Helicopter flight data monitoring (HFDM) programs have been in common use by major commercial airlines since the 1970s, providing a systematic way of evaluating operations and the actions of flight crews to help reduce risks before they lead to accidents.

Only within the last decade have these systems become more widely available to helicopter operators in the oil and gas industry as technology evolves to make them more aligned to the specific needs of rotary wing aircraft. In adopting this technology, the offshore sector has paved the way for HFDM. The technology's application in offshore operations often is used as a means for introducing the same technology into other areas.

HFDM was one of the hottest topics discussed at the 2010 International Helicopter Safety Symposium, where more than 100 delegates from around the world gathered to hear the latest on the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) initiative to reduce the worldwide helicopter accident rate 80% by 2016.

Safer operations

The goal of the Global Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring Steering Group, formed in March 2010 and chaired by Capt. Mike Pilgrim, FDM manager for CHC Helicopter's European Operations, is to standardize and improve HFDM practices across the industry.

It hopes to make HFDM as accessible as possible to all operators, both large and small, by sharing the information needed to make it easy to implement and improve service delivery and safety procedures across the oil and gas industry.

Skeptics of HFDM originally saw it as a potential "spy in the cab" that could be used by unscrupulous managers to identify less than perfect operations. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The HFDM program is underpinned by a robust non-punitive culture that allows for feedback to crews without the shadow of managerial chastisement looming large over every flight. The system is focused on building a picture of trends, which are used to feed into a review group comprising training staff and HFDM analysts who shape the procedures that crews follow. So, if the system – which is fitted to all of the oil and gas helicopters that CHC operates within the European division – discovers an unhelpful trend, such as a tendency to fly approaches too fast/slow/steep/shallow, it would trigger a review of the profiles flown and an awareness campaign to alert crews.

The system also can be used to monitor activity such as turbulence when approaching certain installations. While there are often limitations set on some installations for winds from a certain direction/strength that would interact with the shape of the superstructure and lead to unacceptably turbulent air, the HFDM can identify where control inputs are excessive, which can in turn lead to limits being changed.

The software allows replication of the entire flight and recreates the view from inside the cockpit as well as adding extensive technical data picked up from the aircraft systems. This means reviewers can look back in slow time at what happened on a particular approach or departure on a dark and stormy night in the North Sea where capacity is likely to be used up in safely operating the aircraft.

With this information, helicopter operators can better understand how their aircraft are being flown compared to standard operating procedures and design more effective training and safety programs for their flight crews. HFDM is just one of the many systems that contribute to an integrated safety management system. Helicopter operations involve an inherent degree of risk. The key is to identify it, quantify it, and manage it.

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