Summer 2010

®

rotor.com

BY THE INDUSTRY FOR THE INDUSTRY

Serving the International Helicopter Community

Meet HAI’s New Chairman:DAvID J. CHevAlIer

See further, go anywhere

The top-of-the-range light twin helicopter with advanced avionics

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Summer 2010

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About the cover: Please join the HAI Board of Directors and staff in welcoming David J. Chevalier as the new HAI Chairman of the Board for 2010–2011. Mr. Chevalier is the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. The cover photo was taken by Mitch Silver at Blue Hawaiian's exclusive Upcountry Maui landing place, Puu Io in Ulupalakua Ranch. The story begins on page 10.

Departments Features Advertisers Index

FeaturesAloha from Hawaii! Meet the Chairman: David J. Chevalier.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Chairman’s Mission Statement.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

A Six-Step Process to Buying Rotary-Wing Aviation Insurance.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Congress Responds to 2008 Economic Crisis with Financial Reform Legislation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Close to the Action: Coast Guard Jayhawk Forward Deployment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Life at the Sharp End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Safety — Dollars and Sense.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Clearing the Air on the Taxability of Aircraft Equipment.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Mount St. Helens 30th Anniversary Reunion.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Aero Ambulancia/Helidosa, Working for Haiti. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

The Dedication of a Flight Nurse to Air Medical Safety.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

DepartmentsPresident’s Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Safety.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Legislative Affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Flight Operations and Technical Issues.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Focus on Affiliates.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32HAI Affiliate Updates.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Regulations and International Affairs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Market Trends.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76New Members.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Membership Notes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Advertisers Index.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

ROTOR® magazine invites its readers to submit articles about the international helicopter community for publication. The publisher reserves the right of final approval based on subject matter and space availability. Letters to the editor are also welcome. For information about submissions, please contact the editor, Martin J. Pociask, via tel: 703-683-4646; fax: 703-683-4745; or email: rotor@rotor.com.

Helicopter Association InternationalServing the International Helicopter Community

Helicopter Association International’s (HAI) new

chairman, David J. Chevalier has a long history in aviation and helicopter operations. Chevalier, who sends his Hawaiian greeting, “Aloha,” to HAI members and industry professionals, has been a helicopter pilot for forty years. He is the CEO of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, a company he founded on Maui in 1985 with one four-passenger Bell JetRanger. It has since grown to be the largest helicopter company in Hawaii, operating 22 Eurocopter helicopters — thirteen EC130s and nine AS350B2s — from bases on each of the major Hawaiian Islands.

Born in 1951 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the second of eight children (six boys and two girls); Chevalier developed an early strong work ethic. As a freshman in high school, he went to work for a neighborhood dry cleaners as a clothes presser. He worked there every day after school and all day on Saturdays. With his earnings, he paid his own tuition to a private Catholic boy’s high school, Our Lady of Premontre, as well as room and board at home.

Chevalier was always fascinated with flying. Upon graduating from high school, he saw an Army recruitment poster that read, “Learn to Fly.” He felt it was his only chance to get flight training and decided to join up — taking and passing the required tests. After Basic Training, he attended Warrant Officer Flight School. He graduated WORWAC (Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviators Course) on February 21, 1971

Blue Hawaiian CEO David Chevalier and his wife Patricia, the company’s President, photographed in 2001—at Puu Io in the Ulupalakua Ranch—with the world’s first EC130 to enter service. David worked with American Eurocopter for four years on the development of the advanced, quiet-technology helicopter, which Blue Hawaiian named the “Eco-Star,” and in 2001 the company became its worldwide launch customer. Today, Blue Hawaiian owns Hawaii’s largest fleet of EC130s, currently numbered at 13.

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Meet the Chairman: David J. ChevalierAloha from Hawaii!

by Martin J. PociaskEco-Star over Na Pali Coast, Kauai ABove photo By Andy MAhr. courtesy of Blue hAwAiiAn helicopters. unless otherwise indicAted, All photos Are courtesy of dAvid J. chevAlier.

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and his mother pinned on his wings. Although he wanted to fly Medevac, the Army gave him an OH6 transition. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Evans, I Corps Viet Nam. After two months as a co-pilot in UH-1s, Chevalier had the choice to be an Aircraft Commander in Hueys or fly scouts. He chose to fly scouts until the area was turned over to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in December of 1971 as part of the ‘Vietnamization’ program. He was then transferred to the 2/11 ACR at Phu Loi in III Corp before completing his tour in March of 1972. Today Chevalier is a member of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.

After Vietnam, Chevalier attended Embry-Riddle University in Florida and earned his fixed-wing ratings, including Commercial, Instrument, and Multi-Engine. Concern for the tuition debt he had accumulated at Embry Riddle, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin and joined the Wisconsin National Guard as a helicopter pilot. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Economics in 1977.

