Committees Site |  Francais |  Links |  Photos |  Home

THE HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

 


    HAC News

     

    .

    Training Bond Survey

     

    May 9, 2013

    A number of operator-members have recently called HAC to raise concerns over employees and contract-pilots that receive costly training paid for by the employer – and then leave the employ of the Operator to find work elsewhere shortly after training has been completed. HAC is considering developing a template Training Bond Agreement that would notionally be signed by the Operator and the Pilot, pre-hire. We need to know if our Operator-members are interested. Please take a few minutes on or before May 21 to complete our short survey at the link below.

    Click here for survey


     

    HAC Spring Housekeeping – Plaque Decals

     

    May 9, 2013

    In an attempt to ensure that all HAC Operator and Associate plaques are right up to date and proudly displayed, please let us know if your plaque is missing decals – we’d be happy to get them out in the mail to you.

    Email: barb.priestley or call (613) 231-1110 ext 237.


     

    Implement Your New Company Policy Manual at the HAC Convention

     

    May 9, 2013

    HAC is teeing-up a one-day session on November 7 2013 in Vancouver to help participating operators implement the new Template HAC Policy Manual for Helicopter Operators. Use of the manual by operators will help establish a new due diligence standard in our industry, and help operators move from one-of decision making with respect to individual employees, to a policy-based framework that will provide more predictability for everyone on a broad range of issues from probation periods to the pre-hire falsification of personal log books.

     

    HAC has enlisted the support of Emond Harnden, a firm specializing in Labour Law, and an HR industry-specialist to help participating operators choose the parts of the manual that are appropriate to their operations, but also to answer questions relating to HR issues arising in the context of your operation.


     

    Gord Dupont's System Safety Services to Deliver a Helicopter Maintenance Advanced Human Factors Course in YVR

     

    May 9, 2013

    HAC is pleased to announce that System Safety Services will be delivering a one-day Helicopter Maintenance Advanced Human Factors Course in Vancouver on November 7. A number of operators approached HAC about asking Gord to deliver his Human Factors course at HAC in 2013. Course participants will receive a certificate of completion, and the course can be used for the purpose of satisfying Transport CAnada's recurrent training requirement.

    For more details, please keep an eye on the HAC website Convention Page.


     

    YVR HAC Convention 2013 ALERT - Hotel Scam

     

    April 25, 2013

    A number of members have contacted HAC to alert us to a hotel booking scam that is occurring currently. A number of our members have been contacted by a company about hotel arrangements for the upcoming HAC 2013 Convention in Vancouver.

    Read More


     

    HAC Investigating the use of aTemplate "Training Bond"

     

    April 25, 2013

    Each year at HAC - and particularly in the Spring, HAC receives a flurry of calls from Operator-members who have invested a considerable amount of time and money training pilots (contract pilots and employees) for the season, who then depart the company to work for the competition – sometimes within a few days and for just a few dollars more.

    The cost to the operator of this wasted training is significant, particularly where type endorsements on mediums and in IFR operations or where other costly training is concerned. Frequently the pilot is paid a substantial daily rate during training and there are travel, meals and accommodation expenses too, which only serve to aggravate the situation.

    The concept of a "Training Bond" would ensure that the operator receives a return on their investment in new-hire training, with a declining obligation on the part of the pilot to repay the cost of training until a reasonable term of employment or contract employment has been completed. Stand–by for a survey of members on this subject from HAC. If you have any strong views on this issue, please send them to fred.jones@h-a-c.ca.


    .

    HAC Invites RFPs on a Prospective Group Benefits Program

     

    April 25, 2013

    You will recall that recently HAC conducted a survey of Operators and Associates with respect to their interest in a Group Benefits Plan. A summary of the survey results is available on the HAC website. Based on the significant interest from members on this subject, HAC just released an RFP for the prospective program to the Broker community. The opportunity to submit an RFP is open to HAC Associates and Non-Associates however, HAC has an "Associates-first" policy.

    Read the RFP here


    .

    HAC Policy Manual Nearing Completion

     

    April 25, 2013

    You may recall at our November Convention last year that HAC embarked on the development of a Policy Manual template document. The document was being developed with the assistance of CPM Manuals, and is intended to provide a framework for operators to establish company policy on a broad range of issues including probationary periods, background checks, the consequences of falsifying log books as the basis for a hiring decision, disciplinary action, bereavement leave, and jury duty, to name only a very few.

