmives 

had found the cr..tsh, and the survivor. 

and wcre able to give her food and shel 

ter {a small canopy tent) but no medical 

:lid. She was too badly injured to cilrry 

out Ihrough the heavy jungle :tnd steep 

terrain. !-Ier sittlHtion was truly critic:l!' 

Helicopter Rescues Woman 

From Inaccessible Mountainside 

With renewed hOI;IC. the rescue crew 

began pUlling knots every fOOl in the 

Fall 1989 

long rescue rope ,l\l(1 Rob brought the 

Pumn to :t higher hover over the site. 

The helicopter dipped and swayed 

alanningly in Ihe downwind now orf of 

the mountain ridge: bul Gabriel held it 

in position as the Colombian rescuers 

climbed down the rope. A sling Iype 

troop se:tt was passed down and im 

provised intOli liller for the 18 year-old 

girl who was the sale survivor. She w:ts 

pulled up into the helicopter i1l1d the 

make-up sling was passed down for the 

body of the olher occup:mt of the pl:tne 

as Ihe Super Puma hovered overhead. 

Howllrd Storae. Dc:1Il POrler and Dan 

Merrill, thc three C:tnHdian engineers, 

were able 10 pull up the survivor, one 

body and the Colombian rescue team 

through 11 greal deal of physical strength 

and detcnllinalion. 

After45 rninutesofhovcringat 11.000 

feet al 16.5 degrees pitch. ncar Ihe 17 

degree maximum. Rob tr..tllslated into 

forward Oight and handed the controls 

over to Gabriel for the short flight down 

to Pasto. The critically injured girL who 

had becn found by natives and given 

rood and sheller. for 12 days aner the 

cntsh. survived. 

Again. a helicopter had m:lde the dif 

ference between life .lIld certain death. 

.. - 

Steffanie J. Lewis, Esq. 

- fanner HAl General Counsel - 

Albert Z. Lewis, Jr., Esq. 

Lewis & Lewis 

Expanding Services to 

the Helicopter Industry, 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

merging with: 

THE INTERNATIONAL 

BUSINESS LAW 

FIRM PC 

International Trade 

Int. Financial Transactions 

E.E.C. Trade / Lobbying 

F.A.A. Enforcement Actions 

Government Conlracting 

EXpOl1 Licensing 

Aircraft Sales & L.easing 

Fed, Agency Representation 

Congressional Relations 

Foreign Representation 

Telecommunications Law 

High Technology Matters 

Joint Ventures / Subsidiaries 

Litigation / Defense 

ARLINGTON, YA. 

lei: 703 243-2333. fa ... ; 703 243-298 1 

ABA-Net; IBLF.ARl../LEWI$.LEWIS 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

lei; 202 833-8500. fll ... : 202 293-7498 

NEW YORK, N.Y. 

tel: 212 956-6435. fu ... : 212 956-6435 

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM 

lei: 2.649.42.00. fax: 2.642.90.48 

PARIS, FRANCE 

leI: 1.45.484862, fax: 1.45.449077 

27 ROTOR

By Glenn A. Leister 

Igor Sikorsky's "Angels" Proudly Remembered 

Twenty-eight years after his first 

airplane new. Igor Sikorsky's first 

helicopter lifled from the first U.S. 

helipad at Stratford. Connecticut. That 

first flight is recorded in a familiar 

photograph of Mr. Sikorsky 111 the controls. 

wearing his black fedom. Since 

Ihul day in 1939. the helicopter has been 

developed into a capable machine 

which serves 1l1llnkind in :1 variety of 

humanitarian services throughout Ihe 

world. WhHl was nOI revealed in Ihal 

famous photograph of Igor Sikorsky 

realizing his dream were his family. including 

his wife Elizabeth. who witnessed 

Ihis historical achievement. and 

of course their son. Sergei Sikorsky. 

On August 1 1. 1989. at the Igor 

Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Mrs. 

Sikorsky spoke of her husband as a 

"gre:lt visiollary" to the small crowd 

alfending the Centcnni:ll ceremony 

recognizing the lOOth annivcrsury of 

Igor Sikorsky's birth. In her remarks. 

Elizabeth Sikorsky said "he had such 

great vision." 

Bronze Bust 

Before the bronze bust of Igor 

Sikorsky was unveiled. the Mayor and 

Airport Manager briefly spoke, mcntioning 

the need for airport funding. interestingly. 

with this grellt visionary 's 

invention. :lirpons aren't always a 

necessity. 

Mrs. Sikorsky was asked to describe 

her feelings as she and her family 

watched [gar Sikorsky successfully fly 

the first helicopter. She thought for a 

few moments and then she gently and 

proudly lifted her hand to illustrate how 

high the machine hovered. It was obvious 

that she must have been as exhilarated 

as her husband. She added 

that she "had greal faith in his ability to 

carry out his vision." 

She said that he would come home 

every night and draw the plans on the 

control systems so that work could continue 

the next day. "Sometime later, 

after a briefing on his invention to the 

Secretary of War in Washington. he was 

told th,,' it was a useless mllchine with 

no possible value. She said that Igor 

Sikorsky was very deeply hurt as he 

returned home, but that he was still convinced 

that his visions for the helicopter 

would eventually be proven and that it 

would serve many humanitarian purposes. 

Mrs. Sikorsky relayed several experiences 

of later years. She said that he 

28 ROTOR 

had respect for every living person. and 

he made it a practice to meet all workers 

in his planl, regularly going through the 

manufacturing areas to speak with each 

employee about being creative. He 

considered that each employee offered 

creativity which enabled the company 

to build a remarkable and unique 

machine. 

Sikorsky's Angels 

Recalling a much later mcmorable occasion 

in about 1969. Mrs. Sikorsky told 

about an event at the Sikorsky Headquarters 

which recognized a number of 

military pilots and crew members who 

had been saved by rescue helicopters 

and several of these men had becn 

seriously injured and bleeding in the 

North Vietnamese jungle with lillie 

hope of survival. One jet pilot who had 

been shot down described his hopeless 

situation below the jungle canopies, 

until he heard the engines above and 

saw the rescue line coming down 

through the foliage. He described those 

beautiful machines as "Sikorsky's Angels." 

That mllst have been a special occasion 

for those who designed, built. 

flew. mainlained and serviced the 

helicopters which ga ... e life back to so 

many of our American fighting men 

during the Korean and Vietnillll eras. 

No doubt Igor Sikorsky would be 

ple;tsed thaI his military and civilian 

"Angels", and other manufacturers' 

helicopters today. ure transporting und 

giving life back to hundreds of 

thousands of human beings in COIl1tllunities 

throughout the world. " 

-= 

Helicopter Dream Ride for School 

Children 

Eagtes, who hetped arrange the "dream ride" with 

Lindbergh school students, and an S-76. 

For six elementary school children in 

Palisades Park. New Jersey one version 

of the "American Dream" was the opportunity 

to view Manhattan Island 

from an AStar cruising al 1,000 feet 

above the Big Apple. 

According to Barbara S. Bilmes. Vice 

President Sales and Marketing. 

American Business Aviation. Inc. 

(A BA) the six, sixth grade students were 

all winners in the "Mele Money Game" 

named after Frank Mele. a te,\cher at 

Lindbergh Elementary School in 

Palisades Park. 

"This game is based on American 

Capitalism and allows students to earn 

'Mele Money' and it must be used to plly 

for poor grades and poor attendance." 

Bilmes says. Students can also invest 

"Mele" money in simulated stocks. 

bonds. mutual funds and 

money market accounts. 

Helicopter Tour Was 

Dream 

The six students with 

the most "money" at the 

end of the school year 

receive their " American 

Dream." 1l1ese winning 

students wanted to see 

Manhatlan from a 

helicopter. Through 

American Business A viation, 

that dream was realized. 

Bilrnes said that before 

Iheir flight, the students were given a 

tour of ABA facilities al New Jersey's 

Teterboro Airport. She said that the students 

asked how fur and how high 

helicopters could Oy. what they could 

do and. in keeping with money game 

winners. how much one costs. 

"] explained the functions of the tail 

rotor to one student. Another had seen a 

television story on the Notar," Ililmes 

said refen-ing to the McDonnell Douglas 

helicopter which operates without a tail 

rotor. The students also received a tour 

of ABA's wemher briefing room and 

they were photographcd sitting in the 

pilot seats of AStar.. Bell-222s lind S- 

76s. 