After graduation, Chevalier served as flight instructor for a company in Madison, Wisconsin, and spent a number of seasons firefighting in the Western U.S. transporting firefighters, starting backfires with a drip-torch, and performing water drops on fires. Chevalier also conducted survey and seismic work and later took a position as a Bell Helicopter International flight instructor in Isfahan, Iran, teaching pilots of the Imperial Iranian Army Aviation. Then came the revolution and he was stranded in Isfahan for approximately a month until Mehrabad Airport in Tehran was re-opened to allow Pan Am to evacuate U.S. citizens to Frankfurt, Germany. He left on the next to last flight out of Iran on February 21, 1979.

Chevalier then took a corporate job in Chicago with James McHugh Construction Company for a year flying a Hughes 500 helicopter and Commander 690B airplane. It was there that he became inspired by the entrepreneurial acumen of the company owner, James McHugh. But

Taken shortly before Dave joined the Army, all of his siblings are lined up to the right of parents Ed and Marge Chevalier; oldest brother Gordy,

Dave (Chairman), Cathy, Pat, John, Eddy, Mike and baby sister Amy.

Graduation day at Fort Rucker, Alabama, Feb. 21, 1971.

“You realized your dream and became

A pilot, an officer, a man

I pinned your wings onto your chest

And bid you farewell to Viet Nam.”Excerpt from a poem that Dave’s mother wrote to him while he was serving in Viet Nam.

Summer 2010 11

he yearned to fly helicopters back in the field and returned to Arizona for one more fire season. With a goal of eventually starting his own company, he took a job flying a Hughes 500 on a Super Seiner scouting for Tuna across both the Eastern and Western Tropical Pacific. His first trip was the longest, 92 days at sea before again seeing land. He flew tuna scouting missions for the next three years as a means to save the money necessary to accomplish his dream of starting his own business.

It was about this time that he met Patti, his future wife and eventual business partner, also a graduate of UW–Green Bay. David and Patti met on an off-campus blind date in Green Bay. The two married and Chevalier continued to fly tuna scouting operations for one more year, until 1985, when he decided that he had earned enough start-up money for a business. He was also considering an airline career at the time and was offered a pilot’s position at a feeder airline for Delta Air Lines. However, Chevalier decided to take a job as a helicopter tour pilot for South Sea Helicopters on Maui. The Chevaliers had never been there, did not have any children, and Patti was just finishing her teacher training at the University of Oregon. Hawaii also held great

promise for a future business opportunity in helicopters.

Now a long way from their hometown of Green Bay, the couple was enamored with the brilliant sunshine, soft trade-winds, and warm temperatures of the islands. David and Patti fell in love with the island life and the beautiful scenery. They quickly decided that this would be their long-term home and an ideal place to start their own business.

Chevalier flew tours for six months for South Sea Helicopters before making an employee buyout

of the Maui operation in the fall of 1985. Meanwhile, Patti taught social studies at St. Anthony’s high school in Wailuku. David purchased a used, high-time JetRanger. After a four-year license agreement to use the name ‘South Sea Helicopters Maui’ expired, the company name was changed to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in 1989.

About the time they bought the company they also bought their first house and had a baby. Patti went back to work at their company when their daughter Malia was two years old. As big as it is, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is a family-owned business. Chevalier flew tours while Patti and her brother David “Griff” Griffin (who joined in 1988) worked sales and dispatch. Today, Griff is a principal of the company and serves as Chief Operating Officer overseeing daily operations. David Chevalier serves as CEO, and Patti as President.

The company currently operates from bases on Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and both sides of the Big Island (Hawaii), flying more than 140,000 passengers annually. Chevalier humbly attributes the company’s growth to following the market and opportunity. The company employs approximately 150 full-time people, including 35 pilots, 25 A&P mechanics, and seven mechanic helpers. The company headquarters is on Maui and is a recognized air-tour leader, providing excellent and renowned air service across the Hawaiian island chain.

Flying a Hughes 500 scouting for tuna across the Pacific.

Dave and his crew at Wisconsin National Guard summer camp, 1975 at Fort McCoy.

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Chevalier has been an active member of HAI, serving as Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, Assistant Chairman, and now Chairman of the Board. He has participated in HAI Committee work since 1986, serving five years as Chairman of HAI’s Helicopter Tour Operators Committee. He served as the HAI representative on the National Parks Over-flight Working Group created by the FAA and National Park Service to mediate the conflicting interests between aviation and wilderness users.

Island Business Magazine named David and Patti “Business Entrepreneurs of the Year” and Travel Channel named Blue Hawaiian Helicopters as “Top Ten World’s Best” in helicopter experiences. Every year since 1995, the company has also received the prestigious International Star Diamond Award for Outstanding Quality and Service from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters has committed to the FAA maintenance safety seminars and every year since 1998, the FAA has honored Blue Hawaiian Helicopters’ maintenance department with its “Certificate of Excellence — Diamond Award.”

