Changes in helicopter operation rules in the US and the UK

The US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) issued on 20 Febr. 2014 a final rule that requires helicopter operators, including operators of air ambulances, to have stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications, training, and additional on-board safety equipment. Accidentally, on the same day, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced a series of measures to increase the safety of offshore helicopter flights.

 I. New US rules

The US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) issued on 20 Febr. 2014 a final rule that requires helicopter operators, including air ambulances, to have stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications, training, and additional on-board safety equipment.

According to the FAA press release, under the new rule, all FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) Part 135 helicopter operators (commuter and on-demand operations) are required to:

• Equip their helicopters with radio altimeters.
• Have occupants wear life preservers and equip helicopters with a 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) when a helicopter is operated beyond power-off glide distance from the shore.
• Use higher weather minimums when identifying an alternate airport in a flight plan.
• Require that pilots are tested to handle flat-light, whiteout, and brownout conditions and demonstrate competency in recovery from an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions. 

In addition, all air ambulance operators are required to:

• Equip with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS).
• Equip with a flight data monitoring system within four years.
• Establish operations control centers if they are certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances.
• Institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs.
• Ensure their pilots in command hold an instrument rating.
• Ensure pilots identify and document the highest obstacle along the planned route before departure.
• Comply with Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minimums, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at airports/heliports without weather reporting, procedures for VFR approaches, and VFR flight planning.
• Conduct the flight using Part 135 weather requirements and flight crew time limitation and rest requirements when medical personnel are on board.
• Conduct safety briefings or training for medical personnel.

The text of the new rule, which becomes effective on 22 April 2014, can be found here.

II. New UK rules

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on 20 Febr. 2014 a series of measures to increase the safety of offshore helicopter flights. The measures regard mainly operations to oil drilling platforms in the North Sea. They measures are the outcome of a comprehensive review of offshore helicopter operations undertaken in cooperation with the Norwegian CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and advised by a panel of independent expert. According to the CAA press release, the measures include:

• Prohibiting helicopter flights in the most severe sea conditions, so that the chance of a ditched helicopter capsizing is reduced and a rescue can be safely undertaken
• Pending further safety improvements to helicopters, passengers will only be able to fly if they are seated next to an emergency window exit to make it easier to get out of a helicopter in an emergency (unless helicopters are fitted with extra flotation devices or passengers are provided with better emergency breathing systems)
• Requiring all passengers to have better emergency breathing equipment to increase underwater survival time unless the helicopter is equipped with side floats.
• Changes to the way pilots are trained and checked
• Approval of each offshore helicopter deck, to ensure respect of strict safety standards.

There are also a number of recommendations to EASA, as the regulator for helicopter certification and airworthiness. These include enhancing the safety of helicopters; establishing a review of offshore helicopter accidents and incidents with national aviation organisations, such as the CAA, to highlight safety issues and develop remedies; and, the development of standardised helicopter operating information for pilots.

In the meantime, the CAA is expecting helicopter operators to make improvements to helicopters and survival equipment including:

• Fitting side floats
• Implementing automatic flotation equipment
• Adding hand holds next to push out windows
• Improvements to life rafts and lifejackets

The full UK CAA review can be found here.