Aviation students can now apply for an expenses-paid opportunity to attend the 11th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit, through grants which honour a longtime advocate of excellence in aviation safety training.

The Dr. Peter Gardiner Student Grant, worth more than C$4,000, covers admission to the summit, a choice of one of the pre-event courses, as well as C$1,500 in hotel and travel reimbursement.

This year’s pre-event training courses will include “Human Factors Analysis Classification System,” taught by Dr. Douglas A. Wiegmann and Dr. Scott A. Shappell and others to be confirmed.

The summit, hosted by CHC Helicopter, the operating company of CHC Group Ltd. (NYSE:HELI), is recognized by many as the most important helicopter-safety conference in the world.

This year’s event will be focused on the theme “Integrated Safety Management Systems: Access All Areas.” The 2015 summit will be held March 23-25 at the Westin Bayshore Resort in Vancouver, with pre-summit courses starting March 18.

This will be the fifth year Drs. Wiegmann and Shappell, of HFACS Inc., have sponsored a student to participate in the summit, in recognition of Dr. Gardiner. In addition, the Westin Bayshore – the host hotel – has generously matched the grant for a second time, enabling a second student to attend.

The late Dr. Gardiner was president and chief executive officer of the Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI). His objective for SCSI was to provide people in aviation with the best possible tools and training, to reduce accident rates and ultimately increase the safety of those that fly.

The focus on the human side of aviation safety and the development of safety management systems attracted Dr. Gardiner to the CHC event, where for three years he brought a unique blend of professionalism and humour to the sessions he taught. The student grant is a tribute to Dr. Gardiner’s commitment to aviation safety, and is intended to help inspire excellence in aviation students.

Students interested in this year’s grants must apply and submit a 500-word essay prior by the Jan. 5 deadline. More information about the grants and access to the application are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com.

About CHC

CHC Helicopter is a leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services through the Heli-One segment. The company operates about 230 aircraft in approximately 30 countries around the world.