HAI members and HAI HELI-EXPO 2018 attendees gathered in Las Vegas today for the HAI Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast. During the meeting, members of the HAI Board of Directors updated the crowd on the work of the association since the last meeting in Dallas.

The meeting began with a call to order by HAI Chairman Dan Schwarzbach, who introduced the Board of Directors and welcomed attendees to Las Vegas.

HAI President and CEO Matt Zuccaro then introduced Hugh Sinnock, vice president of customer experience at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “Helicopters are a critical component of tourism for this destination,” he said. “There’s no better way to view our beautiful surroundings than via helicopter. So be sure to take advantage of all the networking opportunities while you’re here. Welcome to Vegas.”

After approving the minutes of the last membership meeting in Dallas, Schwarzbach recognized past chairmen of the board and new HAI members.

Zuccaro introduced each candidate for election to the HAI Board of Directors, who then addressed the crowd about the issues they deemed most important to the helicopter industry. This year, five candidates are running for two Regular Member – Commercial seats on the board, and two are running for one Regular Member – General Aviation seat. The election, conducted via both online and on-site voting, concluded at 3:00 pm today. Results will be announced at the HAI Salute to Excellence Awards dinner on Wednesday, February 28.

Reports were then given by Schwarzbach, Vice Chairman Jim Wisecup, and Treasurer David Bjellos. Schwarzbach and Wisecup both discussed the activities of HAI committees and working groups, emphasizing the importance of member involvement. Bjellos reported increased numbers from fiscal year 2017, indicating a financially strong year ahead for fiscal year 2018.

HAI Initiatives

Next, Zuccaro gave the president’s report, summarizing the issues that HAI has been working on since HAI HELI-EXPO 2017, which included:

• HAI safety forums: During the last year, HAI has conducted several forums on important industry segments such as aerial firefighting, air tour operations, and offshore operations.
• HAI safety initiatives: HAI continues to promote its Land & LIVE program, which has a goal of zero accidents in the industry. HAI has also received FAA grants for flight data monitoring, health usage monitoring, and a synthetic vision program.
• HAI Accreditation Program of Safety (HAI-APS): Since the launch of HAI-APS in January 2016, 14 mission-specific accreditations have been performed, including the first international accreditation of Beijing Capital Helicopter.
• Military outreach: HAI is dedicated to helping military personnel transition to civilian positions in the helicopter industry.
• Noise: Zuccaro cited noise issues as the biggest threat to the industry moving forward. He specifically named New York and New Jersey as examples of areas where public complaints about helicopter noise has resulted in operational limits and reduction of helicopter activity.
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): The integration of UAS into the National Airspace System is a hot topic, especially for the helicopter industry, which shares both operations and airspace with drones, and HAI is at the forefront of that effort.
• Future generations: Zuccaro discussed the pilot and technician shortage and HAI’s efforts through Helicopter Foundation International (HFI) to educate a new generation of helicopter professionals.

HFI Study on Industry Workforce

Allison McKay, HFI vice president, also spoke at the meeting, giving attendees a report on the activities of HFI, the charitable arm of HAI. In Fall 2017, HFI commissioned a study by the University of North Dakota (UND) to get hard numbers about the current and projected supply of helicopter pilots and mechanics.

“The results are not good,” said McKay. “The shortage is real and it is growing.” McKay indicated that the numbers provided by UND will give HAI a baseline to create strategies for how to address the shortage.

“We need to be more creative with how we approach workforce development,” said McKay. “It’s not enough to put a job ad in the paper and expect people to show up.” She called for strategies such as helicopter-specific education and finding ways to lessen the financial burden of becoming a helicopter pilot. “The good news is, we can now take the first step to solve this problem and ensure the long-term sustainability of our industry.”

Air Traffic Control Privatization

With the threat of air traffic control (ATC) privatization still looming under the FAA reauthorization bill, Zuccaro called upon attendees to band together and make their opposition to privatization known to legislators. HAI’s Vice President of Government Affairs Cade Clark has been leading the charge on Capitol Hill, helping to successfully block every U.S. House of Representatives vote on ATC privatization.

But Zuccaro indicated that the threat is not over. HAI members need to get involved. Members can text ROTOR to 40649 to directly contact their elected officials with their opposition to this misguided policy.

Swartzbach adjourned the meeting by inviting attendees to the next HAI general membership meeting, which will take place in Atlanta during HAI HELI-EXPO 2019.