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Old 8th Oct 2010, 00:33
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FAA proposes new rules for helicopter operations - with EMS focus

WASHINGTON–The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today proposed broad new rules for helicopter operators, including air ambulances, which, if finalized, would require stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications and training, and additional on-board safety equipment.

Proposal Includes requirements for Air Ambulance Operators to:

Fit Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS).
Comment on light-weight aircraft recording systems (LARS).
Conduct operations under Part 135, including flight crew time limitation and rest requirements, when medical personnel are on board.
Establish operations control centers if they are certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances.
Institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs.
Conduct safety briefings for medical personnel.
Amend their operational requirements to include Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minimums, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at airports/heliports without weather reporting, procedures for VFR approaches, and VFR flight planning.
Ensure their pilots in command hold an instrument rating.

Also under the proposal, all commercial helicopter operators would be required to:

Revise IFR alternate airport weather minimums.
Demonstrate competency in recovery from inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions.
Equip their helicopters with radio altimeters.
Change the definition of “extended over-water operation” and require additional equipment for these operations.
https://www.faa.gov/news/press_relea...m?newsId=11958
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