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SMS for Helicopters

Industry leaders commit to safety.

[Credit: iStock]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA is expanding mandatory Safety Management System (SMS) requirements to commercial helicopter operators (Parts 91 and 135), encouraging proactive implementation to avoid retrospective regulations.
  • SMS is a formal system designed to manage safety and risk, featuring four key components—safety policy, risk management, assurance, and promotion—to build a robust safety culture within an organization.
  • Effective SMS implementation requires continuous internal self-assessment, often supported by objective third-party oversight, and must encompass all operational aspects, addressing challenges like poor aeronautical decision-making.
  • The Helicopter Association International (HAI) champions SMS adoption, offering guidance and vetting scalable software solutions to assist operators of all sizes in establishing and evolving their safety programs.
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When you were a child, did you ever hear this from a parent: “Clean up your room, or I will clean it up for you!” This usually was not a good thing, as the parent method of ‘cleaning up your room’ is more scorched earth than Mary Poppins.

A similar situation exists in the aviation industry as commercial helicopter operators are crafting safety management systems (SMS) for their businesses before the FAA makes one for them.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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