Awards To Be Presented At Heli-Expo In February

The winners of the AgustaWestland Safety Award, as well as the Sikorsky Humanitarian Service Awards for 2010 were announced by HAI Monday.

Terry Palmer, the Manager of Rotorcraft Programs, Flight Safety International, Dallas, Texas, will receive the AgustaWestland Safety Award. Palmer’s impressive aviation career began when she served on the airport board in Mesquite, Texas while obtaining her initial pilot ratings. Soon after, in 1989, she opened an FAA Part 141 Flight School, and managed a Fixed Base of Operation (FBO) while earning her commercial pilot ratings. In 1997, Palmer was hired by Omniflight Helicopters as a training coordinator and Crew Resource Management (CRM) Program Manager – developing and teaching programs nationwide.

In 2000, Palmer moved to FlightSafety International to instruct in Falcon jets, CRM, Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR), and other human factor courses. In an effort to identify industry safety and training needs, Palmer hosted the successful annual FlightSafety International Helicopter Safety Forums from 2005 to 2008. With Larry Mattiello (President of AirSure Ltd., former Chairman of the HAI Insurance Committee, and former HAI Insurance Advisor), Palmer formed PALMAT Aviation Consulting to coordinate with HAI on educational safety programs for insurance underwriters and brokers.

Palmer (pictured) has worked with many committees and organizations, including the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC), Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS), Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), and the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA). She is a member of the HAI Safety Committee, and currently serves as an aviation advisor on the board of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS). In 2009, Palmer testified on the necessity for simulator and scenario-based training at the NTSB hearing for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). For the last two years she has served on the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), and the Joint Helicopter Safety Implementation Team (JHSIT).

Palmer has been recognized numerous times by the FAA for her tireless dedication to helicopter safety; efforts that have earned her HAI’s 2010 AgustaWestland Safety Award.

The 2010 Sikorsky Humanitarian Service Award recipients are the crew of CGNR 6033; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida.

On September 7, 2008, the crew of U.S. Coast Guard CGNR 6033 launched from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, to respond to a stricken fishing vessel with four people aboard, 50 miles from the eye of Hurricane Ike in its most dangerous quadrant. LCDR Mark W. Turner and LTJG Daniel B. Cathell skillfully piloted the aircraft through the dangerous semi-circle of the hurricane, replete with deteriorating weather conditions, limited visibility, low ceilings, 40 foot seas, and wind gusts reaching 75 knots.

Completing a challenging visual approach to the vessel, the crew was unable to find a safe hoisting area due to extensive rigging and framework that littered the deck. After a careful risk assessment, it was determined that the survivors should enter the water to be hoisted to safety. Undaunted by the weather, Rescue Swimmer AST3 Jon E. Geskus powered through towering waves for nearly 30 minutes to locate and hoist the first survivor to safety. During the third hoist, Cathell realized that the helicopter was being driven back over the fishing vessel by the hurricane-force winds. Aware that Geskus and the survivor were still dangling below the aircraft, and could possibly be dragged through the rigging, Cathell assertively maneuvered the helicopter safely away from the vessel as Geskus and the survivor were recovered.

In the face of furious winds, 40 foot swells, and limited kicking power due to a lost fin, Geskus successfully rescued all four terrified survivors. Despite exhaustion from his efforts, Geskus rendered medical assistance to all four survivors before they were transferred to a local hospital to be treated for minor hypothermia.

Despite being a relatively inexperienced crew, CGNR 6033 worked flawlessly as a team to ensure the safe execution of this critical mission. The newly designated Flight Mechanic, AMT3 Jason A. Menezes, completed his first operational hoist during the mission. Each crewmember’s airmanship and courage stood out as they rose to the challenge, allowing the crew of the stricken vessel to safely return home.

All winners will be recognized at Heli-Expo 2010’s annual “Salute to Excellence” Awards Banquet on February 22, 2010 in Houston, Texas.

FMI: www.rotor.com