ROTORWA H ➤ requested from the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO), and with the support of the FAA, HAI and the ERHC launched a six-month study of regional rotorcraft sound. Working in partnership with aviation noise consultancy PlaneNoise, the participants gathered data through sophisticated flight tracking and correlated it with helicopter sound com- plaints to identify opportunities to make altitude and zone changes to routes. The FAA Eastern Region was instrumental in bringing in local air traffic repre- sentation and working to balance the needs of the industry and elected officials during the project. The partners’ findings were shared with helicopter operators including the US Department of Defense and other federal agen- cies, air ambulance services, and other stakeholders in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to determine what changes to routes each could make or accept. Their feedback was incorporated in the final assessment. The new changes include altitude increases in helicopter routes 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 and lateral zone boundary and alti- tude changes in zones 1, 2, 3, and 5 as depicted on the FAA’s Baltimore- Washington Helicopter Route Chart. The changes, announced in April, are expected to go into effect in June 2023.
HAI BRIEFS
HAI Members Elect 2023–24 Board of Directors
IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO HAI HELI-EXPO 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, HAI members selected their board of directors for fiscal year 2023–24. HAI members reelected current board members Nicole Battjes, Randy Rowles, and Mark Schlaefli and also elected Paul Gottwig, who will fill
16 ROTOR JUNE 2023
a government service seat. Gottwig replaces B. Adam Hammond, who chose not to return to the board. Gottwig’s three- year term will begin Jul. 1, 2023. “I am pleased to welcome Paul to our
board,” says Jeff Smith, current HAI Board chair. “And I speak for the board and our industry in extending my deepest apprecia- tion to Adam for his service. Adam served to support our members and the vertical aviation industry, and I believe Paul will very capably serve as the representative
HAI and the ERHC launched a six-month study of regional rotorcraft sound. Their findings helped determine the new route updates.
for government service on this board.” While HAI member operators select the board members, the board itself selects its panel of officers each year. Beginning on Jul. 1, 2023, the following board members
will serve a one-year term as officers: ■ Chair Nicole Battjes, Rainbow Helicopters ■ Vice Chair Mark A. Schlaefli, Dakota Rotors
■ Treasurer Rick Kenin, Boston MedFlight ■ Assistant Treasurer Brian Jorgenson,
Timberline Helicopters. “I appreciate the effort our members
have put into the election of their board of directors,” says James Viola, HAI president and CEO. “This board has extensive experi- ence across a wide section of our industry. The people on our board are proactive in addressing significant issues in our indus- try, such as creating working groups focused on workforce development and aviation insurance. Their goal is to improve our industry, and I am grateful for their assistance.” Gottwig explains why he wants to serve as an HAI board member. “My initial
intention is twofold,” he says. “One is to help out the membership of HAI in any way possible but, more specifically, to aid HAI’s efforts in meeting the government service industry’s needs in terms of pilot, crew member, and mechanic hiring. “Second is to work with the other members of the board on creating working groups and committees to interface between federal, state, and local govern- ments and the FAA; [helping] individual helicopter operators achieve better con- tracting opportunities; and clearly defining safety and performance guidelines for air- craft and aircrew requirements to aid our industry’s safety initiatives,” adds Gottwig. Gottwig is also looking forward to future generations of technology and aircraft. “I’m excited to be able to help guide the organi- zation as a whole in embracing and involv- ing new technologies that fit the vertical lift definition into our membership, such as drone operations and tiltrotor operations. These are new and rapidly evolving vertical lift groups that, if properly integrated, [could] positively change the way helicop- ters operate inside the vertical lift industry.” The results of the election were tabu- lated and certified at HAI’s annual member- ship meeting on Mar. 6 based on ballots HAI members had submitted electronically leading up to the event.
All HAI member operators are eligible to
run for future HAI Board vacancies. For more information, contact James Viola at
president@rotor.org.
HAI BRIEFS
HAI Seeks Members for Small Business Initiatives Industry Advisory Council
LARGE BUSINESSES IN OUR INDUSTRY have the funds, weight, and connections to meet their business needs and challenges. But what about the small and ➤
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