Helicopter Safety "What's being done to keep the helicopter in the air?" Maintenance
It starts with Regulation International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - UN agency which develops international standards and recommended practices (SARPs) which States reference when developing legally-enforceable national regulations European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) - strategy and safety management, certification of aviation products, oversight of approved organisations and EU Member States Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - enhancing safety performance by pursuing targeted and continuous improvements in systems, culture, processes and capability Shared objective : SAFETY
Part M Continuing Airworthiness Organisation Operator of aircraft and responsible for management of maintenance Maintenance Programme Continuing Airworthiness Requirements ARC renewal Data For Modification and Repairs Maintenance Data Aircraft Continuing Airworthiness Records Operators Technical Log System Reliability Programme
Part 145 Maintenance Organisation Carries out maintenance of aircraft or components for the operator Facility Requirements Personnel Requirements Certifying Staff and Category B1 & B2 Support Staff Equipment, Tools and Material Acceptance of Components Certification of Maintenance Occurrence Reporting
Highly Trained Engineers Competency, Training & Induction Procedures & Processes Safety Culture Supervision
Mechanic / Technician Training Continuation Training HUMS Training H&S Training 6 Months OJT 4 Weeks Type Course 1 Year License Exams 1 Year Experience 1 Year Basic Skills Continuation Training HUMS Training H&S Training 6 Months OJT 6 Weeks Type Course 2 Years License Exams 5 Years Experience 1 Year Basic Skills A B1.3 B2
Day in the Life of a Helicopter Turn Round Inspection End of day flying Cleared to enter service Engine/ Skin Wash Pre-Flight Checks Defect Rectification Pilots Walkround Scheduled Inspections Pilots Planning After flight Inspection Fuel Inspection Pre-Flight Inspection
How Maintenance is Defined Inspection Replacement Repair Overhaul Modification Defect Rectification of Aircraft or Component Hours Calendar Cycles Duplicate Inspection Ground Runs/Air test
How Maintenance is Undertaken Unscheduled Maintenance Progressive Maintenance Base Maintenance Effective Planning Correct maintenance carried out at the right time by the right person Engineer the task to ensure efficient and safe execution Minimise impact to the operation
Technology ACAS / TCAS - aircraft transponders track nearby aircraft. Mandated on fixed wing transport aircraft >5700 kg. When another aircraft approaches, crew is warned. If aircraft poses a threat, crew are shown how to avoid. With TCAS 2, autopilot assists in avoidance TAWS / EGPWS - new aircraft come with Terrain Avoidance / Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems. Rather than working on fixed height thresholds (100 ft warning still given) warnings are generated on combination of height, speed, rate of descent and terrain database Satellite tracking - flight-following service as further enhancement to standard ATC services. Aircraft position followed on web portal and available to operations departments. Voice and text messages can also be passed to crew
What the helicopter tells us: HUMS Data collection and analysis to help ensure availability, reliability and safety Ongoing requirement to improve system capability & reliability Advanced Anomaly Detection (AAD) Real-time / Wifi Downloads Long distance operational support Going forward with effective technology HUMS Best Practices Working Group use HUMS/AAD information to best effect understand OEM s HUMS design philosophies drive to standardized operating principles input into OGP HUMS Policies engage with regulators share best practice on use of automation influence development of HUMS enhance HUMS community relationships
What the helicopter tells us : FDM Captures, analyses and visualises data generated by aircraft moving through the air from one point to another Applies information learned from analysis to find ways to improve flight safety and increase overall operational efficiency Goal: improve the organization or unit's overall safety, increase maintenance effectiveness and reduce operational costs
Safety Management System - Maintenance Reliability Technical Reliability Analysis By Technical Support ORB (Occurrence Review Board) MRB (Maintenance Review Board) ASR (Air Safety Report) GOR (Ground Occurrence Report) GHR (Ground Handling Report) FCR (Flight Crew Report) OSR (Occupational Safety Report) MOR (Mandatory Occurrence Report) MEMS (Maintenance Error Management System) OPEMS (Operations Error Management System) HUMS (Health Usage Monitoring System) FDM (Flight Data Monitoring)
Compliance Monitoring Checks Compliance with regulations Manuals valid and current Company approvals and procedures Training Health, safety and environmental directives etc. Internal Audits Carried out by Quality and Safety Each base at least annually External audits Customers and CAA CAA audit about once a year on each part of an organisation
Safety Information Exchange Between companies and internationally Safety Alerts & Bulletins Flight Safety Newsletters and Magazines North Sea Safety Review CAP1145 Open sharing of information
Helicopter Safety Questions? Maintenance