More than 400 helicopter firefighting and utility industry members descended on Boise, Idaho, Nov. 20 and 21, to collaborate on regulations, safety, and industry issues at VAI’s two-day 2024 Aerial Work Safety Conference.
The conference featured presentations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Department of the Interior — in addition to a number of safety and informational talks.
After opening remarks by VAI board of directors chair Mark Schlaefli, Volo Mission CEO Kimberly Hutchings set the stage with her presentation on stress management. With degrees in psychology and aeronautical science with specializations in human factors and safety systems, Hutchings detailed how stress can not only affect our daily lives and careers, but also have a particularly negative affect in aviation.
“More than three quarters of adults report symptoms of stress, with 83 percent of U.S. workers saying they experienced work related stress, and 49 perceent of adults saying that stress has negatively affected their behavior,” she said.
Highlighting the signs of stress, Hutchings shared data outlining that while our industry has a high tolerance to stress, “we rarely talk about our stress,” she said. She emphasized the importance of recognizing and managing stress to avoid the burnout chronic stress can create.
Aviation attorney Sarah MacLeod followed with a presentation around an arguably chronically stressful topic — complying with the FAA’s instructions for continued airworthiness (IAC) for restricted category and public service aircraft. She emphasized the importance of understanding the root regulatory language, diligently documenting compliance, and communicating thoroughly with the FAA. There is a disconnect between the rules and the guidance to inspectors on determining compliance with the rules, she said. She urged the industry to “question authority” if, after demonstrating compliance with the rules, that compliance is not accepted.
A lively discussion that tested Hutchings’ teachings and underlined MacLeod’s advice followed during a “Meet the Regulators” session, with a four-person panel of FAA representatives. Central to the back and forth between the FAA and attendees was restricted category aircraft and long waits for FAA processing. FAA aircraft and rotorcraft certification product policy manager Jorge Castillo shared his own source of stress with the group, asking for understanding as an understaffed agency worked to support the industry.
“We just went through a reorganization,” he said. “I used to have a staff of about 45 rotorcraft subject matter experts and that staff has shrunk to maybe 10 in total, and out of those, eight work for me.”
FAA aviation safety inspector Robert Soluren added that his formerly 12-person team in the aircraft maintenance division of flight standards service has seen 11 retirements.
FAA aircraft evaluation division manager James Kline reiterated staffing shortages, noting in the past three years his department has seen a 66 percent turnover. He also responded to MacLeod’s presentation, explaining that his team was inspecting aircraft and determining compliance based off the guidance created from the rules, guidance he considers as orders from the FAA administrator. This led to a spirited discussion around interpretation and moving goal posts, and a response from MacLeod who, using her own advice to question authority, highlighted a specific FAA order that allows FAA inspectors to deviate from their orders, and notes orders were not to go beyond the plain language of the regulation.
Several members of the FAA, in addition to panel speakers, remained at the event to talk with attendees and help solve issues — something both VAI and operators in attendance expressed gratitude for throughout the conference.
Day one ended with a legislative update by VAI chief government affairs officer Cade Clark. Clark highlighted how VAI’s work led to Congress voting in favor of 44 of 48 VAI-submitted amendments to the FAA Reauthorization Bill, an unprecedented win rate of 92 percent.
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Clark explained. “VAI makes sure our members are at the table and their priorities aren’t blocked by others’ interests. We were very successful in protecting those interests.”
Clark then led a brief overview of the results of the 2024 elections at the executive, legislative, and state levels, including cabinet nominations, and what they could mean for the helicopter industry, which was conveniently followed by an open bar reception hosted by Ozark Aeroworks.
The U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior were the stars of day two, providing statistics, updates, 2025 plans, and plenty of time for Q&A. They also had a booth at the event where staff remained available both days to talk with attendees.
During the USFS presentation, USFS helicopter program manager David Gomez highlighted that operations were up in 2024 over the previous year, with all three types flying more than 34,500 flight hours.
Gomez stressed the agency’s helicopter program priorities haven’t changed, and the USFS remains focused on exclusive use crew and program staffing, helicopter fleet modernization, exploration of expanding rappel and short-haul programs, and enhancing aviation resource tracking. He also shared findings from the 2024 USFS quality assurance audits of helicopter contractors.
USFS national aircraft coordinator Megan Heffentrager gave a presentation describing how the National multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC) determines priority and execution of aerial firefighting assets.
USFS aviation safety branch chief Lori Clark and DOT safety management coordinator Josh Haney shared safety statistics. Of note, while accidents have trended downward in the past 30 years, the last 10 have seen a rise. Clark reported the three culprits of this trend, according to the data, are fatigue/crew endurance, airspace intrusion/conflicts, and policy deviation. Interestingly, key policy deviations included extending flight time, duty days, and time before breaks — all contributors to fatigue.
The two-day conference was rounded out with several safety presentations. Dr. Keith Roxo of Aviation Medical Consulting, discussed navigating the FAA medical, where he highlighted the rules around disclosing medical conditions, medications, recovery, and treatment as well as documentation.
Matthew West of Hawk Aerosafety gave an introductory presentation on how a safety management system shapes and sustains a positive safety culture. Francois Megnan of Parker LORD gave a detailed overview of increasingly utilized elastomeric bearings — outlining maintenance procedures for maintainers and what to look for in pre-flight inspections for pilots. The conference ended with an engaging presentation by Los Angeles County Fire senior pilot Eric Pachenco on flying in the wire environment, where he highlighted tips to maintain vigilance, the tricks our eyes can play, and how we can use them to remain vigilant. He also covered statistics around continued wire strike accidents.