The lour concluded with thc "dream 

flight" over Manhattan which made a 

lasting impression on six new helicopter 

enthusiasts. Ii 

,= 

Fall 1989

Bill Number: H.R.968 

Bill Title: Noise Reduction Reimbursement 

Act of 1989 

Description: To provide for the 

Federal reimbursement of local noise 

abatement funds. 

Impact : The bill allows airports louse 

their own funds 10 implement fedcmlly 

approved noise programs, and then be 

reimbursed later by the federal govern 

ment for the federal share of such 

projects. 

HAl Position: HAl supports this bill. 

Status: The House of Representatives 

passed the bill, as amended. on May 16. 

1989: the Sennte Commerce, Science. 

and Transportation. reponed the bill on 

July II, 1989. 

Bill Number: H.R.1307 

Hill Title: General Aviation Standards 

ACI of 1989 

Description: A bill to amend the 

Federal Aviation Act of 1958 relating to 

general aviation accidents. It establishes 

a uniform general aviation product 

liability I:lw in all St:ltes. 

Impm:t: The bill establishes joint 

H:lbility among manuf:lcturers; non 

manufacturers would be held liable for 

their own actions. Allocation of 

damages would be basel] upon com 

parative responsibility. whereby e:lch 

defendant pays the corresponding 

equivulent percentage of damage 10 the 

victim. 

HAl Position : HAl supports the 

adoption of this legislation. 

Status: The House Committee on 

Public Works :lnd Tr:msportalion ummimously 

approved tlie bill on July 20. 

1989: the House Committee on The 

Judici:lry :lnd the House Commillee on 

Energy and Commerce have yet to 

schedule hem·ings. 

Fall 1989 

HOUSE BILLS 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 

Dill Number: H.R.l633 

Bill Title: Independent Federal Aviu 

tion Administmtion Act of 1989 

Description: A bill to improve safety 

of air travel by establishing the Federal 

Avi;l\ion Administration as an inde 

pendent Fedeml agency. 

Impact : The bill establishes an inde 

pendent FAA under three administra 

tive regions. heuded by an Ad 

ministrator, who shall be appointed by 

the President, to serve a s-year teon. 

HAl Posilio n : HAl supports an 

autonomous FAA, not necessarily an 

independent one. 

Status: Joint referral to House Com 

millee on Public Works and Transpor 

tation. Joint referral to House Commit 

tee on The Judiciary. Joint referral to 

House Committee on Energy and Com 

merce 

Dill Number: H.R.l638 

nill Title: Wayport Development Act 

of 1989 

Desnipliun: To provide for eswb 

lishment ofa revolving 1(x1I1 fund forlhe 

dcvelopmcnt of wayports and to estab 

lish a commission to propose areas 

suitable for the location of such 

wayports. 

Impad: 111is bill establishes a 15- 

member "Wayport Development Com 

mission" thaI would propose u list of 

areas suitable for the location of 

wayports_ propose design criteria. and 

de\el'lnine loans limits. 

HAl 1)lIsil io n : HAl is currenlly 

reviewing Ihis bill. 

StlltuS: Joint referral to House Corn 

mil1ee all Public Works and Tnmspor 

talion_ Joint referral to House Commit 

tee on Rules 

SENATE BILLS 

Hill Number: S.561 

Dill Title: To provide for testing for 

the usc. without lawful authorization, of 

alcohol or controlled substances by the 

operators of aircraft, railroads, and com 

mercial motor vehicles, and for other 

purposes. 

Description: The bill calls for all 

types of testing, such as pre-employ 

ment. random, and post accident. but 

does nOt include mandatory reinstate 

ment for employees who complete a 

rehabilitation program after testing 

positive. 

Impact: The bill expands drug testing 

to include alcohol, and would affect 

those individuals in commercial avia 

tion, but not those in general aviution. 

HAl Posi tion : HAl is currently 

reviewing it's position on the bill. 

Sialus: The Semite Comm iuee on 

Commerce, Science. and Tnmsportation 

held a hearing on June 15, 1989. 

Bill Number: S,640 

llill Title: General Avi:ltion Accident 

Liability Swndards Act of 1989 

Description: A bill to regulate inter- 

stnle commerce by providing for 

uniform standnrds of liubility for hnnn 

arising out of general aviation ucd 

dents. 

Impact: Same us H.R.1307, except 

thnt no suit may be broughl ag:linsl a 

manufucturcr for damage allegedly 

caused by an aircraft or part 20 yellrs 

after initial delivery or installation. 

HAl Position: HAl supports the pus 

sage of this bill. 

Status: Referred to Senate Committee 

on Commerce_ Science_ and Transpor 

tlllion; the Subcommittee on Aviation 

held a hearing on June 21, 1989 . ... c!. 

t!=- 

ROTOR 29

Air Florida Rescue: 

Shows National TV Audience Helicopter's Value as Lifesaver 

By Carolyn Vujcec and 

Daniel Warsley 

The hel icopter's cruci:Ll role in disaster 

assistance was v i vid ly 

demonstrated 1:tnuary 13. 1982 when 

two U. S. PMk Police :Ivi;ltors rescued 

five survivors of the Air Florida 90 

planc crash from the frozen Potomac 

River. The dramatic tel evis i on 

footage. broadcast that evening 011 the 

national news, projected lhe image of 

the helicopter liS lifesaver to milliolls 

of American viewers. 

On that chilly, snowblown January 

afternoon a Boeing 737. departing 

NatiOnal Airport followi ng several 

wing dc-icing crrans. crashed into 

Washington. D.C:s 14[h Street bridge. 

killing four motorists and 74 passengers 

and crew. 

The snowstorm, snarled city Ir:tffic. 

and the traum.llie condition orthe crash 

survivors, made helicopter assistance 

Ihe only avenue for the rescue.· 

"The helicopter was the only vehicle 

c;lp"ble of performing the rescue," said 

Don Usher. Ihe U.S. Park Police pilot 

", : ho took charge of lhe mission frOll1 the 

air. 

Usher. and park police pOlramedic 

Gene Windsor. responded to a call from 

Ihe FAA Slating thm a scheduled fixedwing 

commercial aircraft was "down." 

The policemen, on duty at U.S. Park 

Police Headquarters in Anacostia Park. 

Maryland. (]uickly gmbbed life preservers 

and rope, boarded their Bell Long 

Rangel". and look off. 

300 Foot Ceiling 

With a cciling orJOO feet and Olle-half 

mile visibility. Usher new "Eagle One" 

through the ince.s"nt snowstorm and 

IOwards the 141h Street bridge by looking 

through the helicopter's "chin bubble" 

(the II":1I1spareilt iower windscreen.) 

Area radio communication channels 

were congested with calls frorn police. 

fire and rescue personnel. "It was ne:lrly 

impossible to communicale with 

aUlhorilies :lIld rescue vehicles 011 the 

scene due to the heavy radio lraffic, so 

we had lillie indicalion where the survivors 

were," Windsor said. Finally. 

shallercd icc in the Potomac pinpointed 

the c.:r.J.sh. 

The wreckage was between the inbound 

and outbound 141h Street 

(·The /"I'.H·I/I', (InCIII/I t'll I ell by 

Me/rollo/itall D.C.fire ((lid r/!.\Tlte radio 

Inll/slII issiolls. look 1('11 mi 11111 e.f. J 

30 ROTOR 

r: 

longRanger hovers above the frozen 

Potomac during dramatic recue of Air 

Florida 90 crash survivors. 

bridges. The plane's fragmented pieces 

jUllcd from Ihe ice chunks. and thc sur 

vivors desperatcly IllIcmpted to stay 

aflont by clutching remnants of 

fuselage. Usher and Windsor also saw 

emcrgenc.:y vehicles parked on Ihe outbound 

1 4th Strect bridge unable to reach 

Ihe clOlsh sile. 

Flew in Immediately 

"We flew in Ihe momenl we spOiled 

Ihe survivors." Windsor said. The sur 

vivol's. who had broken wrists. arms and 

legs. were Irying to main lain Iheir grips 

on slippery. flo;l1ing airplane pans. 

Theirexposure 10 Ihe icy POlomac rivcr 

(approximately 33 degrees Fahrenheit) 

posed Ihe serious threal of hypothermi;l. 

