Rich Higgins Oversees New York Cable Company's Helo Fleet
HAI announced this week its 2009
Helicopter Maintenance Award recipient, Rich Higgins; Helicopter
Crew Chief, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Farmingdale, NY.
Higgins began his aviation career in 1982 at the Academy of
Aeronautics in Flushing, NY, while also working line service with
Island Helicopter. At Island he progressed to heavy maintenance,
performing complete teardown and rebuilding work. He was later
promoted to Inspector/Records Manager, responsible for records on
35 aircraft, including final inspections and maintenance
releases.
Higgins is currently Cablevision's lead Crew Chief on the
Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, working on all models of the aircraft
from the B to the current C++. Tasked with consistently providing a
safe, airworthy aircraft, Higgins understands the concept of "Zero
Tolerance" and has a long history of providing "Zero Error"
maintenance. The aircraft he oversees fly over 600 hours and 2,000
cycles per year, and he maintains an overall availability rating
for his aircraft of 99.6 percent - an achievement requiring a great
deal of determination and resourcefulness.
Higgins has an extensive training record and strongly believes
in continuing professional education. His training at Flight Safety
International has included Maintenance Initial and Update for the
S-76A and S-76B, S-76C Differences, Gulfstream GIII Maintenance
Initial, Advanced Troubleshooting, Composite Repair, Composite
Structure Update, Maintenance Resource Management, and Maintenance
Manager. His additional advanced training includes Turbomeca 2S
Line Maintenance, Honeywell 7000 & 7600 Auto Pilot systems,
Pratt & Whitney PT6-36 Line Maintenance, Allison 250 Series
Engines, and HAI Human Performance/Helicopter Maintenance.
Although having worked in aviation for nearly three decades,
Higgins exhibits the same eagerness and excitement for the job as
someone just starting out. He is an extremely popular and reliable
mechanic, and he prides himself on his ability to develop and
maintain solid working relationships with vendors, aircraft
manufacturers, colleagues, and the FAA. In 2000, Flight Safety
International awarded Higgins their Master Technician
Certificate.
All winners will be recognized at Heli-Expo 2009's annual
"Salute to Excellence" Awards Banquet on February 23, 2009 at 8:00
p.m. in Anaheim, CA.