HAI Partners with Helicopter Institute of Fort Worth
The Helicopter Association International (HAI)—a non-profit professional trade association dedicated to the advancement of the civil helicopter industry—announced on 07 March 2023 that it had partnered with the Helicopter Institute of Fort Worth, Texas—a training concern offering FAA approved curricula to persons seeking rotary-wing pilot certification—for purpose of streamlining and simplifying its members’ efforts to keep their air-crews’ training, testing, qualifications, certifications, and compliance up to date.
By dint of the new HAI Flight Training and Checking Program, the association’s members—which currently number 1,100 companies and over 16,000 industry professionals across more than 65 countries—can choose to have Helicopter Institute manage all, some, or merely a single aspect of their respective, individual or organizational training programs.
The HAI member-exclusive program includes a discount and meets FAA OpSpec A031 requirements for third-party contract training and checking. Helicopter Institute’s experts are qualified and able to oversee all training events and evaluations, including scheduling, tracking, and verifying pilot proficiency and competency. Helicopter Institute also offers flight and ground instruction as well as designated pilot examiners (DPEs) for FAA-accepted Part 61 and Part 141 check-rides. What’s more, Helicopter Institute DPEs will travel to perform member check-rides.
Helicopter Institute owner and board-member Randy Rowles stated: “We make it as easy as possible. The program is customizable across multiple pilots, aircraft types, and missions. One contract covers everything. Because it’s approved and accepted by insurance underwriters, we can streamline flight training, checking, and an annual insurance review into one event, dramatically reducing the time operators spend on compliance.”
Training and testing services are available at the member’s location or at Helicopter Institute’s training center in Texas. HAI members also have access to Helicopter Institute’s rotorcraft fleet for training and check-ride events.
Helicopter Institute is able to meet FAA Part 135 and Part 91 training needs for the following helicopter makes/models/series: Bell 206 family, including the JetRanger and LongRanger; Bell 407 family, including the GX, GXP, GXi, GT, and HP versions; Bell 505 Jet Ranger X; Airbus AS350/H125; MD Helicopters MD500 series; and the Robinson R44.
HAI president and CEO James Viol remarked: “With the new HAI Flight Training and Checking Program, members can keep their aircrews flying. They will not be grounded waiting for a check-ride or because a pilot does not have the proper type rating or missed recurrent training. It really is a fast pass through all things training and checking.”
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