     

    The template document, developed with the assistance of a number of operator members will be completely customizable by individual members, and will be available in WORD format. HAC will be holding a one-day session at its Vancouver Convention to assist operator-members to implement the document in their operations, to help them decide which elements of the document are best-suited to them. The Manual should be available through CPM Manuals in the next four weeks.


    .

    Summary of the HAC Board Meeting of March 27, 2013

     

    April 25, 2013

    In their meeting of March 27, the Board discussed the following issues:

    1. The status of the HAC Template Policy Document Project

    2. The status of the Labour Canada - Hours of Work Project (see the article on the HAC site)

    3. The form and content for the new Newsletter format with Vertical Magazine

    4. The status of the prospective HAC Group Health Plan Project

    5. The status of HAC's Operator-recruitment drive in BC and recent visits with BC-based members and Associates

    6. The status of HAC's efforts to orchestrate static display aircraft on the floor in Vancouver of 2013

    7. The Terms of Reference for a Governance Committee of the Board to review prospective changes to HAC's By-Laws and Letters Patent, scheduled for presentation and discussion at the November 2013 AGM in Vancouver

    8. In response to questions from members, the Board reviewed a draft article for the Newsletter and website to clarify HAC's Policy on the use of helmets for flight crews at it relates to exceptions to its strong recommendation for their use "when operation circumstances permit" (see the article on the HAC site)

    9. Recent use by Transport Canada of the "continuing offence provisions" whereby Transport Canada can enforce against an operator for multiple flights following-on a single act or omission on the part of the AOC holder

    10. A review of the February 2013 HAC Monthly Financial Statements and a report from the Audit & Finance Committee of the Board

    11. A review of the first DRAFT Program for the Vancouver 2013 Convention and a discussion of the After-Hours Event Concept under consideration

    12. Consideration for the prospective dates for the 2014 Convention in Montreal

    13. Board Committee Liaisons provided up-dates on the activity of their committee


    HAC's By-Laws Under Review – Again

    For the third time in the last four years, HAC's Board has undertaken a review of its By-Laws. The new Canadian Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (CNFPCA) is calling for a variety of mandatory revisions to our By-Laws, but the HAC Board has taken the opportunity to discuss a list of other issues that have arisen over the last couple of years – as part of a Corporate Housekeeping process.

    Some of the issues under discussion include Term Limits for Board Members; the process of engaging with Associates to identify Associate Board members; a review of our Letters Patent to bring them up-to-date if necessary; Director's term-lengths; Qualifications of Board members; a review of the different types of Operator-members and Associates vis-a-vis their rights and obligations in HAC and eligibility for Board service; a review of Associate Board member term limits; the status of the President & CEO as a member of the Board in light of the new CNFPCA requirements; proxy voting in the electronic-age, to name only a few.


    .

    HAC's First Spring Reception in Montreal a Smash – Old Montreal Will Never be the Same

    .

    Roughly 70 Members and Associates turned-out for HAC's first Spring-format reception in Old Montreal on March 27, graciously sponsored by AgustaWestland. The HAC Board met on March 27 all-day, to discuss association business.

    .

    The reception coincided with two one-day courses sponsored by GE Capital and the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA). Both courses were well-received and HAC would like to thank GE and CCAA for their support. We would also like to thank HELICOPTERS Magazine for sponsoring the coffee breaks. Last, but certainly not-least, HAC would like to thank Bell Helicopters for sponsoring a tour of their Mirabel facilities for about 45 people in the morning of March 28th, although some members of the tour required the "tinted" safety glasses. Bell was good enough to provide the tour and the bus transportation for the event. Operators and Associates had some very complementary remarks about the tour, the courses, and the reception.

    .

    Photos of Reception

    Click on image to enlarge

    .


    .

    “When Operational Circumstances Permit”

    .

    In response to a recommendation from the HAC Safety Committee passed at the HAC Convention in the Spring of 2011, the HAC Board approved a resolution on the use of helmets by helicopter flight crews. 


    The issue was brought sharply in to focus when the Transportation Safety Board issued a Safety Advisory in the Fall of 2009. The Advisory encouraged HAC to develop an advocacy program aimed at increasing the use of helmets by helicopter flight crews. The Advisory cited a number of helicopter accidents where injuries to the flight crew were reduced, or could have been reduced through the use of a helmet.

    Read More


     

    Canadian Civil Helicopter Hours: On the Rise

    .

    For those of you that have some doubts that our industry is recovering, HAC recently obtained the total hours for Canadian Civil Registered Helicopters by-Year. The bad news is, we haven't reached the 2007-peak, yet….

    The data was obtained through Transport Canada and was collected using information provided by Canadian operators in the Annual Airworthiness Information Reporting (AAIR) system.


