HAI Announces the Salute to Excellence "BLR Aerospace Safety Award" Recipient
Alexandria, Va. (January 10, 2017) – Helicopter Association International (HAI) announced today that Bryan Smith, pilot for the Seminole County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office and safety program manager for the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), is the 2017 winner of HAI’s Salute to Excellence BLR Aerospace Safety Award. This award honors those who have excelled in promoting safety in the helicopter industry and will be presented at HAI’s Salute to Excellence Awards dinner at HAI HELI-EXPO 2017.
Smith has dedicated countless hours to developing and advocating safety solutions for pilots and operators worldwide. A pilot since 1992, he flies rotary-and fixed-wing for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, where he serves as safety officer and instructor pilot. He has flown both fixed and rotary-winged aircraft in law enforcement aviation for 11 years and has been a regular instructor at aviation events around the world for the last eight years. Smith is also the ALEA safety program manager and works on the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), where he has chaired the Safety Management System (SMS) Working Group and served on the Flight Training Working Group. He works as an instructor in aviation safety and SMS, law enforcement tactics, flight training, accident response planning and unit management and marketing strategies.
Since 2012, Smith has supported ALEA members’ safety management and program development efforts, safety outreach and education, and development of risk management tools and resources. He has also acted as liaison with other aviation safety organizations. As chair of the USHST SMS Working Group, Smith led a volunteer team of industry experts to help cut worldwide accident rates and implement SMS. He continues to be an active contributor to this team and has published numerous articles in industry trade publications, most notably the “Real World SMS” series in ROTOR magazine, as well as Law Officer, Vertical 911 and ALEA’s Air Beat Magazine. He also gives regular safety presentations and leads safety courses around the world.
The award will be presented at the annual Salute to Excellence Awards dinner during HAI HELI-EXPO 2017. HAI HELI-EXPO®, the world’s largest helicopter trade show and exhibition, will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, March 6–9, with the exhibit hall open March 7–9. For more information on HAI HELI-EXPO 2017, visit heliexpo.rotor.org.
HAI is the professional trade association for the civil helicopter industry. HAI’s 1,500+ organizational members and 1,800 individual members safely operate more than 4,500 helicopters approximately 2.3 million hours each year in more than 73 nations. HAI is dedicated to the promotion of the helicopter as a safe, effective method of commerce and to the advancement of the international helicopter community.