Usher and Windsor fin;t new toward 

Roger Olilll1. a bystander who had tied 

a rope to his waist and had anempted to 

rescue thc survivors. but who was. him 

self. l1oundering, 

As Usher descended. Ihe people on 

shore began pulling Ihe rope. and Oli:m . 

10 s:,fety. Usher new towards the other 

survivors: Ben I-I:nnillon. an employee 

of Fairchild Induslries. lnc .. in Genmllllown. 

Muryland; Kelly Duncan. an Air 

r-lorida night allendunl: Joe Sliley. an 

executive for a GTE division in Mc 

Lean. Virginia. and Patriciu Felch. his 

administrative assistant: and Priscilla 

Tirado. who was lTl.Lvclli ng 10 Florida 

with her family. 

Ushcr hovered while Windsor threw a 

looped rope to ;111 unidentified man in 

the river.The m11l1 unselfishly passed the 

rope to Hamilton. who had a broken 

right ann and wrisl and could 1101 grasp 

the helicopter's skids. Finally. Usher 

hoisted Hamillon from the water and 

new him 10 rescue units on the shore. 

Usher again new back 10 Ihe survivors. 

Kelly Duncan slipped inlo a "running 

bowline" knotted rope, tied by 

Windsor. ;1I1d Ihe pilol Iifled her to 

sufelY· 

Helicopter's Downdraft 

Facilitates Rescue 

The rescuers relurned 10 the survivors 

a Ihird time and Windsor threw 

both lines inlo Ihe river. II was difficull 

for Felch and Stiley. both with 

limb i njuries. to gmb onto the ropes. 

Stiley somehow managed 10 grasp Ihe 

rescue rope, and 10 hold Priscill;l 

Tirado al1o;lI. 

"I couldn't lil"l lhe Ihree of Ihcm, so 

we lowed them in the w;uertoward the 

bank." Usher said. TIle helicopter's 

downdmfl lllld cleared a palh amid some 

icc jn the water. 

Stiley was :[ble to reach Ihe riverbank; 

however. the two women lost hold of 

lhe rope ;lnd were ag:tin 1reading Ihe 

frigid water. Suddenly. Lenny Skulnik. 

a bys111nder on Ihe shore, pulled off his 

bools. jumped into Ihe river and began 

swimllling 10 Tin.do. He swam to her 

,lIld IllUll:lged to safely maneuver Ihe 

woman 10 shore. 

Usher Skillfully Hovers as 

Windsor Hoists Victim 

Usher again new toward Felch. He 

hovered IWO inches from her while 

Windsor br;lced his reet on the 

helicopter's skids, which were partially 

immersed in Ihe river. His bal:k supported 

by Ihe LongRanger's door opening, 

Windsor held onlO the woman's 

anllS while Usher new IOwards shore 

and safety. 

They returned to the crash sile yet 

again to search for the heroic man who 

had earlier handed Ihe rescue rope to 

Hamilton. Usher hovered near the 

wreckage fOi' nearly lell minutes as he 

and Windsor scanned the water. The 

man, however, was gone. 

Helicopter Assistance Vital 

Usher and Windsor cited several 

reasons for the helicopter's vital role in 

Ihe Air Florida rescue. r-irst. a helicopter 

was the only vehicle Ihal could hover 

and search for the victims. whose 

precise loe.llion was unknown immedi 

;Itely following the cnlsh. 

In addition, the helicoph.:r was vinually 

the only re1\cue vehicle uble 10 quickly 

reach and rescue Ihe survivors. It 

wou Id have taken an icebre"ker several 

hours 10 plow its way through the frozen 

(ColI/illlled Oil /lage 38) 

Fall 1989

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ROTOR 31

SAFETY REVIEW 

Helicopter Response to Disaster : Do It Safely! 

By Glenn Leister 

The helicopter's emergency response 

role is well-known and accepted by the 

public. The helicopter pilot's skill and 

reaction during a dramatic rescue is also 

accepted and admired, and the last thing 

needed at the disaster sile, oren route to 

il. is another accident. 

An emergency response can turn sour, 

and helicoptcr operators and pilots must 

think about potential hazards, and be 

prepared to make sound "go/no-go" 

decisions. Almost every helicopterpilol 

at one time or another is called upon to 

assist in an emergency; and not all are 

prepared to cope with the challenge of a 

rescue attempt involving marginal 

weather and critical terrain. 

Pre-Accident Response 

Planning 

. 

Without proper training, pre-mission 

preparation (pre-event), careful planning, 

coordination and continuous radio 

contact with all parties, the probability 

for a successful rescue is diminished. 

The remarkable response to the Sioux 

City DC- IO accident, and others 

reported in this ROTOR, occurred because 

of careful planning and tmining 

of the flight crew, firefighting, air ambulance 

and ground ambulance crews. 

Seek Assistance, Eliminate 

Guesswork 

Complete plans cannot be made for 

cvery disaster, but the basic procedures 

can be established. to includc 

knowledge of the helicoptcr 

capabilities. Plans should include an 

uwareness that immedialc assistance i. 

available through the FAA Opcrations 

Centcr in Washington, D.C. The number, 

for cmergency use only. is 202/863- 

5100. 

Through radio/telephone cOnlact with 

an FAA facility, you can be patchcd 

directly to technical speciulists in explosives, 

ailframes, and powerplants, 

who may be able to assist in handling of 

in-night emergencies. You could also 

be connected to your company or other 

qualified professionals who could help 

remove the uncenainty of the performance 

envelope needed for'l gi ven missian. 

Caution With Toxic Spills, 

Vapors 

Openttions at sites with toxic substances 

should never be attempted without 

knowledge of the potential h'lzard. 

32 ROTOR 

The first priority must be safety; the 

second priority is assistance to thc relief 

teams, and subsequent priorities should 

be concerns such as news reporting. 

Operations on Site 

Before reaching the accidcnt site, 

pilots should be tuned to thc local 

CTAF, night following, pilot-to-pilot 

radio frequencies and maintain contact 

with the law enforcement or crash scene 

officials. If in doubt, stay out of the 

immediate area! 

Helicopter News Gathering (HNG) 

operations should be safe and professional. 

Flight to an accident site 

demands special attention to "see and 

avoid" principles. Additional care must 

be placed on avoiding other aircraft and 

maintaining consciousness of wind conditions, 

airspeed, and directional control. 

Settling with power is also a concern, 

especially in mountainous terrain 

or at high altitude. The prudent pilot will 

establish contact with appropriate 

ATC/FSS facilitics. obtain a weather 

briefing. and say no when continued 

night would become unsafe. 

Inexperienced helicopter pilots should 

not become involved in low-speed. 

down-wind l1ying or hovering Out of 

Ground Effect (OGE), especially with 

the need for cross-checks in the cockpit. 

the monitoring of aircraft position and 

separation from other aircraft. 

Remain Well Clear of the 

Accident Sites 

There is. and will continue 10 be, milch 

controversy over the use of Helicoptcr 

News Gathering (l'ING) helicopters at 

accident scencs. Thc FAA issued FAR 

91.91 as a means of controlling unw'l!1ted 

flight activity at accident sites. 

Lack of judgement on the part of li very 

few, brought this rule about. 

The rulc, in some instances. has been 

applied witholl1 a careful assessment of 

need. HAl has rccommended that FAA 

regional Air Traffic Managers .11ld 

fucilities review policy and judiciously 

apply the rule to fit the need. 

NTSB, FAA Concerns 

There have been complaints that news 

coverage has endangered accident 

workers on the ground -- toxic fumes 

were cited in one instance -- and the 

mere presence or proximity of helicopters 

overhead could understandably be 

a distraction to rescue effol1S. FAA h;ls 

proposed new guidance on the issue 

which responds to NTSB recommendations 

to enhance safety at accident sites. 

Professional Actions Needed 

Operators, supervisors and pilots 

share the responsibility for exercising 

sound judgement while providing emergcncy 

assistunce and when covering 

newsworthy events. Sound judgment is 

crucial. Responsible attitudes and reactions 

are equally important. 

Nap of the Earth (NOE) thinking -- a 

necessity in the military -- simply has no 

place in the civil helicopter world. 

Safety is enhanced and lives are saved 

when managers make it clearly understood 

to pilots that such actions are not 

tolerated, and then follow-up by disciplining 

those who don't comply. 

Operating and insuTllllce costs also go 

down. 

