Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operators transport about 400,000 patients and life-saving organs a year. Many of those trips require operating in poor weather, but for years HEMS pilots were prevented from taking off or landing at hospitals under instrument flight rules (IFR). Those limitations grounded many potentially life-saving HEMS missions.
That changed when Edwin McConkey, a mathematician and software engineer, devised a means to enable pilots to fly instrument approaches to hospital helipads without existing IFR infrastructure. “Edwin McConkey is an unsung hero of the helicopter industry,” said HAI. “He is not a pilot or mechanic, but he has arguably done more to keep pilots, crews and passengers safe in poor weather conditions than any other individual.”
HAI is presenting its Excellence in Safety Award to McConkey on March 4 for his pioneering work in helicopter IFR procedures. The Excellence in Safety Award recognizes “outstanding contributions in the promotion of safety and safety awareness throughout the international helicopter community.”
McConkey, the technical director for approach procedures specialist Hickok & Associates, has spent more than 50 years involved in research and development, system engineering and project management support for helicopter instrument procedures, air traffic control systems and advanced vertical-flight infrastructure.
In the late 1990s he developed an algorithm for helicopter-specific instrument approaches to facilities without all-weather infrastructure, HAI said. Later evolved for satellite navigation, that algorithm is used by FAA and international aviation authorities to develop helicopter “point-in-space” approaches. These approaches are particularly critical for helipads, enabling HEMS operations in IFR conditions that previously were unflyable or forced pilots to try to remain in VFR conditions.
“Nearly every helicopter GPS procedure commissioned by FAA to date has been developed using automation software tools originated by Ed McConkey, and every helicopter GPS procedure commissioned by FAA to date uses criteria that Ed was involved in for its origination,” said Stephen Hickok, president of Hickok & Associates, in nominating him.
Over the past 12 years at Hickok, McConkey has designed, developed, and tested more than 150 software tools to support LNAV approaches, LPV approaches, departures, transition routes, holding airspace and procedure maintenance.
He previously managed SAIC’s and System Control Technology’s General Aviation and Vertical Flight Technical Support Program for the FAA. This program tested 200 GPS approaches at four U.S. locations.
McConkey’s contribution to safety has been noteworthy. While the helicopter accident rate has been under scrutiny, there have been no accidents involving an IFR flight using the GPS approaches developed through McConkey’s algorithms.