HeliExperts International (HEI) today announced the official launch the nation’s first official Heliport Safety & Certification Program addressing critical industry needs for increased heliport safety.

“There are no federal regulations regarding heliport safety, and state and local oversight is extremely varied—even non-existent in most locations,” said Ray Syms, managing member of HEI. “With the vast majority of public and private heliports containing significant safety risks, including hospitals and corporate sites, there is high potential for extremely costly and even fatal accidents, which are damaging to the heliport operator and the industry on a whole. Our program provides a solution for operators, insurance companies, and municipalities to determine if heliport risks are mitigated to the highest degree possible.”

Leveraging HEI’s legacy of planning and designing more than 850 heliports and work inspecting, auditing, and evaluating more than 3,000 heliports, the safety and certification program includes a physical in-person audit, recommendations for risk mitigation, and full certification for sites that pass an initial or post-mitigation audit.

The HEI audit is built directly from the FAA’s Heliport Design advisory circular and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) fire safety guidelines for heliports, designed to ensure heliport operators achieve the lowest risk possible while maximizing safety. Heliport operators who do not pass the audit receive a list of risks to mitigate.

Through its senior associates, HEI provides a combined 150+ years of highly specialized aviation, helicopter and heliport expertise and experience in FAA, military, corporate, offshore, and air medical operations with over 75 combined years in aeronautical consulting, safety, heliport development, education, and litigation support.