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- March 17, 2021, 8:00 AM
James Viola, who became president and CEO of HAI in January 2020, has kept a busy agenda in his first year despite events such as the pandemic that could not have been foreseen when he took the role. (Photo: Barry Ambrose)
When James Viola accepted the position of president and CEO at Helicopter Association International (HAI) in late 2019, he expected to have a long transition period as he paved the way for the association’s goals of extending its reach internationally and building on its well-established safety programs.
A year later, HAI has made strides towards those goals: initiatives are underway to strengthen the association’s presence before the International Civil Aviation Organization, establish new relationships throughout the globe, expand the membership beyond traditional rotorcraft, add new and revisit safety programs, and consolidate safety and other initiatives under a newly rebranded Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST).
- February 12, 2021, 2:19 PM
In the wake of the recently issued high-profile NTSB probable cause report on the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, the Helicopter Association International (HAI) issued a comprehensive list of programs it produces or supports as part of its “360-degree” approach to safety.
“Most accidents are caused not by aircraft issues, but by people making mistakes, not following procedures, making poor decisions. We can lower the industry accident rate significantly by addressing these human factors,” said HAI president and CEO James Viola. “HAI continues to promote a 360-degree approach to reducing accidents, one that addresses culture, processes and training, and the appropriate use of technology to reduce aviation risk. We have the tools to reduce accidents to zero let’s use them.”
Thanks largely to stringent regulations, accidents are rare. You could help make them even rarer.
February 2021
If you charter aircraft, you may be wondering about the safety of your flights. The good news is that charter represents one of the safest forms of non-airline flying. That’s because charter operators employ professional and experienced crews, and because the Federal Aviation Administration has always overseen passenger-paying flights more strictly than private operations.
In the U.S., the FAA’s federal aviation regulations (FARs) mandate safety rules for all aircraft. Part 91 is the least demanding of the FARs, providing great flexibility in operational requirements, training, and maintenance. Companies that fly aircraft in which the passengers own fractional portions are regulated under Part 91K, a subsection of Part 91 but with tighter requirements. On-demand air charter (aka air taxi) operators fall under the stricter Part 135, the regulation that also applies to