The new pre-flight risk-assessment app called “Before your flight” went live in July to aid operators in making informed decisions prior to a flight. It is an example of Airbus Helicopters proactive support of global safety initiatives.

“Before your flight” is available in nine languages: French, English, German, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian, and it is under free download for iOS and Android devices. The app is dedicated to helping civil operators, in particular, with identifying potentially risky parameters in an upcoming flight, prior to taking off.

Risk-taking has been identified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), as a contributing factor in numbers of helicopter incidents and accidents. Members have been encouraged to present best practices in electronic format (eLearning, smartphone apps, etc.) as an additional means of making the information available.

Airbus Helicopters’ “Before Your Flight” app joins others solutions such as the Flight Analyser – Flight data monitoring software, or FlyScan predictive maintenance services, as examples of how the company is complying with, and even anticipating, such changes in the industry.

Composed of a multi-axis questionnaire relating to environmental, personal state, mission-related, and organisational parameters of a flight that is being planned, “Before your flight” takes pilots through some 27 questions about their experience on the aircraft. These questions have been studied by the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST, of which Airbus Helicopters is a member), and were further honed by the company’s test pilots.

At the end, pilots are supplied with a risk assessment, and even given suggestions.

“Before Your Flight” assessment remains confidential, but at his discretion, can also be shared by the user with the Safety Management System (SMS) officer to give an overall view of their company’s safety reporting. The app also has the option to push links to educational information, such as safety-related articles published by the EHEST and industry bodies.

Data is stored in a secure cloud, thus respecting regulations on confidentiality and anonymity.