HAI president Matt Zuccaro gave an upbeat assessment of the helicopter industry on the eve of Heli-Expo 2014. âAir tours are doing well, corporate operations have re-established themselves and offshore oil and gas work is very busy right now, so itâs a pretty positive picture,â he said. Nonetheless, the industry faces challenges including a potential shortage of pilots and mechanics.
âThe younger generation has so many options,â said Zuccaro. âWeâre starting a sales and marketing campaign to show them being a pilot or a mechanic is a good career path.â
Of more immediate concern are âunwarrantedâ regulations being driven by political grandstanding that might actually impinge on safety, Zuccaro said. âItâs at the point right now where regulations mandating [helicopter] routes and altitudes have become the forum of elected officials. Theyâre not even asking the FAA anymore; theyâre telling them, âWe want you to put in regulations on routes and altitudesâ based on [constituentsâ] complaints.â
Zuccaro said HAI and its members respect peopleâs concerns, but added, âLegislators are making regulatory decisions without any study of what the realignment would mean. Itâs not being done for safety or for airspace efficiency. Itâs being done for a small group of people who have gotten the ears of elected officials.â