     

    39 Companies Respond to HAC's Survey on a Prospective HAC Group Benefits Plan

    Read the survey results and an Executive Summary


    .

    Canadian Commercial VFR Helicopter Pilots Respond to the Flight & Duty Time Working Group Report

    .

    You may recall, at the HAC Convention in Calgary last Fall, Martin Eley, Transport Canada's Director General Civil Aviation appeared on a panel with HAC's President & CEO. Roughly 60 Operators were in attendance a the session, and Mr. Eley took some flack over the recommendations contained in the Fatigue Risk Management Working Group Report [the full Working Group Report and HAC's written dissent with eight other associations, can be found below, in the "HAC Joins Forces…" article on this site]. In that forum Mr. Eley claimed that Transport Canada would be "representing the views of Canadian helicopter pilots". He claimed that while airline pilots were represented by the Airline Pilot's Association International (ALPA-I) and the Air Canada Pilot's Association (ACPA), and the West Jet Pilot's Association (WJPA), there was no representation from helicopter pilots on the Working Group – notwithstanding that HAC's President & CEO and HAC's technical advisors were commercial helicopter pilots.

    .

    Shortly after the Convention, three pilots approached HAC and indicated that they were planning to prepare a survey of Canada's VFR helicopter pilot community to directly obtain their views on the Working Group Report's recommendations. They also indicated that they were preparing to circulate a petition on the subject, to see if others shared their opinion of the report. They asked if HAC would be prepared to fund the analysis of the survey results, which would be administered by a Mount Royal University Professor. HAC agreed. The survey and the petition were both drafted by-pilots-for-pilots. HAC did not write the survey questions; had no involvement in the analysis of the results or the creation of the petition; and did not view the the narrative that accompanied the results delivered to Transport Canada - until after the submission had been made. HELICOPTERS and Vertical Magazines were good enough to post a link to the survey and petition on their websites. Almost 700 Canadian Commercial VFR Helicopter pilots took the time to complete the survey – roughly 650 endorsed the petition and provided their names and licence numbers. The names and licence numbers of the pilots that endorsed the petition were delivered to Transport Canada, but otherwise remain protected and in the possession of the survey analyst.

    .

    HAC invites you to draw your own conclusions on the views of Canada's VFR helicopter pilots. [read the survey results here]


    .

    HAC Adopts Two NEW Best Practices and Amends the Pilot Competencies for Helicopter Wildfire Operations

    HAC would like to recognize the outstanding work of our Air Taxi, Utility Flight Operations and Oil & Gas Committee members. Fred Jones, HAC's President & CEO commented "These new Best Practice documents represent the culmination of years of hard work by these HAC committees. To their credit, these Best Practices will help "

    .

    These documents represent the collaborative efforts of HAC operators and their major customers. HAC operators have been driving this process for years in an effort to articulate the for prudent operators in our industry.

    .

    Pilot Competencies for Helicopter Wildfire Operations Amendment 1

    Helicopter Guidelines for Canadian Onshore Seismic Operations

    Utility Flight Operations Best Practices and Safety Guide for Helicopter Operations


     

    Eurocopter Canada Accepting Nominations for ‘Innovation in Safety Award’

     

    Award recognizes outstanding achievement in Canadian rotary wing safe flying operations.

     

    Eurocopter Canada Limited (ECL) will recognize outstanding achievement with its presentation of the 2nd Annual ‘Innovation in Safety Award’. This award was established as a benchmark in which to measure the advanced achievements accomplished by groups, companies, organizations or agencies in maintaining Canadian rotary wing safe flying operations, while employing an exceptional or groundbreaking approach.

    read more


     

    Two NEW DRAFT Best Practices available for Comment on the HAC Website

    .

    HAC's Air Taxi Committee recently overhauled two of HAC's most long-standing Best Practices, and released them for comment on the HAC website. The committee recently published the DRAFT Heli-Ski Training Best Practices [read the document] and DRAFT Mountain Flying Best Practice [read the document]. Members and others with comments on these new documents are encouraged to contact the Chair of the Air Taxi Committee, Jen Norie.


     

    HAC Welcomes New Members

    .

    New HAC Associates:

     

    Ramco Systems

    www.ramco.com/industries/aviation/heli-operators.aspx

    .

    Whitelaw Twining Law Corporation

    Vancouver, BC

    www.whitelawtwining.com

     

    .

    New Operator Members:

     

    Capitale Hélicoptère

    Québec, QC

    www.capitalehelicoptere.com

     

    Hélicoptères Hélicarrier inc.

