IHST offers safety tips
The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) has offered seven safety tips to helicopter pilots, in the hope that it will avoid the annual trend of accidents spiking when warm weather arrives in May.
The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) has offered seven safety tips to helicopter pilots, in the hope that it will avoid the annual trend of accidents spiking when warm weather arrives in May – according to the IHST, ‘fatal accidents reach their peak in the ‘dog days’ of July and August’.
The organisation advises all pilots that they should: ‘get into the habit of using pre-departure check lists’, ensuring that they and their aircraft are ready to operate properly before taking off; ‘use the IMSAFE checklist to ensure you are fit to fly’, taking into account any illness, medication, stress levels, alcohol, fatigue, hydration and diet; ‘conduct a personal risk analysis before each flight’, using tools such as those offered by the FAA or NTSB; not ‘take risks in questionable weather’, avoiding fog or stormy conditions; not ‘fly lower than 1,000 ft above ground level’, to avoid wires, trees and other such obstacles; ‘operate with wire strike protection systems if your mission includes flying low’; and ‘at all cost[s], avoid complacency’ – pilots should ‘dust off [their] emergency procedures manual and read it again … follow the rotorcraft flight manual’s normal procedures … file a flight plan … conduct a thorough pre-flight briefing among all flight participants … [and] follow standard operating procedures and your personal minimums’.