The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), and industry officials, representing platform and helicopter owners in the Gulf of Mexico, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in Lafayette, Louisiana on Thursday, May 18, 2006, to formally establish a cooperative government/industry business relationship to enhance communications, weather, and surveillance capabilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
The signing of this MOA is a milestone achievement for the offshore helicopter industry after more than four years of work with members of the Helicopter Safety Advisory Committee (HSAC) to obtain sorely needed improvements for rotorcraft operations in the Gulf.
Vincent Capezzuto, Program Manager for the FAA’s Surveillance and Broadcast Services Program Office, traveled to Lafayette to meet with the offshore community to explain in greater detail the timeline for fielding communications, weather, and surveillance equipment in the Gulf. One final hurdle remains approval from the FAA’s Joint Resource Council on June 7, 2006, with FAA funding set to begin in January 2007.
Matthew S. Zuccaro, President of HAI; Ken Kersker, Manager of Aircraft Operations for Chevron USA, Inc.; Jeff Loring, Aviation Helicopter Safety Advisor for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; Joe Gross, Aviation Advisor for BHP Billiton Petroleum; Robert Hall, Aviation Assurance Advisor for BP Exploration and Production, Inc.; K.F. Abadie, Attorney in Fact for Shell Offshore Inc.; Doug Forslunds, General Manager for Air Logistics; Neill Osborne, President and COO for Era Helicopters LLC; Dan Blanchard, Vice President of Operations for Evergreen Helicopters; and Mike Hurst, Chief Pilot for PHI, Inc., represent the industry signatories.
Mr. Zuccaro joined FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey earlier this month for a media briefing on the historic achievement, emphasizing that the MOA is a work in progress and that other companies and operators will continue to sign onto the agreement as the initial layout and deployment of equipment begins. HAI will continue to be a strong component of the implementation team to enhance communications, weather reporting capabilities, and surveillance in the Gulf of Mexico. More information will be posted on this issue in the coming weeks and months.