Many law enforcement agencies and 

news gathering operators have adopted 

Fly Ncighborly and Safely attitudes in 

their night operations, and conduct their 

nights at sure altitudes. Lower altitudes 

are flown only when rcquircd by the 

specific mission. 

Fly Higher, Reduce the Risk! 

There are missions when low altitude 

is needed to get the job done or to avoid 

connict with other airport/heliport lraffie. 

But pilots c(ln {'hoose higher 0/titlldes 

whenel'er /he sill/(i/ioll ll'a/'/'(//1/.I'. 

Professionals will also consider the 

community's concerns as well as passenger 

and bystander safcty. 

Inform the Customer of Safest 

Flight Profile 

HAl's President Frank L. Jcnscn, Jr. 

and I were panelists at a Nationa! 

Geographic photographer's workshop 

in 1988 as part of an effort 10 help 

photogntpher's identify and choose safe 

operators and pilots. The panel included 

helicopter WXIA-TV news reporter, 

Bruce Erion. It became apparent tlull 

many photogmphers had no idea that 

certain night techniques involved inherelllly 

lower risk than others. As 

pilots. we owe that infOI11l;Hion to all of 

ourpasscngers, whctherornot the night 

is for hirc! 

Careful Preparation Saves Lives 

The use of forward flight. rathcr than 

a low altitll(le OGE hovcr, is onc example 

where a pilot briefing could significantly 

enhance thc pilot's ability 10 

pCrfOnll a sare recovery in thc event of 

;111 emergency. Careful prcpnration 

saves lives. Donning lifc jackets. 

removing unnecessary passengers, and 

Fall 1989

the conduct of thorough mission briefings. 

are marks of the professional. 

To be "mentally prepared" for in-flight 

emergencies or calls for disasler assis· 

lance. pilots IIIII.W kllow Ihe !Jeifor/l/(/I/C:e 

caplIbililies of rhemsell't!s. rheil' crew 

lIlId Iheir helicopter lIlId respolld only 

FAA Genernl Avi:llion Comptian(e & Enforcement 

I'rogram UnderwllY! FAA Litening 

Sessions respond to HAl's eonc:em about enforcement 

policies. Angust 28·29 ses.ions in Long 

Beach and Van Nuys W(: poorly altended. Sec 

ROTOR Calendar on Page 33 for maining se.sions. 

The program is pan of the FAA SyStt:1Il 

Safety and Efficiency Review whieh has ccntered 

arot.llld ATe system "nd capacity problem at a 

few major U.S.ltirports. FAA h.u confinned lhm 

the program will address Non-Sched wid On 

Ocrnnd Part 135 AirTai opcrntions. 

Regulatory l'rogrorn lIa.o;; Three Phases - 

These n: (I) Data !lathering. view of rcpuns. 

policies. and dictives 10 be studied by the r.AA 

Industry team, (2) Listening sessions arranged by 

various orgonizations, in cluding HAt, and (3) 

Concentrated nctivity by II FAA-Industry Policy 

SAFETY REVIEW 

(Iller a (.'(11'1'/111 assessment of the night 

requiremcm. 

Information is available 10 help 

prepare for all kinds of emergencies and 

the HAl Safety Manual· is bUI one on 

the many resources which will help 

prevent accidents. 

and Progrrun MUrJagcment T3ms. Tatlls will 

analyze and study FAA policies. industry wril1n 

comments and listening session comments. FAA 

Team Lellders will laler meet to prepare recommendotions 

for FAA Safety Associate Administrator 

Keith POIL. Potts will submit the final 

recommendations to FAA Administrator lames 

Busey. 

Industry Chnllcnges The eompliancel 

enforcement progmm will be closely 

monitored by tOP FAA lind DOT officials. and 

prompt corrc

By Barry Deslor and Sharon Deslor 

Just when you thought il waS safe to 

lell the banker how much your/his 

helicopter is worth, out jumps somcone 

named Desfor waving u copy of The 

Offici;11 Helicopter Hloe nook in your 

face. Worse yct. thischamctcl' is preaching 

10 your vcry own bankcr. (yes. the 

same one you've finally trained to think 

your way) that the Hloe nook is the 

gospel ofhelicoplcr pricing history. 

Moreover. Desfor says Ihat hc's Ihe 

guru of the true f

Regulatory Review 

(Cmlfil/llnl from page 25 J 

The ICAD propos

Ask the Administrator 

(ColI/illlled /rom page 8) 

Much of the present difficult situation 

between FAA and the industry must be 

blamed on the lawyers. They have 

placed an undue burden on the local 

FAA inspectors by requiring s.melions 

for all known violations. and shifted the 

decision making level \0 FAA Headquarters. 

Al one meeting where most of the 

general aviation associations were 

present, there had been a discussion of 

this deterioration of FAA/industry 

cOllllnunication and the increasingly 

heavyhunded enforcement practices of 

FAA. Every onc al lhal meeting agreed 

that Ihis is a serious and growing problem. 

Fonner FAA Adminislmlor Alan Me 

Anorhad been symp:l1hclic to this problem 

and hed mel wilh the lOp executives 

of the general aviation [rmle associations. 

As a resull orlhe meeling u "self 

:lUdil " program had been conceived 

(not yet implemcntcd) and considcration 

had been given to establishment of 

un FAA "ombudsman" at the top 

echelon \0 provide standardiz.ed interpretation 

of the FARs and to disseminate 

this infonnation for use throughout 

the system. This is felt to be a good and 

practical idea. 

DUSEY: I-Jas the recent FAA shirt to 

a "straight-line" org:lI1izution been or 

any help in dealing with this situation? 

HAl: Yes. In fact, there huve been 

several recent insllLnces where 

operators have received very responsive 

action on priority requests ror FAA IISsistance, 

thanks to the straight-line 

structure, 

To continue on this positive note,there 

are many good things about FAA's organization 

and practices, and many excellent 

individuals among FAA's personnel. 

Notable among these are 

Messrs. Donahue, Melugin and POliS, 

and or course there are many others too 

numerous to memion. 

FAA has done an excellent job or communicating 

with the industry in the ongoing 

update of the Rotorcraft Muster 

Plan. And FAA's Airpons people have 

been doing an exellent job of assisting 

in gelling heliports buill. 

BUSEY: I agree that the airports clement 

of FAA is doing quite well. Working 

with them, I hope to put public-use 

heliports in the correct places to satisfy 

the needs of both the operators and the 

public. 

HAl: Do you support the tilt-rotor as 

strongly as your predecessor. Alan Mc 

Artor? 

36 ROTOR 

BUSEY: Yes. indeed. I have nown the 

XV-IS, and I was part or the Navy's 

procurement team for the v-no I feel 

that the tilt-rotor has much to orfer both 

military and civil aviation. How do you 

feel about it, as a civil :IiTemft? 

HAl: We share your high regard for 

the tilt-rotor's potential: but our immcdiate 

concern in the USA is meeting the 

needs or the 7.000 or so active civil 

helicopters in this country. It will be 

many years, even under the most optimistic 

scenario, before there will be 

any sizeable numbers of civil t ilt-rolors 

in operution. 

We arc pleased 10 sce the IUllount of 

interest in the tilt-rotor, but we wllnt to 

make cerltlin that fac ilities imd infmstructures 

built to serve the tilt-rotor 

are fully accessible by. and avuilable to, 

the large and growing neet of convenlional 

hclicopters. We must diligemly 

avoid a "Masspon" syndrome which 

would deny the use orvertiports to conventional 

hcliwpters operating both 

VFR ,lIld [FR. 

UUSEY: I would like to thank you for 

your candor in discussing these problem 

areas Wilh me. ObvioLlsly it would not 

be appropriate for me to make any 

judgements right now concerning the 

infomlation you have shared with me. 

1·lowever, I will look into these mailers. 

Before departing. I would like tocover 

a few more points which h:lve not been 

discussed yet: 

• I support Secrelary Skinner's position 

of leaving the FAA within the 

Department of Transportation. 

• Concerning access to the money in 

the aviation trust fund ... 1 nlll confident 

that by next year, we will be able to 

discern clear trends in that direction. 

• I do 110t believe lhat we have been 

successrul in identifying aviation safety 

issues. 

• Concerning cominued funding of 

development or the tiit-rotor ... 1 believe 

that some of the R&D money cut from 

the SOl program will be used for tiltrotor. 