    Québec, QC

    www.helicarrier.com

     

    SunWest Helicopters Ltd.

    Qualicum, BC

    www.sunwesthelicopters.com

     

    Regulatory Affairs

     

    Bear Spray, Bear Bangers & Batteries

     

    May 10, 2013

    Transport Canada replaces HAC's TDG Permit Ren 7720(7) with 7720(8)

    Link to Permit


     

    HAC Weighs-In on Temporary Foreign Worker Permits in Canada

     

    May 9, 2013

    In the wake of the RBC Temporary Foreign Workers debate, HAC has urged Diane Finley, the Minister of Human Resources and the Immigration Minister, Jason Kenny to avoid any hasty decisions that could affect access by Canadian helicopter operators to temporary foreign workers during periods of peak demand – most notably, during the summer months. The letter to Minister Kenny is attached, but an identical letter was also delivered to Minister Finley.

    read the letter to Minister Kenny


     

    HAC Challenges Transport Canada on the Evaluation of Low-Flying Permits

     

    May 9, 2013

    HAC has received a number of calls from members recently about the process being used by Transport Canada to evaluate Low Flying Permit applications. It is HAC's view that these permits should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but using the backdrop of consistent National policy. If Transport Canada really believes in SMS, and they are inviting operators to manage their own risks through the application of a risk assessment process, then they should be prepared to give serious consideration to them, and they should be engaging in a meaningful way with the operator to mitigate risk. If there are certain areas of the proposed route where there are no suitable emergency landing areas for a single-engine aircraft for example, then perhaps in a worst-case scenario, that specific part of the route should be avoided or traversed at a higher altitude, but the denial of a permit for an entire route because the risk in one area cannot be adequately mitigated at low altitude, is simply unacceptable.

    [Read an excerpt from HAC's correspondence with Transport Canada on this subject]


     

    Flight & Duty Time Up-Date

     

    April 25, 2013

    The Canadian Aviation Regulatory Committee (CARC) will be considering the Report of the Fatigue Risk Management Working Group and all of the dissents thereto, in May. HAC will be meeting with Transport Canada's Director General and other senior Public Servants and politicians to emphasis the importance of this issue to the Canadian helicopter community.

     

    The report, if implemented in its current form, HAC believes would have absolutely no effect on safety, but it would cripple our industry. HAC has maintained that this is the single most important issue facing the helicopter community in Canada, and we may be calling upon members to engage with their local Members of Parliament and the Minister of Transport to oppose the recommendations contained in the report if Transport Canada continues to move forward with the changes called for in the Working Group report.

     

    HAC will continue to vocally articulate the opposition of our members to the recommendations in the report to all levels of government, and to work with other like-minded aviation Associations to oppose the recommendations, which are more suited to the CAR 705 Fixed-wing airline community and their unions.


     

    HAC and ATAC Make a Joint submission to Citizenship & Immigration Canada on Training Foreign Students in Canada

    .

    HAC and the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) recently made a joint submission to Citizenship & Immigration Canada in response to new draft regulations recently published in Gazette I. If the new regulations were to come in to force in their current form, only flight training taking place at Publicly-funded or a Provincially-designated (by the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) in BC, for example) Flight Training institutions. HAC's President said, "Training foreign students is a lucrative and growing source of revenue for Canadian Flight Training operators, and one that would dry up for many FTUs on January 1 2014 if the proposed new regulations were to come in to force. Canadian helicopter flight training and licensing standards are recognized and respected around the world."


    Read the HAC/ATAC joint submission

     

    HAC Joins Forces with ATAC AQTA AA BCAC CBAA MAC NATA SAC to Reject the Recommendations of the FRM Working Group

    .

    Nine Associations including the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), Association québécoise du transport aérien (AQTA), Aviation Alberta (AA), British Columbia Aviation Council (BCAC), Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA), Manitoba Aviation Council (MAC), Northern Air Transport Association (NATA), and the Saskatchewan Aviation Council (SAC), and the Helicopter Association of Canada (HAC), joined forces to reject the Recommendations contained in the Fatigue Risk Management Working Group Report, currently being promoted inside Transport Canada [read the dissent].

    .

    In an unprecedented show of solidarity, with the exception of the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), all the national and regional associations in Canada representing the interests of Commercial and Business Aviation joined forces in opposition to the Recommendations contained in the Fatigue Risk Management Working Group Report [read the Working Group Report]

    .

