HAI Vice President of Regulations and International Affairs Dave York is heading to New Zealand this week for that country’s Aviation Industry Association’s annual Aviation Week conference. On Friday, August 10, he’ll speak about global safety initiatives.

He’ll discuss how the backbone of the United States’ Next Generation Air Traffic System (NextGen) – Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B – is already paying safety dividends in one helicopters-only environment: off-shore transport to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

He’ll also talk about HAI’s leadership on the International Helicopter Safety Team. When it began nearly six years ago, the IHST’s stated goal was to reduce helicopter accidents by 80% in ten years. But at HAI’s urging, the goal is now longer term and more challenging: zero accidents.

New Zealand is a small country with only 4.5 million inhabitants, yet nevertheless has a vibrant helicopter industry. Several companies were part of a New Zealand pavilion at the recently completed EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are contemplating something similar at HELI-EXPO 2013. The New Zealand Helicopter Association has put out a call to identify members interested in attending HELI-EXPO® in Las Vegas, March 4-7, 2013 (exhibits open March 5-7).