HAl: There was strong exprcssion or 

appreciation to the Administrator for 

attending this meeting, and for listening 

to the vicws expressed on behalf of the 

operational elements or the civil 

helicopter industry. i'ilf_ 

 

(Ed' ,f IIOfe: FAA·.f SY.ffe/ll Safety & 

Efficiellcy Rel.jew begal/ /lSCI'.f mee/ings 

ill AI/gllst 011 the FAA Compliallt;(! 

& EII!ol'cell/clI/ Progl'tJlII. 

Sec ROTON Calmdar.) 

Market Trends 

(C(III/illlll'll fmm p(l,C 34} 

Interesting is 1he faetthat we can now 

see enough of fl pnllem to verify lenders 

and lessors that today·. market and 

prices are not the aberration: this is 

where prices should have been had there 

not been such tough times for the past 

few years. So now that we know the 

"good times" arc here, let's look at some 

of the impressive gains made by reselling 

helicopters. 

And we'll see you in future issues of 

ROTOR magazine. as we discuss why 

v:llue, like beauty, is often in the eye or 

the beholder ... or the seller. 

What's Hapop ening in the 

Helicopter M arkef 

"What's really happening in the 

helicopter market?" ROTOR magazine 

asked The OFricial HclicO I )ter Bluc 

Book. Shilron Desfor, editor and publisher, 

answered, 

"About what you'd expect, if you've 

becn watching or panicipating yourself." 

The table on p"ge 34 Cl1n give you 

some insights into the increases as 

shown in the HIlle Book for averageequipped, 

"low" to "mid" time helicopters. 

In the last fifteen months, res"le pricing 

trenus have been strongly upwards. 

in some cases. increasing more than 

35%, Light single-turbine ships are 

leading the pack in upward mobility, 

medium twins follow closely, in the 

25% to 35% increment range. Heavier 

twins,as well asa few helicopters which 

were not expected to appreciate, actually 

increased slightly in the 3-1 5% range. 

Market Extremely Strong 

Although the market is still extremely 

strong, and although the price of used 

helicopters continues to increase, the 

feeding frenz.y h!L calmed. Look for 

some stabiliz:ltion, but don't believe 

that prices ure "through the roof." 

Today 's market is still recovering from 

the severe depression earlier this 

decade. 

Remember these words of ten years 

ago. when inllation was the subject: 

"TIle rate of increase of the rate of increase 

is slowing." Today the subject is 

helicopter resale prices. 11lese price increases 

are startling: but they clearly 

demonstrate tll:1I those abnonnal1y-Iow 

helicoptcr prices of past years urc finally 

gone, while strong prices of today will 

continue into the near future. Q 

Fall 1989

Heliport Technical Planning 

Committee 

The Heliport Technical Planning 

Committee (HTPC) recently has concentratcd 

on thc proposed international 

regulations embodicd in the ICAO 

HELIOPS/4 Report (see article by 

HAl's Director of Heliports and Technical 

Programs Ronald Bunch, p.tge [5 

Summer '89 ROTOR). 

The thrust has been to support HAl's 

suggestion of a "two-tiered" system. 

The system would allow: I) Illany of the 

current operations to continue 2) minimize 

the economic impact 3) enhance 

the safety lind operating standnrds 

where necess:uy and 4) encourage a 

movement toward the lise of high pcrfonl1ance 

level. This effort is progressing 

slowly, and thcre is little official 

support for these proposals. 

A parallel effort has been hlking place 

with the International Maritime Organization 

(IMO), where it has been 

proposed to adopt the ICAO 

I-iELIOP S/4 helideck requirements. 

The HAl and HTPC have becn assisting 

the International Association ofDl"illing 

Contractors (lADe) with prcparation of 

submissions to [MO, the U.S. Coast 

Guard and Ihe FAA. The Helicopter 

Safcty Advisory Conference (HSAC) 

has also been involved. and is making 

progress in this area, as the IMO is likely 

10 main!:lin ils current "two-tiered" 'Ipproach 

with one set of standards for 

harsh areas like the North Sea, and one 

for other areas. 

The work of the FAA/Industry Ver 

I.iporl Working Gruup has resulted in 

issue of a draft Vertiport Design Guide 

(Advisory Circular 150/53xx-xx). This 

has been issued for comment to HAl and 

AHS members. and circulated to most 

of the HTPC (those interested in receiving 

a copy may contact HAl's Ron.tld 

Bunch at 703/683-4646). 

Most of the issues have been resolved, 

but the "landing angle/procedures" to be 

assumed and the corresponding 

airspace requirements is causing major 

debate. The current document conlftins 

the lalest FAA opinion. Airspace 

protection surfaces are large. and may 

create m.tjor problems in establishing 

"inner-city vertiports." HTPC will coordinate 

any industry commenls on the 

draft A/e. Ple.lsc forward comments to 

either HTPC Chainn:m John Leverton 

or HAl's Ronald BUllch. 

Fall 1989 

COMMITTEE NEWS 

Safety Committee 

HAl's Safety COlllmillee, under 

Chainnan Don Andrews, Vice President 

of Operations/SafelY for Rocky 

Mountain Helicopters Inc .. addressed 11 

number of current industry safety issues 

during a recent two-day meeting at HAl 

headquarters. 

The committee met with several FAA 

officiuls to develop the concept and format 

for a safely videolllpe. An ad hoc 

group of committee members will COlltribute 

content information. Production 

will be funded by the FAA. The 

videotape will be :1vailable in early 

1990 for general use through the safety 

specialist at each Flight Standards District 

Office. 

The recent request for the aviation industry 

to provide major safety priorities 

Hnd focus wasHudressed. A comprehensive 

list was developed and is being 

finalized by HAL The committee also 

mel with representatives of AAMS to 

finalize the joint HAI/AAMS 

guidelines ror the helicopter EMS industry. 

The goal is 10 have the manullis 

of both organiziltions renect identical 

guidelines. 

Issues and pl:tnS for HEll-EXPO '90 

were also discussed. In ltddition to an 

open committee meeting, a three-day 

S:lfety Management Course, jointly 

sponsored by the I-IAI .md University of 

Southern California, is scheduled. The 

third day of the course addresses current 

industry issues and will be t .. ught by 

committee members. Following the 

success of the Safety Director's Forum 

at fonner HAl meetings, the committee 

will ltgain host this forum in Dallas, 

Texas, 1990 . 

The committee encourages HA I members 

to attend the three-day Safety 

Man;lgement Course, scheduled to 

precede HEll-EXPO '90 in Dallas. Infonnation 

on the course can be obtained 

by contacting Director of Safety and 

Flight OpeTfltions Glenn Leister. the 

University or Southern C;llifornia, or 

any Safety Cummittee member. 

The Safety Committee is also working 

closely with the USAIG insu\"ltncc 

group to develop themes rOf helicopter 

safety posters. USAIG will produce and 

distribute the posters to member organizations. 

At the conclusion of the 

formal meeting, committee members 

lOured the US Marine Air Wing, which 

provides helicoptersupport to the President 

of the United States and the Executive 

Departmcnt. The commillec was 

quite impressed with the quality of the 

equipment and the professionalism of 

the marine pilots, mechanics and 

security personnel involved. 

The next scheduled Safety Commillee 

meeting will be October 23 and 24. 

1989 in Denver, Colorado, at the Hyatt 

Regency Hotel. The meeting is open. 

Local HAl members are encouraged to 

attend. 

Flight Operations Committee 

The new ch;linnan of the Flight Operations 

Committee is W. A. "Dub" Blessing. 

Correspondence may be sent to the 

following address: P.O. Box 149 29, 

Fon Worth, Texas, 76117: telephone: 

214/616-56 14. 

Fornler committee chainnan Arthur 

Hitl will continue to be a member oflhe 

committee. 

legislative Advisory Committee 

William McKenna, President, U.S. Jet 

Aviation Inc .. was elected chairman of 

HAI's Legislative Advisory Committee 

during the committee's recent meeting 

HI HAl Headquarters. McKenna succeeds 

Jane Reese, Evergreen International. 

"Jane Reese did :ln outstanding job as 

chainnan of the committee," said HAl 

President Frank L. Jensen, Jr. "Bill Mc 

Kenna is 11 helicopter operator with a 

strong understanding of the politics in 

Washington. and how proposed legislation 

can affect civil helicopter interests." 

Jensen said. Legishllive Advisory 

Committee meetings will now be held 

monthly, instead of quarlcrly, in an effort 

to improve attendance and focus 

resources 011 t.lrgeted issues. 