    HAC's President said, "Canada's National and Regional Aviation Associations, with the exception of the NACC, have come together with one voice to reject the one-size-fits-all recommendations contained in the report. If the recommendations were to proceed to implementation, they would devastate smaller Commercial and Business aviation operators in Canada, and particularly Canadian helicopter operators. HAC believes that the recommendations contained in the Working Group are more suited to the needs of the airline pilot's unions and the operator-members of the National Airlines Council of Canada - but ill-suited to other industry segments. The commercial helicopter community is furious."


     

    HAC's Members Identify "Regulatory Irritants"

    In response to an invitation from Minister of State for Transport, Stephen Fletcher, HAC invited its members to comment on regulations “that may be out of date, unnecessarily burdensome, or simply no longer needed” and to comment on “specific irritants and issues”.

    They were also invited to comment on “regulations that require strengthening or realignment to accomplish their policy goals.” HAC recently consolidated your responses in an association submission to Minister Fletcher

    Read the letter


    .

    Transport Canada Extends MD500 Blade Torque Event Exemption

    On January 30 2013, at HAC's request [read our letter], Transport Canada delivered a letter to the association [read the response from Transport Canada] indicating that the current exemption will be extended while a Risk Assessment is conducted. The letter received from Transport Canada will serve to extend the current exemption which expires on January 31 2013, until the new one is issued.

    .

    Our latest information is that the new exemption will likely be issued for a new term of three years to allow the Risk Assesment to be conducted.

    .

    For any other information, please contact fred.jones@h-a-c.ca.


    .

    Alpine Helicopters Brings itself in to Compliance with the Canadian Ownership Requirements

    In a decision dated January 18 2013, the CTA issued a Domestic Licence to Alpine Helicopters. The decision is the final phase in a lengthy process leading up to the company's restructuring.


     

    HAC Delivers its Submission to the CTA on the Definition of "Publicly Available"

    .

    You will recall, in the Fall of 2012, the CTA approached HAC to obtain our views on the definition of "publicly available". You will recall that the CTA had circulated a DRAFT Interpretation Note on this subject, and HAC invited its members to comment. A copy of our final submission can be accessed Here . HAC would like to thank the members that took the time to send their comments to the association on this important issue.

    .

    The issue is important because the "publicly available" definition will help the CTA determine which operations will require a Commercial AOC, and which operations will be able to conduct passenger-carrying operations without it.


     

    HAC Embarks on Labour Canada Hours-of-Work Project

    There have been a few recent Labour Canada Orders against operators relating to Hours of Work. Owing to generally long seasonal hours of work in the helicopter industry, operators can be particularly vulnerable to scrutiny from Labour Canada.

     

    HAC is embarking on a project to help mitigate the risk of scrutiny from Labour Canada in the following ways:

     

    1. With legal counsel, to provide recommendations to members on means to structure their relationship with contractors (pilots and engineers)to maximize the potential that the relationship will be viewed favourably by Labour Canada;

    2. Develop the core elements of a contract and offers of contract employment that will help mitigate the risk that contractors will be deemed to beemployees by Labour Canada after-the-fact;

    3. Develop template Averaging Agreements.

     

    HAC is forming up a small group of operator-representatives in diverse areas of the industry, with a view to developing scenarios and recommendations that will capture the broadest range of operational circumstances, and to consider the advisability of the recommendations flowing from our prospective discussions with Labour Canada.

     

    We are looking for six operator-representatives to participate by teleconference to help us develop these products. We already have three operators volunteer who conduct General Charter Operations, Heli-Logging, and Sightseeing operations. Other operators, conducting operations principally in different industry segments (I.e. Oil & Gas or IFR or HEMS for example.) who would be willing to dedicate some time to the project are asked to contact HAC's President & CEO at fred.jones@h-a-c.ca


     

    Operating in the US under NAFTA – Getting Started

    HAC has been receiving a number of calls recently from Canadian Operators interested in operating in the USA under NAFTA's Specialty Air Service provisions. Set out below are a few helpful links to get Canadian operators started:

    .

    Advisory Circular 00-60A

    Ops Spec 56
    For North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Policy and Procedures, Authorization and Registrations, contact:

    Federal Aviation Administration
    General Aviation and Commercial
    Division, AFS-800
    800 Independence Avenue, SW.
    Washington, DC 20591
    Phone: 202-267-8212
    Fax: 202-267-5094
    Email: NAFTA@faa.gov

    United States of America Drug and Alcohol Program Office
    Program Administration Branch,
    AAM-810
    800 Independence Avenue, SW.
    Washington, DC 20591
    Phone: 202-267-8442
    Fax: 202-267-5200

    .

    .

     

 

 

 

hit counter

;