In his role as HAI president and CEO, Matt wore many hats. Clockwise from top left, Matt’s Summer 2013 ROTOR column urging pilots facing deteriorating flight conditions to “Land the Damn Helicopter!” sparked a safety movement, Land & LIVE; a promoter of general aviation (GA), Matt addressed OshKosh attendees on EAA Radio in 2013; Matt frequently traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of HAI members; a pilot with ATP ratings in both helicopters and airplanes, Matt is at home in the cockpit; Matt spoke out against the privatization of US air traffic control on a 2017 panel with his colleagues who head other GA associations, including from left, Mark Baker of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Jack Pelton of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Ed Bolen of the National Business Aviation Association, Pete Bunce of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and to Matt’s left, Marty Hiller, then president of the National Air Transportation Association.
serving as the industry co-chair of the International Helicopter Safety Foundation, to providing safety tools, education, and resources for pilots, operators, and mechanics and engineers, Matt has left no doubt that safety is a core value for HAI. In 2013, Matt wrote a column for ROTOR magazine wondering
why more helicopter pilots facing deteriorating flight conditions don’t take advantage of their aircrafts’ unique ability to land just about anywhere. Te resulting safety initiative, Land & LIVE, has been adopted by groups around the world, reminding pilots that sometimes the safest thing to do is “Land the Damn Helicopter!” In addition to advocating for safety within the helicopter industry,
Matt also championed the international civil helicopter industry and its contributions to our communities. One of his first initiatives at HAI was to recognize the tremendous contributions made by the
helicopter industry in helping New Orleans and surrounding areas cope with the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Helicopter operators, pilots, mechanics and engineers, and support personnel pitched in to help those caught in this catastrophic storm, operating under emergency conditions and without incurring a single accident or incident. HAI documented how they helped in Katrina, in part to show what our industry does every day, around the world. “Te HAI board and staff are proud to have worked with Matt over
these past 15 years,” says HAI Chair Jan Becker. “Te aviation world of 2020 is very different from the one of 2005, and Matt played a big part in keeping the helicopter industry safe and relevant. His contri- butions to the financial stability of the association have been substantial, and I know that I am joined by his many friends and colleagues in the industry when I wish him all the best in his retirement.”
WINTER 2020 ROTOR 37
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