The Aero Club of Washington hosted John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter, at a luncheon on July 29 in Washington, DC. HAI was there to hear Garrison deliver to a captivated audience his thoughts on “Igniting Innovation in the Rotorcraft Industry.”

John Garrison is emphatic: “OEMs need to present ONE voice! Despite our fierce commercial competition, we all share a global purpose,” he says, “and that is to safely serve our customers. Rotorcraft regularly top the NTSB Most Wanted List, and it’s a list I don’t want to be on.”

Garrison believes the key to improving safety in vertical aviation operations is the adoption of new technologies, and as a cutting-edge innovator, Bell Helicopter works tirelessly toward this aim. However, innovation is hampered by the almost prohibitively enormous cost of certification and the battle to weave new technologies through regulatory constraints imposed often long before the technologies were conceived, let alone perfected.

“We [OEMs] must work collaboratively to help the regulatory process keep pace with innovation,” says Garrison. “There needs to be regulatory changes to make the process more flexible so that customers can adopt and adapt new technologies.”

In addition to removal of the hurdles impeding innovation, Garrison would like to see greater government investment. Bell is undoubtedly a global company: 75 percent of its commercial sales are to outside the United States. But there is a need for substantial and sustained government investment in new technology within the United States.

“You cannot thrive going from yearly government budget cycle to yearly budget cycle,” says Garrison. “Canada is investing 54 million over five years, and Europe is investing 3.5 billion as part of its Clean Sky initiative [a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the aeronautical industry.]”

Rotary-wing aviation is a lucrative industry, deserving of government investment. The global helicopter industry is set to be a $193 billion market over the next 10 years. “Sectors are growing,” says Garrison. “Offshore oil platforms need larger and larger helicopters to get out there. And that’s globally. And as you travel the world, you see a need for helicopter emergency medical services. Governments try to provide it, but they don’t do all that well at it. It’s an industry you are seeing starting to grow in places like India and China.”

The helicopter industry is a growth industry, and its mission profiles save lives. But to flourish, the industry needs investment without over-burdensome regulatory restraint. For this to be realized, Garrison believes, the industry must come together: “Together we have the opportunity to shape an even safer future.”