FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR Have you ever been assigned a flight on a day in which


the weather was downright rotten? Of course you have. We all have. We go through our weather check routines using the tools at our disposal. At the end of the process, the result is a go or no go decision. Have you ever gone through that process and still


remained conflicted about whether or not you should accept the flight? Instead of coming to a confident and definitive “go” or “no go” decision, you come up with a modified ver- sion that falls somewhere in the middle. Have you ever said to your crew or passengers, “Let’s give it a try”? Worse yet, how about this legendary statement, “Let’s go out and stick our nose into it.” What’s happening here? By using those statements, the


pilot is indicating that he or she is very unsure as to whether or not the flight can be completed. In some isolated cases, you might get away with this mindset. However, in others, it can be a recipe for disaster. An EMS, VFR night flight is a perfect example. The pressures to fly (self imposed or otherwise) can be powerful and the margin for error in this type of mission can be drastically reduced. This mindset is a throw back to the cowboy days of “mis-


sion first” or “customer first.” Although the terms sound good, there’s no use for them in the civilian helicopter indus- try as it relates to the business of turning rotors. In the last half decade, as a result of many deaths and crashes, an entire- ly new culture has bubbled to the surface; the Safety Culture. The focus is shifting from mission, customer, or profit first, to Safety Management Systems which include areas like risk


assessment, CRM, ADM, AMRM, training, change manage- ment and the like. Specific to EMS and higher accident rates, there have


been several working groups come together in the last 10 years to develop plans that attack the problem. Although pos- itive changes generally occur, we still have not found the right formula to make a dramatic impact in accident reduction. In this issue, Bill Winn of NEMSPA starts a conversation with the industry by proposing a plan that might make a real dif- ference in accident reduction. Also in this issue, we explore several of our favorite tech-


nologies that are spilling over into the cockpits of our heli- copters. With the advent of satellites, Apps, and smart devices, we have more tools available today than ever before. Our Apps & Ops article highlights some of the apps being used in helicopter operations. Regarding go/no go decisions, when I first start flying


EMS, my DOO said to me, “Lyn, when you are making that decision, and you hear yourself say, ‘Let’s give it a try’, just cancel the flight and go back to bed.” This turned out to be great advice!


Fly Safe,


Lyn Burks, Editor In Chief


PUBLISHER Brig Bearden


brig@rotorcraftpro.com


ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Allen Henderson


allen@rotorcraftpro.com


EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lyn Burks


lyn.burks@rotorcraftpro.com


COPY EDITOR Ashley Dempsey


ashley@rotorcraftpro.com


CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dana Maxfield


dana@rotorcraftpro.com


MANAGER, ONLINE ACCOUNTS Lynnette Burks


lynnette@rotorcraftpro.com


VICE PRESIDENT/CFO Clay Branum


clay@rotorcraftpro.com


VICE PRESIDENT/CAO Rick Weatherford


rick@rotorcraftpro.com


PHOTOGRAPHER Sarah Kritner


sarah@rotorcraftpro.com


CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Pam Fulmer


pam@rotorcraftpro.com


is published twelve times a year and mailed out on or around the 20th of the month being covered by Oak Mountain Media, LLC, 2080 Valleydale Road, Suite 10, Hoover, Alabama 35244. Rotorcraft Pro®


Rotorcraft Pro® is distributed free to qualified sub-


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is distributed to qualified readers in the helicop-


ter industry. Publisher is not liable for all content (including editorial and illustrations provided by advertisers) of advertisements published and does not accept responsibility for any claims made against the publisher. It is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility to obtain ap- propriate releases on any item or individuals pictured in an adver- tisement. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.


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