The HAI Aviation Reporting Program (HARP) is accessible at www.rotor.org/HARP and was developed by the association’s Operations Department specifically for helicopter pilots, giving them an effective system for logging unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) activities that could threaten the safety of helicopter air ambulance operators.

By selecting one of the six categories, the individual can then answer questions related to the event, capturing date, time, location, description and other key data. The categories for HARP reports are: ‘drone/UAS event’, ‘accident/serious incident’, ‘near mid-air collision’, ‘wildlife strike/activity’, ‘laser event’ and ‘Other hazards’.

Chris Hill, Director of Safety at HAI, stressed that HARP is not intended to serve as a substitute for other public reporting systems of programmes, and encourages pilots to continue using any effecting, responsive system that they prefer for reporting hazardous conditions.

Staff at HAI are still working hard on the HARP programme; though it is still an effective and efficient method of reporting hazards, it is undergoing continuous improvement. “HAI will handle all HARP submissions with the utmost care and respect for individual and operator privacy. We are working directly with NASA to develop strict protocols for secure processing and transfer of HARP submissions into NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS),” Hill added.