HAl's Manager of Government Affairs, 

Matt Ubben, submitted two draft 

resolutions for the committee's consideration. 

Onc resolution would establish 

N.t1ional Helicopter Day: the 

sccond resolution focuses on the 

development of a ru lly-integrated 

heliport system plan. TIle resolutions 

were approved by the committee and 

sent to the Board of Directors for endorscment. 

Legal Committee Develops New 

Member Services 

!-lArs Legal Committee recently reelected 

l'lyman Hillcnbmnd to a second 

one-year teml as committee clHtinnan. 

(Colllilllle" 011 111'.1'/ (JO,f!,e) 

ROTOR 37

Air Florida 

(Co1llilllled[rom page 30) 

Potomac. Innmable lifeboats were also 

inhibited by Ihe ice noes. Even a fire 

depanment airbom, capable of gliding 

over solid ice, was unable [0 m:mcuvcr 

through the frugmcllted icc surrounding 

the crash survivors. 

"With its ability to tmnsport people to 

area hospitals. the helicopter functioned 

as both a rescue vehicle :md a medev

Robert L. Suggs, Chainmm of the 

Board of Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. 

(PI'II), the largest commercial 

helicopter operatioll in the world, 

died Sept. 4 in Metairie, Louisiana. 

He was 77. 

Under his leadership, PHI grew 

from nn operation of three helicopters 

and seven employees to an international 

company with more th.m 

2,300 employees operating 300 

helicopters with headquarters in 

Lafayeue and New Orleans. LA. 

Mr. Suggs was a true helicopter industry 

pioneer, lind one of the 

111O ... i ng forces beh ind PHI's 

dramatic development into the 

largest commercial helicopter 

operator. His insistence on s:lfe 

operations, based on maintcnance, 

m:lnagcment and pilot training excel 

Icnce, has become a standard for the 

industry. The helicopter community 

i deeply saddened by his death, and 

offers condolences to his family. 

Mr. Suggs also was un orgunizer, 

and Chairman of the Boanl, of Offshore 

Navig:llioll, Inc. (ONI) 

founded in 1946. Undcr his leadcrship, 

ONI furnished radio- l }Qsitioniug 

services to the petroleum industry. 

Mr. Suggs was a past president of 

the Helicopter Association of 

Amcrica (forerunner name of I-IAI). 

and he WHS the 1971 recipient or the 

L.1wrCI1Ce D. Bcll Mcmorial Award. 

MemoriHI contributions can be 

made to the Robert L. Suggs Medical 

Rcsearch Fund. c/o Louis A. BlIIlII'I, 

M.D" Ochsner Clinic. 1514 Jerrerson 

Highwuy, New Orle.ms, LA. 

70121·2483. 

• 

A new cmcrgency mcdical serviccs 

(EMS) interior. designed and eonligured 

fortheAerospatiale350and 355 

Fall 1989 

INDUSTRY NEWS 

Pictured above during their ... Isil to Washington, D.C. are, lell to rlghl: Peter Clemence 

(AFAP and Chief Pllol, Jayrow Helicopters PTV • lid.); Ian Paull (CAA); Ron Croft (CAA 

Team leader); Da ... ld Allan (AFAP); Ronatd Bunch (HAt); Leon Ktppln (HAA); Ray 

Brent (CAA Representative to the FAA); and Gary Ticehurst, Chalnnan. New South 

Wates Branch, HAA). 

Providence Hospital's "LIFEGUARD ALASKA" program recently took delivery 01 their 

new BO 105 operated by Rocky Mountain Helicopters, tnc.,ln Anchorage, Ataska. 

scries. (introduced at Paris Air Show) 

features beller payload. improved options 

and enhanced crew safcty. TIle 

instuliation. in both single and dual littcrs, 

meets or excecds all new FAA. 

AAMS and ASTM stllndards. 

• 

Representatives of the Australian 

Civil Avi:llion Authority (CAA). 

Helicopter Association of Australia 

(HAA), and the Australian Fedcration 

of Air Pilots (AFAP), recently visited 

scver:ll countrics, including the United 

States, to study foreign standards llild 

prHctices. Thc group is working to 

revise Australian helicopter operating 

standards. While in the U.S; the 

Australian Dclllgation visitcd HAL and 

met with Prcsiderll Frank L Jensen.Jr 

and Director or Heliports and Technical 

Programs Ronald C. Bunch. (see photo) 

• 

HAl President Frank L. Jensen, Jr. 

rccently announced that the McDonnell 

Douglas 1.Jclicopler Co., lllullufacturer 

of the M 0-500 series single-enginc. tUfbine-l}Qwcre

"Helicopter Day" 

(Continued/rom pagt' 16) 

-sar of IOOny's modem helicopter. The 

development of the VS-3OO led 10 contracts 

with the Army Air Corps \0 

develop an experimental helicopter. 

Known as the XR-4, it first flew in 

January 1942. and was the first helicop 

ter produced for the AmlY. 

The joint resolution also cites the 

helicopter as demonstrating u unique 

life-saving and time-saving capability in 

the arena of civil aviation, as well as 

being used by the United Slates armed 

forces in many areas of the defense orthe 

United States. 

If adopted, the resolution would desig 

nate September 14, 1989 as "National 

Helicopter Day," and calls upon the 

President of the United States to 

authorize and issue a proclamation call 

ing upon the people orlhe United States 

to observe this occasion with ap· 

propriate ceremonies and activities. 

This yenr also marks the lOOth anniver· 

sary year of Igor Sikorsky's binh. I i._ 

.- 

February 4-6, 1990 

HELl· 

EXPO 

A '90 

11=:". DaUas, 

''''lnternational Texas 

40 ROTOR 

Salary Raises for Air Traffic 

Controllers 

In an effort to encoumge employees to 

work at the busiest airports and air traf 

fic control centers in the country. 

Transportation Secretary Samuel K. 

Skinner recently announced that the 

Federal Aviation Administr:ltion (FAA) 

will be giving pay raises of up to 20 

percent to air traffic controllers. 

The program, which took effect on 

June 18. gives raises to approximately 

2.100 workers at II FAA centers in the 

New York. Chicago, Los Angeles. and 

Oakland areas. The agency has haddif 

ficulty staffing those facilities with 

qualified personnel because of the cost 

of Ii ving. complex operations. and other 

factors. Safety inspectors nnd tech 

nicians. who service and mnintain air 

traffic control computers and other 

equipment. are also receiving raises. 

House Backs limit on Offshore 

011 Drilling 

The increased concem over recent 

maritime oil spills has led the House to 

:lpprove new restrictions on offshore oil 

drilling. including the first-ever prohibi 

tion on oil lind gas leasing off the Alas 

kan coas!. 

Despite objections from the Bush ad 

ministration to the drilling and leasing 

restrictions. no aHempt was made 

during debate to make the restrictions 

less severe. TIle administrmion argued 

that new restrictions are inappropriate 

:lIld pending an interagency task force 

review of the environmental risks of 

offshore drilling. 

Interior Depllrtment spokesman 

Steven Goldstein said that restrictions 

on drilling, when most spills involve 

tankers, defied logic. Proponents of the 

moratoria, however, view the adoption 

of the restrictions as a turning point in 

the effon to contain plans for massive 

offshore drilling first proposed in 1981. 

House Votes to Limit Logging in 

Vast Alaskan Tract 

Due to concern over global warming 

lind the gmdual disappearance of the 

eanh's forests. the 1·louse overwhelm 

ingly tlpproved a measure aimed at 

preserving :l vast section of SQUlheastem 

ROTORWASH 

Alaska containing a large. tempemte 

rain forest. 

The bill would end fedcml1y mandated 

timber sales in the 17 million-llere Ton 

gass National Foresl, eliminate the re 

quired logging rate, cancel contracts 

and establish new wilderness areas. 

Since 1982, the Forest Service hns spent 

$386 million on the Tongass timber pro 

gram, while receiving $32 million from 

timber companies. 

The measure provoked strong opposi 

tion from Rep. Don Young (R-AK), 

who stlid it would cause a "breach of 

ftlith" with timber companies in 

southeastern Alaska, while resulting in 

the loss of 6,000 jobs. Environmen 

talists have emphasized thut the Ton 

gass is more valuable to the Alaskan 

economy as a tourist attraction and as n 

spawning ground for salmon. 