The Chevaliers are deeply involved in a number of civic interests. The two helped create Maui’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team, offering helicopter

assistance in times of emergency or disaster. Patti is the current Chair of the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS) and a board member of the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. Patti is also a past Chair of both the Maui Chamber of Commerce and Maui Visitors’ Bureau. She has also served on the board of Maui Economic Opportunity and Maui Coastal Land Trust. Blue Hawaiian assists the Pacific Disaster Center, the Maui Fire Department, the Departments of Education and Interior, the U.S.

Department of Aircraft Services, and a number of endangered species programs. They are also members of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association.

One example of Chevalier’s contributions occurred on Friday, February 10, 2006. Chevalier had spotted and photographed a 40 foot-long, 45 ton, struggling humpback whale entangled in a mass of coiled rope coming from the left side of its mouth and trailing approximately 30 feet along its side, with two large poly-ball buoys creating drag on the creature. The whale had been spotted earlier and had been reported to the NOAA fisheries hotline by members of the

Hawaii Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC), a non-profit whale research organization. The group had lost track of the whale which had been last seen in waters off Hawaii’s Big Island.

Chevalier reported the sighting to the Hawaii Disentanglement Network. Chevalier’s photograph provided a “birds-eye” view of the entanglement. The following morning the whale was spotted again and a rescue response vessel arrived. After some time and effort, the ropes were cut and all the gear was removed from the whale.

Piloting a Hughes 500C for the Tuna Boat, the Marne K; a 1,200 ton tuna seiner.

Flying Hughes 500Ds in support of fire fighting operations in Northern Arizona in 1981. An entangled Humpback off the Hawaiian Islands trailing fishing gear

from the left side of its mouth.

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Summer 2010 13

Once free, the whale was on its way and soon rejoined a group of other males pursuing a female humpback. (See page 48 in the Spring 2006 issue of ROTOR® magazine for the complete story).

Increasingly, helicopter noise had become a liability, inviting local government restrictions on helicopter operations. Chevalier’s dream from day one was to help bring about the development of the next generation of touring helicopters. He understood the need for machines that would be significantly quieter and more efficient for air touring. For more than a decade, as former chairman of HAI’s Helicopter Tour Operators Committee (HTOC), his group pushed for a solution. He knew that would require a breakthrough in helicopter design technology. In 1997, HTOC Chairman Chevalier and other HAI members approached a number of aircraft manufacturers, lobbying them to develop and implement quiet technology.

Chevalier and other HAI members participated in a customer focus group in the development of the Eurocopter EC130. They wanted a quieter helicopter optimized for air touring. Blue Hawaiian became the launch customer. All of their helicopters are equipped with emergency floats and a Terrain Awareness System (TAWS).

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is certificated under FAR Parts 135, 144, and 145. The company was the first helicopter company in the U.S. to be certified under TOPS, which Chevalier helped to create. The HAI Platinum Program of Safety has benefited from methods and principles developed by that safety program.

In 1993, HTOC resolved that safety was the number one priority and that a new program be developed that was specifically tailored to the air tour industry. For two years the committee met three to four times per year, each time with three to four days of intensive workshops to specifically develop this safety program that they named TOPS. In 1995, a draft of the prospective TOPS Program of Safety was presented to, and well received by, the FAA and the NTSB. It was later determined that, for

liability and autonomy reasons TOPS would incorporate on its own. TOPS incorporated in January of 1996 as an independent, non-profit organization, and the TOPS Program of Safety was implemented at that time. For the first time, there was an organization dedicated solely to further enhancing the safety of all aspects of helicopter tours. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters was the first company in the United States to be certified under the Tour Operators Program of Safety. TOPS has continually evolved over the years and although now a separate entity it remains closely allied with HTOC and a meeting of one is generally followed

by a meeting of the other.Chevalier’s company has provided

helicopter service for photographers from National Geographic and major Hol lywood studios. The Chevaliers have flown aerials for blockbuster movies such as Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Honeymoon in Vegas, Flight of the Intruder, Crimson Tide, George of the Jungle, and Pearl Harbor, among others, and for several television shows. Chevalier is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and recently completed a highly acclaimed film project entitled “Visions of Hawaii.” Filmed in HD, it is now available

(Continued on page 16)

Dave scouted tuna for 16 fishing trips, including 13 on the Chiriqui II, a 1,200 ton tuna seiner.

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on Blu-ray as well as DVD, and video clips can be viewed on the company’s award-winning Web site, www.BlueHawaiian.com. The production features today’s best Hawaiian music to accompany the finest aerial scenery on each of the Hawaiian Islands. Utilizing the Cineflex camera system, and working with a seasoned cinematographer, Chevalier produced, directed and flew the camera for most of the production.

