The Air Charter Safety Foundation (acsf.aero), a non-profit aviation safety organization, welcomes five Helicopter Association International (HAI) members as participating companies in the ACSF’s Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). They include Apollo MedFlight, CHI Aviation, HALO-Flight, Helimax Aviation and Idaho Helicopters.
The ASAP is a voluntary, self-reporting program that enables ACSF member companies to identify and reduce possible flight safety concerns, as well as to mitigate risk. In cooperation with the FAA, the ACSF serves as a third-party manager of the ASAP for its members, including rotor wing operators, on-demand charter operators, fractional operators and corporate flight departments. The ACSF’s members represent more than 60 percent of all participating organizations in the program (including airlines).
“ASAP has provided confidence in our management and crew, such that we can be truly transparent with our FSDO [Flight Standards District Office],” said Greg Mikel, the Director of Operations for Idaho Helicopters. “We’re encouraged that safety issues can be reported and discussed within the committee without the threat of a violation,” he said.
ASAP participation is a direct benefit of its membership in Helicopter Association International (HAI), an Alexandria, Virginia-based organization that provides support and safety-related services for the international helicopter community.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” explained HALO-Flight’s CEO and Director of Operations, Tom Klassen, ATP, CMTE. “ASAP helps us identify and report our mistakes and then share that data within our company so we mitigate the risk of someone else making the same error. Plus, our pilots and mechanics have the added confidence of reporting errors without adverse outcomes to their jobs or certificates.”
ACSF’s President Bryan Burns is pleased that the ASAP is being extended to aviation organizations of all sizes and missions, including to helicopter operators. “We’re grateful to see this broadening level of regard and respect for what the ASAP program can do for virtually all aircraft safety-related matters,” Burns said.
To learn more about the Aviation Safety Action Program for HAI members, and/or to submit an interest form, visit rotor.org/resources/asap/.
