Committed to improving awareness of aviation safety in Brazil, Airbus Helicopters and Helibras played a leading role at two industry-wide safety events held in the country’s largest cities last month.

For the second consecutive year, Helibras convened a national industry event, called the Operational Safety Journey, to raise awareness of flight safety procedures among helicopter owners, pilots and mechanics.

Held in September, the program covered topics such as new regulations for operators, auto rotation training, and situational awareness. Specific attention was paid to how technical support and proper maintenance contribute to aircraft serviceability and, as a consequence, to the prevention of accidents. Gilles Bruniaux, vice president of aviation safety at Airbus Helicopters, led a discussion about helicopter flight data monitoring (HFDM) for small operators.

The Operational Safety Journey was held in partnership with the Universidade Anhembi Morumbi and with support from the Associação Brasileira de Pilotos de Helicópteros (ABRAPHE), the Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (CENIPA), the Brazil International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), and the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC).

One week later, Airbus Helicopters and Helibras participated in the 2014 CHC Safety & Quality Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Finding ways to create a better safety culture and to increase awareness of safety issues within the Brazilian helicopter industry was a key focus of the two-day event, in addition to training management, flight data monitoring and safety management systems.