Industry Forwards Helo IFR Recommendations to FAA

A helicopter industry white paper that addresses ways to facilitate IFR flight in Part 27 rotorcraft has formally been forwarded to the FAA for evaluation. Industry groups, which originally released details of the paper in June, have long maintained that equipment requirements make instrument flight uneconomical and impractical under Part 27 rules. This has an adverse safety and economic impact on all operators, but particularly helicopter EMS operators that either fly in marginal weather or do not fly the mission as a result of the requirements, industry groups argue.

The industry associations believe that “it is the FAA’s duty to the rotorcraft industry to provide a practical option for IFR conditions other than 'don’t fly'—especially when that practical option previously existed. Once Part 27 single-engine IFR becomes viable, it will be demanded by hospital organizations as a condition of EMS contracts—much in the way IFR capability is a demanded today for twin-engine (Part 29) rotorcraft in EMS.” The associations also note that adopting Part 23 fixed-wing avionics to Part 27 helicopters, designed as an economy move, can actually be exceedingly costly.