Patti points out that Dave has worked hard to get to where he is today. “No one has ever given him anything. There were so many kids in his family that his parents raised them to be hard workers. There is a lot of love in that family. I believe that laid the foundation for David’s self confidence. He always amazes me in that he approaches challenges with a certain determination but also sort of a joyful manner. He likes to create new things (EC130) and is never afraid to go forward with new initiatives, after he has thought them through. He acts, not just talks. He is always open to opportunity and doesn’t mind being the first to do something if he believes in it. He likes to personally challenge himself and in doing that, he challenges all the rest of us around him. He is self assured but genuinely humble.”

Actions speak louder than words. Patti adds, “I think that David is very good for the helicopter industry because he is interested in innovation and realizes the importance of

public relations for helicopters, so that we can mainstream into aviation in general. Every day at Blue Hawaiian, we help the general public to understand and

appreciate rotary-wing flight.”Chevalier’s strong character, great

adaptability, and dedication to safety and excellence are attributes that define him. He is environmentally and customer-focused, and a believer in establishing a corporate culture of safety, supported by a record of excellence in aircraft maintenance. The results speak for themselves.

We are pleased to welcome David J. Chevalier as HAI’s new chairman. HAI and all of its members will benefit from his leadership, expertise, and dedication to safety, business acumen, and his abiding commitment to the international helicopter industry.

It is fitting that we close this article with where we started: Aloha! The greeting also means goodbye.

Martin J. Pociask is Director of Communications for HAI.

(Continued from page 14)

Dave and Patti’s wedding picture, with his parents, Ed and Marge Chevalier in 1983.

EC130 touring the north shore of Molokai.

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HAI First Responder ProgramNot a participant? Go to rotor.com/fr and sign up!Already signed up? HAI congratulates your leadership.

The First Responder Program is designed to take full advantage of the benefi ts and capabilities of helicopters and other aircraft to assist rescue efforts during times of emergency or crisis. By participating in the First Responder program, you are signaling your availability to help during emergency rescue and relief efforts on short notice.

There is no fee to join or participate in the First Responder Program, and no obligation to respond to any particular request for help. In order to match needs to resources, your up-to-date details, such as aircraft type and operation capability, are needed. That information will be made available to authorities via this Web site. HAI makes no guarantee that program participants will be reimbursed, timely or otherwise, for their assistance.

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Summer 2010 17

Chairman’s Mission Statement

My mission for the next year is to encourage

the membership to use the Helicopter Association International (HAI) as a key tool of their business. HAI has far more to offer than an annual trade show. The heart of the association is our committee structure. All civil

helicopter operators should be able to find a committee that can help with issues affecting their business.

There is great strength in coordinated action with other operators. While we can be a powerful influence on the course of our own companies, we are generally weak in affecting the flow of outside events. However, with a collaborative and sustained process of cooperation among stakeholders, we can affect the outside course of events and significantly improve our business environment. Your participation will contribute to the vibrant creativity and diversity of thought that makes our committees powerful and effective. The staff at HAI is ready and able to help each committee to achieve their goals. They are

especially effective at facilitating legislative and regulatory improvements, which have enhanced the business climate for every sector of our industry.

Please a take a minute to review the 21 current HAI Committees, online at: http://www.rotor.com/AboutHAI/Committees.aspx . After logging in, members will find a link to the latest committee report at the top of each committee listing. This report outlines the current agenda, and should hopefully inspire you to join a committee that shares your interests. The time that you invest in committee work can pay huge dividends. Coordinated effort can help to stave off threats while maintaining and improving the quality of our business environment and protecting our common interests.

All HAI committees meet at least annually at HELI-EXPO®. I urge you to contact the chairman of the committee/s that interest you and express your interest. You will find their contact information on our Web site committee listing. Take maximum advantage of your time at HELI-EXPO® and plan to attend a committee meeting.

I hope to see you in Orlando, Florida for HELI-EXPO 2011!

David J. Chevalier is Chairman of the Board for HAI.

So We Made a DVD……about developing a Safety Management System. We did not make it hard to understand, we did not make it for little kids, and most of all we did not make it to waste your time. We wanted you to be able to step off, by yourself, and put together an SMS that would work for your system, whether it is one, three, five, or one hundred aircraft.

We wanted you to find the SMS Toolkit at www.IHST.org, download it and walk yourself through

it, learning as you complete the template. We did all this because we think that Safety

Management Systems make sense, that they give you an organized

path through a subject that does not have to be

complicated to be effective.And we are not the

only people that believe this; the International Helicopter Safety Team believes it, Transport Canada and ICAO believe it, and the FAA/NTSB believes it. So

take a look at the DVD on www.rotor.com; if you

did not get a copy, we will send you one. Email, call,

or write to J. Heffernan at HAI Safety. J.Heffernan@rotor.com or

703-683-4646.

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