IHSF Publishes Safety Technology White Paper

摘要

This past December and January, several high-profile, fatal helicopter accidents - including one that killed Los Angeles sports superstar Kobe Bryant - drove home the fact that while helicopter operations continue to get safer, they are still not safe enough. As elaborated in his March/April 2020 Vertiflite commentary, "Looking Back from 2020: A Vertical Retrospective of Rotorcraft Safety," VFS Executive Director Mike Hirschberg - a board member of the International Helicopter Safety Foundation (IHSF) - called for the helicopter safety community to conduct a "Heading Check." Over the 15 years since its establishment, the IHSF had seen significant reductions in accidents, but progress has largely plateaued over the past five years. With the endorsement of the IHSF Board, the Heading Check effort was divided into three working groups: Safety Promotion, led by Bob Sheffield, one of the founding members of IHSF; Technology, led by Mike Hirschberg; and Regulations, led by Chris Martino, Helicopter Association International (HAI).