News Briefs  

All of the slide presentations from the workshops offered by the IHST at HeliExpo 2013 are now available at www.IHST.org.  Topics include:

• Implementing SMS for the Smaller Operator
• SMS and Decision Making
• Safety Management Through Flight Data Monitoring
• HUMS 101
• Breaking the Accident Chain with HTAWS
• And others . . .

WASHINGTON, DC - The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) is adding additional focus to its safety efforts in the U.S. helicopter community by designating two of its current executives to lead the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) and concentrate solely on safety issues within the U.S. civil helicopter community. This team will be co-chaired by industry and government. James Viola, FAA Flight Standards Division, has been named the government co-chair and Bill Chiles, president and chief executive officer of Bristow Group, has been named as the industry co-chair of the USHST.

In cooperation with helicopter safety experts within the industry, the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) has developed a Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS program) toolkit.  The free manual will serve as a step-by-step guide for helicopter operators considering or currently implementing a HUMS program or condition-based maintenance program. The guide also will address some unique maintenance challenges specific to helicopter operations.

HUMS programs are designed to automatically monitor the health of mechanical components in a helicopter, as well as usage of the airframe and its dynamic components. They enable aircraft to record structural and transmission usage, transmission vibrations, rotor track and balance information, and engine power assurance data. They also monitor the health of rotating components such as gearboxes, bearings, shafts, engines, and rotors through vibration, and can record parametric data from the aircraft’s bus for usage and event analysis.