The Helicopter Association International and association partners, AHS International, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and Aircraft Electronics Association, this week makes public an industry white paper that can serve as a guide to reestablish cost-effective IFR certification of single-engine Part 27 helicopters within the boundaries of existing Part 27 rules.

The finalized white paper is the product of a collaborative study and effort by industry certification experts from numerous rotorcraft airframe manufacturers and completion centers, as well as a group of representative helicopter operators and association personnel enlisted to ensure their safety concerns are addressed.

Industry experts want to see certification requirements for single-engine IFR helicopters updated because cockpit and safety-supporting technologies have changed without a commensurate adaptation of AC 27.1. That means manufacturers and supplemental type certificate developers are prevented from developing practical IFR helicopter solutions.

The white paper highlights fatal accident statistics related to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) that dramatically overshadow the unsubstantiated safety benefit of applying airliner-level standards for helicopter IFR certification, as currently described by FAA Advisory Circular 27.1.

Enabling pilots of Part 27 single-engine helicopters to conduct operations under IFR will help usher in a culture that rejects the dangerous practice of “scud running” by giving pilots a reasonable alternative. This cultural change will be supported by technology, including digital autopilot systems, that have made IFR operations significantly safer and more practical than they were just 15 years ago.

The FAA reviewed the white paper in December 2014. Industry addressed FAA concerns in the current revision of the paper.

HAI and the partner associations anticipate that a Project Notification Letter (PNL) outlining a specific airframe and proposed method of compliance will follow once tentative agreement is established with the FAA.