The president of the Helicopter Association International, Matt Zuccaro, is expanding on his idea of encouraging helicopter pilots to land when trouble brews in the cockpit. A new initiative called Land and Live was launched during Monday’s press day in advance of Heli-Expo’s opening at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Zuccaro got the idea for the initiative after reading several accident reports that he felt could have been prevented had the pilot made a precautionary landing. The initiative aims to eliminate the excuses pilots make for pressing on despite such safety inhibitors as bad weather, maintenance issues or lack of fuel, even though helicopters can quickly and safely land on nearly any surface. Zuccaro spoke with law enforcement representatives, FAA enforcers and helicopter operators, all of whom strongly supported the idea — a fact Zuccaro hopes will eliminate pilots’ fear of getting into trouble for landing where they had not initially planned to land.
