ADVOCATING FOR YOU By Cade Clark


Introducing Ourselves to a New Congress Let’s build on our effective advocacy for the helicopter industry.


T


HE 116TH US CONGRESS IS now gaveled in and tackling our nation’s problems. Your govern-


ment is hard at work on your behalf. Did you just roll your eyes at the thought that Congress understands your daily strug- gles and what you go through to keep the lights on at home or for your business? Be honest. Reading the headlines about shut-


downs, it may be a bit of a herculean task to believe that any good can come out of Washington. But it’s a new year, and I hav- en’t yet broken my resolutions (the brownie I had at lunch was small, so it didn’t count). Considering the successes that we had


with the 115th Congress, let’s approach the new year with optimism. Let’s quickly review why 2018 was such a good year for our industry on Capitol Hill.


HAI’s 2018 Legislative Wins HAI was deeply involved in advocating for the helicopter industry while legislators were hammering out the details of the five- year FAA reauthorization bill that passed Congress in October. Our work produced substantive ROI for the helicopter industry in the many provisions in the bill with real-


world impact on members’ businesses: ■■ HAI ensured that the legislation gave the industry opportunities to provide input on and participate in the creation of upcom- ing FAA regulations


■■ HAI secured specific language that included helipads as eligible projects in airport construction or improvement initiatives


■■ Important safety provisions for crash-resistant fuel systems were imple- mented to comply with recommenda- tions from the FAA’s Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group, which HAI


12 ROTOR WINTER 2019 staff members participated in


■■ HAI helped secure the inclusion of drone policies that would safely accelerate their integration into the National Airspace System, including requirements for remote identification


■■ HAI helped to include in the bill important aviation workforce development pro- grams that will provide resources and grants to increase the number of pilots and mechanics in the industry


■■ HAI helped push through language to modernize Part 147 training programs, providing new business opportunities for HAI members. In other 2018 advocacy wins, HAI stopped legislation that would have capped veterans’ flight benefits for helicopter train- ing. And let’s not forget our largest victory of the 115th Congress, when general avia- tion stepped up and stopped the privatiza- tion of the US air traffic control system.


The Blueprint for Success Looking back, our industry had a very suc- cessful year. Where will this success and optimism take us in the 116th Congress? You may have been right to roll your


eyes when I said Congress was solving your problems. However, if they don’t know about your problems, how can they help? That is why HAI’s work on Capitol Hill is


so important. Advocacy is the mechanism by which HAI and its members communi- cate with Congress. We share our stories on the legislative and regulatory pinch- points that negatively impact our busi- nesses and stand in the way of our success. We educate Congress on legisla- tion that can help our industry grow. We help develop policies that will ensure a healthy, competitive, and level playing field.


I’ve made it a point to visit local HAI members whenever I get outside of the Beltway bubble to attend a conference or engage in state legislative work. In these invaluable meetings, members educate me on the legislative issues causing roadblocks for them and we strategize together on ways to address their concern. One issue that I keep hearing about is that operators are having trouble finding qualified mechanics and pilots. As you may know, HAI’s charitable arm, Helicopter Foundation International (HFI), recently undertook a study with the University of North Dakota (UND) to validate the long-standing assertion that the United States is not producing pilots and mechan- ics in sufficient numbers. The 2018 HFI- UND study found that in just over 15 years, the industry will face a shortage of more than 7,400 helicopter pilots and over 40,000 mechanics.


In addition to documenting the pro- jected shortage, the study gathered infor- mation on how it is already changing operations. For example, more than 50 per- cent of surveyed operators said that the shortage of pilots and mechanics would definitely or probably interfere with their operation’s ability to grow over the next five years. This workforce shortage issue is real,


and you may be already feeling its effects. HAI began to address this issue from a leg- islative perspective in the FAA reauthoriza- tion bill, which contains a grant program to fund workforce development programs for pilots and mechanics. This grant program came about because


we talked to Congress about the problem and offered a potential solution. They lis- tened and included the program in the bill. I admit, it was a bit more complicated


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