The prestigious Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS) celebrates 20 years of increased helicopter tour safety in 2016. Founded by a group of competing tour operators with the joint goal of increasing the safety and positive public perception of flight-seeing operations, TOPS is the industry’s first sector-specific safety program and continues to be the only program focused on helicopter tours.
“What we did 20 years ago was revolutionary, and the fact that it continues today, bigger and stronger than its first days, is testament to the value of the program,” said TOPS founding member Elling Halvorson and owner of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, the country’s largest helicopter flightseeing operator. “We were a group of fierce competitors who recognized an accident in our industry hurt us all. While we may compete in business, safety is no competition. We gain a lot by setting higher safety standards for us all and by sharing our best safety practices.”
Twelve helicopter operators are members of TOPS, which include some of the largest helicopter tour operators in the world. Together these companies operate the bulk of the nation’s flightseeing hours, while also enjoying considerably lower accident and incident rates than the helicopter industry on a whole.
Additionally, 25 aircraft manufacturers, insurance providers and industry vendors and professionals support TOPS as associate members.
“At TOPS, our mission is the safety of our passengers while our goal is zero accidents,” said TOPS chair Craig Jennison, manager of NorthStar Trekking in Juneau, Alaska. “We work together in a collaborative environment, sharing safety information, supporting each other, and constantly building and growing the program to help ensure the safest operations for all of our members.
“Nowhere else in the helicopter industry do you see such collaboration among operators. Other safety accreditation programs are provided by an outside entity. TOPS’ standards were created, updated, strengthened and followed members, with every member having a say as to how it grows every year, incorporating their operating knowledge and experience, and then hiring an outside auditor to assure compliance. That is what holds us apart.”
The Program of Safety is a set of operating practices and procedures, staff training and experience requirements, and required aircraft equipment and other safety-related specifications that go above and beyond Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 requirements. To become and remain a TOPS member in good standing, an operator must meet every item listed in the program and undergo annual independent audits to assure continued compliance.
In return, members receive safety program support from other members, insight on ways to continue to make their operations safer, noticeable decreases in safety issues, discounts on insurance, exclusive access to tour excursion partnerships in the travel industry, and the prestige of TOPS membership.
TOPS will celebrate with a champaign toast at Booth #10631 at 2 p.m. on March 1 at HAI Heli-Expo.
