PETER HANDLEY/BELL PHOTO
Bell 407 GXi Max cruise speed: 133 kts
Max range: 330 nm (127.8 US gal., no reserve fuel, at sea level)
Useful load: 2,550 lbs Seating: Max 7
The IFR-capable Bell 407 GXi is available
in models suitable for US military training as well as civilian purchase.
related to flights in marginal VFR (MVFR) and inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC). Te authors argued that more accidents (194), and resulting fatalities (326), occurred from 2001 to 2013 from pilots being ill-equipped for MVFR and IIMC conditions than would have occurred from the expected failure rates of SE-IFR helicopter systems. “Te lack of SE-IFR helicopters developed a dangerous
culture in our industry,” explains Paul Schaaf, former HAI vice president of operations and the HAI lead for the white paper. “Pilots needed to get their instrument rating to get a job, but very few used it again if they flew single-engine operations. Few companies kept their pilots’ instrument skills strong. Add to that the pressures to get the job done if there’s any chance of VFR, and it’s a recipe for disaster. “We argued that the probability of IIMC and controlled
flight into terrain was higher than any probability of equip- ment failure,” Schaaf continues. “By allowing SE-IFR heli- copters, we could save lives.” Te white paper addressed six key concerns with the FAA’s
certification standards for SE-IFR helicopters: ■■Use one in 1 million as the failure rate that would require
redundant systems in lighter SE helicopters rather than the original FAA standard rate of one in 1 billion
30 ROTOR WINTER 2020
■■ Allow generic high-intensity radiated field (HIRF) testing based on established construction techniques (ambiguities in the then-current Part 27 language required testing on a case-by-case basis each time a new piece of equipment was added)
■■Allow a single hydraulic system when aircraft can be shown through rigorous testing to be flyable without hydraulics
■■ Reduce the requirement for three navigation communi- cation systems to two
■■ Reduce the requirement for dual pitot–static systems to one
■■ Allow a battery to be considered as a second electrical generation system. In 2017, the FAA released policy statement PS-ASW-27-15,
Safety Continuum for Part 27 Normal Category Rotorcraft Systems and Equipment, which adopted some of the processes and concepts recommended in the white paper. With the publication of the Safety Continuum, the FAA officially recognized that safety and risk must be balanced across a wide spectrum of aircraft and operations, specifically calling out aircraft weight and propulsion type, whether passengers are flown for hire, and societal expectations as major factors in airworthiness decisions. Te FAA saw the Safety Continuum as a way to “facilitate
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