Bristow Academy Inc., a division of Bristow Group Inc., today announced it has received FAA approval for a Part 141 Night Vision Goggle (NVG) training program.

The NVG program will train helicopter pilots to operate safely at night while using helmet-mounted night vision goggle equipment. This technology is rapidly becoming the standard for helicopter operators engaged in Emergency Medical Services, Airborne Law Enforcement, and Search and Rescue to name a few.

The NVG program includes two courses, an initial course and a refresher course. The initial course is designed for helicopter pilots with limited or no previous experience with the use of Night Vision Goggles, while the refresher course is designed for helicopter pilots who are already NVG qualified, but may not have flown under NVGs in the last four months.

Bristow Academy currently has five NVG-compatible Bell 206-B3 helicopters at its Titusville, Florida campus in which the NVG training will initially be offered. Approval for NVG training in the Academy’s six NVG-compatible Schweizer 300 CBi helicopters is expected in the near future.

Bristow Academy currently employs 20 NVG qualified Flight Instructors, 12 of which have extensive experience and training with NVGs. Of these 12 seven have either received or given training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The Academy currently flies approximately 75 hours of NVG training per week. This experience benefits all of the Academy’s NVG qualified instructors, and all have more than 100 hours of flight experience under NVGs, while some have up to 2000 hours of NVG experience.

About Bristow Academy Inc.
Bristow Academy is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The ACCSC is listed by the Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. The helicopter flight training school is also approved by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (Part 141) and the European Joint Aviation Authority. Bristow Academy is the only flight training organization outside of Europe approved to train pilots for the demanding integrated European JAA Commercial Pilot’s License (helicopter) program.

About Bristow Group Inc.
Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:BRS) is a leading provider of helicopter services to the worldwide offshore energy industry based on the number of aircraft operated. Through its subsidiaries, affiliates and joint ventures, the Company has major transportation operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Trinidad.