Oppose Diversion of Aviation 

Tax Revenues 

Seventeen aviation trade associations. 

including Helicopter Associution Inter 

nmional (HAl), recently issued a press 

release criticizing the proposed diver 

sion of aviution taxes collected for the 

Airport and AirwaysTrust Fund,calling 

the proposed action 11 "skyway rol> 

bery." 

The coalition urged Congress \0 assure 

the immediate withdrawal of the 

proposal,

HELIPORTS & VERTIPORTS 

Ground-Level. Rooftop. Elevated or Floating 

HcliportsNcrtiports all require proper 

professional planning and design for success. 

The issues of feasibility, site selection, 

regulatory compliance, safety guidelines 

and growth factors all need to be 

properly addressed. Raymond A. Syms 

& Associates can provide your project 

with over 25 years of comprehensive 

aviation development experience, expert 

operational and specialized talents. We 

are recognized as the unsurpassed success 

leader in the HeliportNerlipon development 

field. Our approach to each 

project is tailored to reflect your needs 

and developmental issues. OUT knowledge, 

acquired from years of operational 

experience and the establishment of literally 

hundreds of safe. successful 

cost-effective facilities is available !O you. 

For a detailed brochure describing our services, 

qualifications, and a no-obligalion review of your needs, please contact us ill; 

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Aeronautical Consulting Services --- 

II West Sixteenth Street . Linden, New Jersey 07036 

(201)862-0392 • FAX, (20 1)925-9044 

iiii7iiil Advertisers' Index 

Aeron:lUlical Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . , . ................ Cover 4 

Airwork Corpor:llion . . . . ... . . . . , . . . . , . . . . • . . . . , . ..................... 7 

AI Conklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

AleJCander& AleJ;ander ....... 43 

Alpha Aviulion lnsumuce . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . 31 

Avilliion Insuf'Jllce Ce11lcr ... ... ... . . . . ...... 46 

Bcll l'leliC(lplerTexlron . .. . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . • . ....... 5 

Devore: Avi:llioll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . J I 

Downing Eleclronic ...... ...... . . ............................. 35 

Em Aviulion. lnc . ......................... , ......................... 14 

HAl Education Programs ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . • . . ........ 2S 

HAl Heliport Course .. .. ... .... . .. ... .... . ....... . .... . . ..... 15 

K&Slnsufllflce .................................................... 45 

Inlcntalioo:11 Busincss Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

McDonnell Douglas 1'lclicoplcrCompany ........................... COver 2 

Municipal Corllrncting ............................................... 31 

J>lastici7.cr Avimion Polishing . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

Pmll & Whitney Canadll. tllC . . .................................... Cover ) 

Raymond A. Syms ami Associmc. . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 

Robinson I-telicopler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

ROlor Bhldcs. lnc. . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . ..... .46 

20/2U Enlerprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............... 8 

Vertical Aeronautics . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . II 

Fall 1989 

TRIVIA 

OUIZ 

brought to you by 

Helicopter Foundation 

International 

Who was the first operator 10 PUI 

the S-64E commercial Skycmnc 

helicopter into operational 

service'! 

'6%1 u1 ·SClt:"l.1 

'UOlsnoH JO ,(ulldwo:J 5U111!JO UC .... O}:j . 

)0 .uU!P!Sqllli 'BU!lllJ:"Ido J:"IldoJ!I:"I11 

11 'S:"IlIllJ;:) J!V u\lMO :Ja ... \sIIV 

ROTOR 41

The Helicopter and the Valtellina, Italy Flood 

By Andrea Traversi 

The urgent need for helicopter assistance 

was successfully 

dcmonslr..ucd in July. 1987, after II 

series of natural disasters thrust II 

region of northern Illlly into a Siale 

of emergency. 

First. a massive Oood destroyed 

pari of Ihc Vallcllinu valley, located 

north of the Italian Alps. Then. a 

section of the mountain separated 

and crumbled into the valley. 

destroying villages. roadways. and 

railroads in the process. The result: 

over $2.86 billion worth of damage. 

Landslide Isolates Italian 

Villages 

111e massive 1;lIldslide also caused 

the obstruction of the Addu River 

course, resulting l11 1hc formation of 

Lake S. Antonio Morignone. [-[cavy 

rains c,lUscd the ICTUliolts 

al sea. A 300 kgf [o,ld capacity winch is mounted above 

the Ka-32 's sliding glass door to assist rescue efforts. 

The transport Ka-32can ferry c:lrgoes insideoron an extem,,1 

load sling; assist in constructing and erecting power tr,ll1smission 

lines: service drilling dcch at sca: and perform rescuc 

operations. a(. 

... . "", 

Forcst:lle: Guardia di Finanza; 

Polizia; Vigiel del Fuoco: and 

seve1"JI civil opermors. 

A total of 152 helicoptcrs. however, 

were involved throughout the 

emergency, Helicopter assistance 

helped save thousands of lives; 

provisions were supplied to people 

who lost their homes; and technicians. 

rcscue people and goods 

were trllnsponed by helicopter 

where necessary. 

Air Traffic Control Systems 

Prove Successful 

Civil :lOd milit:lry helicopters ncw 

day and night. In order to properly 

monitor niglu activity. two air traffic 

control syslems wcre established. 

Each pilot was regularly required 

to report thcir respective vertical 

positions. which helped to 

maintain a safe nying environment 

within the tenninal control area. 

The CH-47 Chinook. Ilmong other 

helicoptcrs, played a key role in 

transport ing escavalors: pre-fabricated 

elements; largc. hCHVY pipelines; and. 

utilizing the rotor downwllsh to their 

advantage, to fmp logs and other debris 

tloating in the lake. 

lllc helicoptcr proved to be an indispensiblc. 

rescuc :lI1d disaster assistance 

vehicle in the Vahellinu emergency. 

The pilots. technicians and controllers 

involvcd demonstrated their ability to 

accomplish many diffult tasks. under 

cXlremely demanding psychological 

and environment:1I conditions. in a 

designated "high risk" area. 

Funher prllise is warr:lnted for thc 

operators and controllers involved in 

the Valtellina emergency: for tOUlI 

opcTUtiol1s, there were no uccidcnts. ii 

 

42 ROTOR Fall 1989

GIVE YOUR PROFITS 

SOME EXTRA LIFT. 

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the leaders-Alexander & Alexander and Reed Stenhouse. 

We recognize that these coverages can be extremely com 

plex, with catastrophic loss potentials. That's why our clients 

gel individually designed insurance programs. 

We analyze your needs and develop comprehensive risk 

management programs including non-ownership coverage 

and products liability for every industry sector: 

• Helicopters 

• Commercial airlines 

• Commuter airlines 

• Private aircraft 

• Fixed-base operators 

• CharIer services 

As leaders in loss protection and safely consulting, OUf 

specialists work with OUf worldwide network. 

Alexander & Alexander and Reed Stenhouse set the 

standards in aviation and aerospace insurance broking. In 

more than 158 cities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and 

more than 70 countries around the world. 

For more information, call one of our specialists: 

Joseph M. Rosenthal 

Senior Vice President 

Alexander & Alexander Inc. 

Aviation & Aerospace Division 

220 East 42nd Street 

New Yo rk, New Yo rk 10017 

(212) 973-4200 

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Chairman 

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United Kingdom 

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Senior V:P.-International 

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Canada 

(403) 267·7010 

AVIATION & AEROSPACE DIVISION

A company 

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here that 

can get you 

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and 

everywhere. 

Whether you need to be in 

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Air Hanson will look after every 

last detail with a complete 

a viulion service. 

From helicopter charter to 

aircraft sales, management lind 

maintenance. 

AIR HANSON 

Air Hanson Limited, Business 

Aviation Centre. BlackbLishe 

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GU179LO. 

Telephone: 0252 890089 

Fax Sales: 0252 890 102 

Fax Eng: 0252 876439 

A Hanson pic Company 

44 ROTOR 

As 

Helicopter 

Association 

''' International 

;:DR22 

helicopter since 1981 

, 

" 

- , 

A22 MARINER 

- 

- 

• 110 MPH Cruise Speed 

• Lowest Initial Cost 

• Lowesl Operating Cost 

• 7 to 8 Gal. Per Hour 

· 1000 Hourl1 Year Warranty 

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• Over 100 Service Centers 

Used In 25 counlries worldwide (or .•. 

