Europe’s largest exhibition dedicated to civil rotorcraft, Helitech International, will feature a safety workshop focused on technologies and processes aimed at ‘Enhancing Situational Awareness and Making Better Decisions’, drawing on the expertise of leading industry leaders and academics. A treat for delegates will be keynote speaker Captain Eric Melrose ‘Winkle’ Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS, RN – a former test pilot who has flown a record-breaking 487 different types of aircraft.
Hosted by the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) and the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), the workshop will be held at the ExCeL London on Thursday, October 8.
Captain Brown holds a world record of 2,407 aircraft carrier landings and is the Fleet Air Arm’s most decorated living pilot. Firsts in naval aviation include the first landing on an aircraft carrier of a twin-engined aircraft, an aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage and of a jet propelled aircraft. Captain Brown will share his thoughts and experiences on flight preparation.
“Safety is always a huge responsibility,” said Brown. “We must remember that helicopters aren’t different from other forms of flying; it must always be treated with the same attitude whether it is fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft or even balloons. The Safety Workshop tagline ‘Enhancing situational awareness and making better decisions’ sums up well the key considerations facing helicopter pilots.”
The Safety Workshop will also include a session on safety culture and risk-taking, which will examine what a positive safety culture looks like and how to recognize the difference between good and bad risk taking. A review of technologies to improve situational awareness will explore what’s new in research and development, and investigate ideas that have potential to lead to valuable pilot aids in the near future.
Other highlights include a review of the issues and concerns associated with the introduction of automated systems and cockpits.
September 11, 2015
