Heli-Expo 2024: reflections and takeaways
Last week, as the industry connected at HAI Heli-Expo in Anaheim, the offshore community was shaken by a fatal accident on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Tim Rolfe, Chief Executive Officer, HeliOffshore, said: “Our industry is first and foremost about people.
“Last week’s accident and the loss of Reidun Hestetun was a devastating reminder that everything we do is to serve those who work on the front line. The team at HeliOffshore is deeply saddened by the tragic event, and our thoughts are with colleagues at Bristow and Equinor, and the families, friends and communities affected.
“Our mission is to ensure no lives are lost in offshore aviation. There is more work we can, and will do, together with our members to meet this mission.”
At Heli-Expo, the team connected with members and industry peers on a broad range of subjects to drive forward our ability to meet this mission. This included:
Joining the IOGP’s Aviation Sub-committee meeting to discuss updates and adoption of Report 690 amongst the energy company community, and to feedback on recent Procurement Managers’ forums which are leading to the joint development of Contracting Principles for the offshore aviation sector
Convening our Flightpath Management workgroup leadership to discuss the development of version 4 of HeliOffshore’s Flightpath Management Recommended Practice, due to be published later this year
Hosting a working session on progress made regarding implementation of enhanced Helicopter Terrain Awareness & Warning Systems (‘HTAWS’) ahead of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s requirement for all North Sea aircraft to be fitted with a compliant system by January 2025
Holding a forum linked to our Insurance Sub-committee to brief industry peers on Recommended Practices under development to measure and manage risk and, ultimately, deliver safer operations
And finally, we hosted our annual Safety Strategy Panel, bringing together professionals from across the industry to discuss actions we can take together to improve safety performance, with a specific focus this year on developing metrics to indicate the future health of supply chains.
Tim also joined with other Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) members to brief on the output from Helicopter Safety Rating Work Group,
Tim concluded: “We are not where we need to be as an industry. But through our collective efforts, and by implementing best practice, we can enable real and lasting change.
“Regardless of where our organisations sit and operate in the offshore industry today, there is much we can all do to make a positive difference for the front line.”