Helicopter Association International (HAI) this week launched a new initiative to help member operators to keep current their pilots’ training, testing, qualifications, certifications, and compliance requirements. Under the new HAI Flight Training and Checking Program, Helicopter Institute in Fort Worth, Texas, can manage all or some of those requirements for the operator.
The new program announced at the Heli-Expo show on Tuesday meets the FAA’s OpSpec A031 requirements for third-party contract training and checking. At discounted rates for HAI members, Helicopter Institute will oversee all training and evaluations, including scheduling, tracking, and verifying pilot proficiency and competency. The company offers flight and ground instruction and can send designated pilot examiners to visit customer bases for FAA Part 61 and Part 141 check rides.
“The program is customizable across multiple pilots, aircraft types, and missions. One contract covers all,” said Helicopter Institute owner Randy Rowles, who is an HAI board member. “Because it is approved and accepted by insurance underwriters, we can streamline flight training, checking, and an annual insurance review into one event, dramatically reducing the time operators spend on compliance.”
The training available for Part 91 and Part 135 operators covers the following aircraft types: the Bell 206 family, including the JetRanger and the LongRanger; Bell 407s, including the GX, GXP, GXi, GT, and HP versions; the Bell 505 JetRanger X; the Airbus AS350/H125 models; the MD Helicopters MD500 series; and the Robinson R44.