A study by MD Helicopters (MDHI) shows a stark difference in the safety records of helicopter pilots depending on their willingness to attend factory recurrent training programmes.
The results of the survey paint a grim picture where 90% of the 157 accidents or incidents in question occurred in aircraft where the pilot did not participate in this type of on-going refresher training.
MDHI worked from a database of 3,437 helicopters, examining incidents for Boeing and MDHI customers between 1998 and 2001.
The overall conclusion was an obvious but important one Ð more training leads to fewer accidents.
"The numbers are dramatic," says MDHI training manager Ada Charles. "They clearly illustrate the importance of on-going training to the safety of our helicopter pilot community."
Data from 2001 shows that 56% of accidents occurred in aircraft where the pilots had no factory training, while 31% of pilots had transition training only. Pilots with factory recurrent training were involved in just seven of the 157 incidents overall.
Source: Flight Daily News
