Association overview

On the regulatory front, the disaster that is CASR Part 61 (licensing) is slowly being fixed, thanks to some herculean efforts by a number of industry leaders. This regulation should never have been released in its initial form and has wasted thousands of hours across industry and within CASA. To a lesser but still significant extent, the Part 138 MOS has been cut from 180 pages to a still cumbersome 80 pages. The industry has again spent many hundreds of hours attempting to assist CASA to correct a regulation that fundamentally underpins helicopter airwork operations. It is ironic that industry people, currently on highly constrained incomes due to the pandemic, are still having to volunteer their time to assist well paid government employees to fix poorly constructed regulations.

The last fire season saw the helicopter firefighting teams at their finest with up to four times the normal number of hours being flown in support of thousands of ground-based volunteers as they battled to save lives and properties. While the fires were devastating, there is no doubt that the damage and loss would have been much worse without the efforts of the rotary and fixed-wing firefighters. It is no wonder that Australian aerial firefighters are held in such high regard around the world. As we speak, the next fire season has already begun and the crews are being deployed. The now shorter off-season and the increasing overlap with northern hemisphere fire seasons is giving rise to a range of new logistical and operational challenges. Throw in the pandemic restrictions and the challenges increase dramatically. These new complexities are being discussed internationally, and Australian opinion and input is being sought on a regular basis.

On the training front, helicopter schools are reporting a discernible increase in interest. While the data has not been fully analysed as yet, the relative stability and predictability of the helicopter industry compared with current conditions across commercial fixed-wing aviation may be attracting new students, and also those wishing to transfer to helicopter operations and maintenance. It is a reasonable prediction that this trend may be with us for some time. While helicopter flight and maintenance training can be more expensive than fixed-wing, it is being balanced by perceived and real future employment opportunities.

“Drones, in all shapes and sizes, are here to stay and the helicopter industry is embracing these opportunities”

Drones, in all shapes and sizes, are here to stay and the helicopter industry is embracing these opportunities. Numerous people within the latter have obtained their commercial drone licences and integrated the new activities and applications into their business models. This sort of integration is likely to grow and should be encouraged. An operational challenge is to ensure the separation of helicopters and drones in low-level airspace. Considerable work is occurring in this area, including the use of lower cost but sophisticated ADS-B and TCAS systems. The future has arrived, and aviation is developing new safety and airspace enhancements that will enable the manned and unmanned rotary industries to operate and thrive.

On the agricultural front, light helicopters have revolutionised animal and crop management, particularly in remote locations. The operational flexibility of the helicopter means it is rare for the large outback stations not to use helicopters in mustering, spraying, fence inspection and feral animal control, to name just a few activities. An enhanced mix of helicopter and drone operations in remote agriculture are likely to drive further productivity gains.

Helicopters and other rotary wing aircraft require relatively light infrastructure compared with larger fixed-wing aircraft. As environmental sensitivities increase, there is no doubt these types of aircraft will become an increasingly larger percentage of overall commercial aviation activity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed certain mass transport fixed-wing commercial and operational vulnerabilities that were not fully understood before. The world has fundamentally changed and the aviation industry will change with it. Helicopters, large and small, are very flexible operational platforms that can be adapted and multi-tasked. While not designed for mass transport, it is this flexibility that is enabling helicopters to carry out dozens of other vital aviation tasks. It is likely that helicopters are currently the most active sector of Australian commercial aviation. This unusual situation has brought helicopter operations into stark but positive relief. Commercial aviation is not likely to return in exactly the same form as pre-pandemic, but it is very likely that helicopters and rotary aircraft will have significantly expanded roles.