• Fish Spotting · Callie Herding 

• Pipeline Patrol . Law Enforcement 

• Security Patrol . Aerial Photography 

• Radio Traffic Walch · Primary and 

IFR Training . Personal and Business 

• Construction Site Support 

Mo,.. R22s .,.. sold .v.,.y y •• " Ihan .ny olher plslon 

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SPECIFICATIONS 

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ROTOR CALENDAR 

1989 

September 26 FAA Cornpliunce & Enfon::e 

I1lcm Listening Session. RUl!mda Il1n-S.E.. 

6101 EaSt 87th Stn:et. KunsasChy. MO. HAl 

Con lCl: l Glenn Leier. 703/683-4646. 

September 27 FAA Compliance & Enforcemem 

Listening Session, Sheraton No. Shon: 

Inn, 312/498-6500, 933 Skokie Blvd. 

Nonhbrook. IL. HAl COnlact: Glenn Leister. 

70]/68]-4646, 

5foplember 28 Mid·AIIMtic I-ielicopter As- 

5OCiaiion Meeting (MAliA), Amelia's Resmuron!, 

Crysml City. VA. Conlae!: Norman 

Mowbmy,301-297·5053. 

Selltember 28 FAA Cornpliaroce & EnForcemCIIl 

Listening Session. '-Ioliduy Inn. 11040 

So. Hulsted. Harvey, IL. HAl COIllIICI: Glenn 

Leister, 703/683-4646. 

Cklober 1-(1 Trans. Overhaul Training 

Course. Schweizer Aircraft Corp., 

Elmira, NY. Contact: Lorrie Teske, (lJ71 

739-3821. 

Octobtr 5 FAA Compliance & Enfom:mc11l 

Listening Session. Georgi:t World Congress 

Ctr.(NBAA). Atlutlta. GA. HAl Contacts: 

Glenn Leistcrrrom Salm. 

(kto!J.tor 14 Helit'OplcrSafcty Seminar. KeyslOne 

Helicopters. We:o;tchester. PA. Sponsored 

by Eastern Region l1elicopter Council 

(ERHC). COIlIact: r-J.ul Smith. 5161228-9355 

or Steve Gn:y. 215/644-4430. 

Oclobrr 18-21 Aircmrt OWlH'rs and Pilots 

Assodariotl annu:II cooventioll. Orlutldo. FI... 

Contact: AOPA. JO 1/695-2052. 

October 20 FAA COlllplilince & Enforcement 

Listening Session. Buenu Visto Paloce HOiel 

(AOPAl. l-ake Buena V;S!a. FL. I1A1 Contoct: 

Glenn Leister. 703{fJl:1J-4646. 

Oc:tobcr 20 FAA Rotorcrnft Tas.k Force 

(ROTAF) meeting, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon. 

FAA Ilcadquaners. 800 IlKIepcndt:ncc Ave .. 

SW. WlIShington. D.C.Contact: Edwin Rubinson. 

202/267-11 194. 

October 24-27 FAA-Industry Complinnce & 

Enforcement Teams meet 10 rcview/analYl.e 

FAA pol icies. din:ctive.. userconcems. 1 istening 

scssioll & wrillen comments. Washington. 

DC. HAl Reps: Vernon Alben. 3181235-2452 

& Tom Salm 212/535-5759, Staff Com:lct 

Glenn Leister. 

October 26 HeJit'OPlet Slifety Advisory Conren:nce 

(HSAC) quanerly meeting. Houston. 

TX. Comact: Lynn CIOllgh. 713n57·8107. 

NO"ember 12·J6 AvililiOll Distributors uoo 

Munufncturers Associmion (ADMA) semiannual 

meeting. Marco Island. FL. Contact; 

ADMA.215/564·3484. 

November 13·15 Professionul Aviation 

Career Education (PACE) progrnm. Dallas. 

TX. Contacl: SimuFlhe Tmining lmematiotl- 

01. 214/456-8000. 

No,'cmber 13-17 AssociatiOlI of Air Medical 

Services (AAMS) Annual Confertoce. Hyall 

Regency. Pl\oen;ll. AZ. Contoct: Nin:. Merrill. 

818/793-1232. 

NO"ember 17, III , I!' Eas tern Region 

Helicopter Council Annu:11 Meeting. Sand 

HOIeI. Atlantic City, NJ. ConUtCt: George PiS3 

914/353-3354. 

1990 

Fcbruury "·6 1990 HAl liELl-EXPO '90. 

Dallas ConVel1tiOll Center. Dlillas. Te3s. 

COnlllct: Aoon:w Miller at HAl: 703/683- 

4646. 

MIlrt'h 24. 1990 Big Apple Sufety Semiuar. 

location TBA. Sponsored by the ERl-lC. FAA 

Dnd HAl. Contact: Paul Smith. 5161228-9355. 

Fall 1989 

HEll-EXPO '90 

(Collfillued [rolll 11lI./! 15) 

Pre-show educlItion:l1 programs include 

courses on helicoptcr safety 

managemcnt, hclipot'l dcvelopmcnt and 

financial mamtgcmcnt of hclicopter 

operations. 

The Founh Annual Fly In, the Membership 

Breakfast and the Annual 

Awards Banquet are among Ihe 

fuvorile. regular events scheduled for 

the convenlion in Dallas. Over 250 exhibits 

and 750 booths. including a Siatic 

disp1:IY of over 50 helicopters. will be 

located inside the lHII1. 

Management for the 

Maintenance Supervisor 

HAL in conjunclion wilh Soulhern 

Illinois University. will again offer 

Managemelll for lhe Mailllcnance Supcrvisol'. 

a three-day advan(.;cd level 

course providing formal education in 

specific man;lgemelll skills required by 

the helicopter maitUennnce environmcnt. 

 

Maintenance Plays Vital Role 

in Helicopter Safety 

Mtlinlemmce technicians play a 

vilal role in making turbine-engine 

helicopters the safest of all lighl 

THE COST Of INSURANCE 

COMEDOWN TO fARTH 

INTRODUCING A HULL 

AND LIABILITY PROGRAM 

THAT WILL SUBSTANTIALLY 

SAVE ON INSURANCE COSTS. 

In cooperation with Helicopter 

Association International, Aviation 

Insurance Cenler, Inc. has developed 

the most exciting helicopter 

insurance program ever offered. 

This program, underwritten by 

Century Indemnity Company (A 

CIGNA Company), provides 

insurance al a very affordable rate 

for single engine helicopters with a 

maximum capacity of seven persons, 

while enhancing safety through 

regulal1y scheduled pilot checks and 

maintenance inspections. 

All personal & business flying is 

covered and most commercial uses 

46 ROTOR 

!'II . 

including instruction. The program 

also covers student pilots who are 

participating in a factory approved 

training program. There are special 

sales demo rates for factory 

distributorsJservice centers. 

Exclusively endorsed by: Aerospatiale 

Helicopter Corporation, Ball 

Helicopter Textron, Schweizer Aircraft 

{ :'I: i " Helicopter Association 

L 

Don't wait. Call today (215) 

374·4040 for more i nformation 

about this cost savings program, 

or send for FREE KIT. 

A 

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Assocaation 

"., International 

AVIATION 

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CENTER. INC. 

A loomis CDmpanv 

P. O. Box 7011 

Wyomissing, PA 19610-7011 

(215) 374·4040 

ROTOR BLADES, INC. 

When it's time for rotor blade overhaul or repair, it's 

"TIME" that becomes critical. Down time is costly so you 

want "no excuses", "on time delivcIY", " guaranteed fast 

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ROTOR BLADES INC. IS FAST 

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Fall 1989

MBB B0105l5 (Demo) MD 900

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WIRE STRIKE 

PROTECTION SYSTEM 

(WSPS®) is designed to 

provide a measure of 

protection against inadvertent 

flight into horizontally 

strung 

mechanical. electrical 

transmission and communication 

wires and 

cabfes. 

For quick and dependable service. call Aeronautical 

Accessories, Inc. 

Additional accessories include: NlghtScanner@l, Quick 

Mount Kits for FUR. NightSun and Storburst, Range 

Extenders®, Replacement Cylinders for Pop-Out Floots, 

Interior Trim Replacements. Flltesteps8'. Rappeiling Kits. 

Automatic Door Openers. Cargo Hooks. Spocemaker8, 

and Carrousels. 

A full line al 

REPLACEMENT 

WINDOWS including 

special use W'incl

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