To demonstrate what the company calls "its commitment to giving
flight safety the highest priority," Eurocopter recently created an
in-house flight safety directorate, headed by Jean-Pierre Dedieu,
Executive Director of Customer Support, who reports directly to the
Eurocopter CEO.
Eurocopter representatives tell ANN the directorate is based on
three main areas and tasked with initiating, coordinating and
harmonizing all company actions related to flight safety.
"The Flight Safety directorate was created in response to a
worldwide dynamic," said Dedieu. "As with the airline companies a
few years back, there has recently been increased awareness among
international aeronautical authorities, helicopter operators and
manufacturers of the need to improve flight safety. The helicopter
community has now decided to take concerted action to drastically
reduce the incidence of fatal accidents over the next decade."
The directorate will focus on three areas:
Technical & Maintenance sector: Initiates
action plans following accidents attributed to technical causes.
No. 1 priority is to reduce time between the accident analysis
phase and the effective fleet-wide implementation of all technical
modifications, as soon as each modification is deemed
necessary.
Operations sector: Responsible for improving
Eurocopter understanding of operational accidents and facilitating
solution development. Particular emphasis will be placed on:
proposing special training to pilots in accessible locations
and at competitive rates, as per the Group training policy, with
the aim of minimizing accidents attributed to crew errors.
providing operators with equipment such as flight recorders and
obstacle detectors; discouraging pilots from performing dangerous
maneuvers, and improving flight control aids.
Corporate Affairs sector: Four major
objectives:
identify, coordinate, and develop action plans so that
Eurocopter and its employees can manage the consequences of
helicopter accidents in an appropriate manner.
implement a more structured crisis management process.
improve communication with international authorities such as
the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST).
encourage operators to do their part in improving flight safety
by fitting helicopters with operational equipment such as obstacle
detectors, and increasing survivability; ensure maintenance is
carried out in Eurocopter-approved workshops with original parts;
improve training for crew and maintenance personnel (which could
possibly reduce insurance premiums for operators).
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