LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (November 3, 2009) -- In a first for a dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service provider (HEMS), Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) received FAA approval for their HFDM/FOQA program. The ACH HFDM program will serve ACH’s fleet of two S76 C+ Single Pilot Instrument (SPIFR) equipped helicopters and will provide increased visibility into the ACH flight operations. HFDM provides significant safety benefits to ACH using previously unavailable data to improve the problem identification and definition process and provide for assessment and resolution of systemic safety issues.
“The entire ACH aviation team, also known as Angel One Transport, including flight safety, flight training, flight operations, maintenance and crewmembers will benefit from this important safety program,” said ACH Director of Aviation, Bernard “BJ” Raysor. “Crucial to the success of the program are specific incentives that ensure both ACH and its pilots are protected from FAA certificate action or civil penalties as a result of information and data that are collected and analyzed by the HFDM program. In establishing these incentives ACH and the pilot group have agreed to use this confidential data to conduct trend analysis of flight operations,” Raysor said.
ACH hired system integrator and system safety consultant, CAPACG, LLC to oversee the implementation and operation of the HFDM/FOQA program. CAPACG Vice President of FDM services, Stuart “Kipp” Lau points out key areas that distinguish ACH from other FAA-approved programs, both fixed-wing and helicopter. ACH is the first dedicated HEMS operator to gain FAA-approval of a FOQA/FDM program. ACH is the first small operator to gain FAA-approval with only two aircraft, 10 pilots and no labor organization. In the past these where considered barriers to implementing a formal FOQA program. Many of these barriers were overcome by using a third-party contractor to accomplish the initial implementation, event definition and programming, analysis and initial reporting. Among the other first, ACH is the first HEMS operator to utilize a light recorder system for Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring.
“CAPACG is extremely pleased to assist ACH with the development, implementation and operation of their HFDM/FOQA program. Bringing active flight data monitoring to HEMS operations will be an important factor in identifying threats and providing mitigation strategies to improve safety and efficiencies for this segment of aviation,” Lau said.
Tying it all together: Of interest, ACH recently began utilizing Baldwin Aviation’s SMSplus® program. SMSplus® is an on-line, turnkey program that focuses on human factors and procedures. Baldwin Aviation will assist ACH in developing a specific Safety Management program that’s tailored to ACH specific needs while the ACH HFDM program concentrates on collecting, managing and analyzing objective flight data. Combined, the two programs compliment each other by providing insight into flight operations and utilizing both subjective and objective data. After the formative period of the HFDM (FDMplus®) program, both programs will be integrated under the Baldwin Aviation “Power of Plus” program to provide ACH with a comprehensive Web-based safety management tool.
“Combining the SMSplus® and FDMplus® programs for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Team makes perfect sense and provides ACH with added opportunities to improve efficiency and safety levels of their flight operations while reducing operating cost,” Don Baldwin, Baldwin Aviation President, noted.
Baldwin Aviation and CAPACG work together under an operating agreement to deliver SMSPlus® and FDMPlus® to provide a comprehensive SMS solution.
About Arkansas Children’s Hospital – Angel One Transport:
The Angel One Transport program has been in existence since 1978 and has been utilizing a dedicated helicopter(s) since 1986; acquiring two new Sikorsky S76 C+ aircraft in 2002. In addition to flight data event recorders the aircraft were delivered with the Honeywell EGPWS and are single pilot IFR equipped. Arkansas Children's Hospital has safely transported more than 12,000 patients in the past seven years and Angel One helicopters transported nearly 8,000 of those patients. Additionally, ACH utilizes Flight Safety International for initial and recurrent training for cockpit crewmembers and mechanics.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital is a 316 bed not for profit pediatric hospital located in Little Rock,Arkansas. For more information concerning the HFDM program, contact Bernard “BJ” Raysor at 501-364-5386 or [email protected].
About CAPACG, LLC:
CAPACG is a consulting firm and systems integrator focused on helping hardware and software companies develop products specifically for the General Aviation FDM market. CAPACG is an expert in helping operators develop, implement and operate their FDM programs. Additional information can be found at www.capacg.com.About Baldwin Aviation
Baldwin Aviation is comprised of a highly experienced staff of experts who have combined their expertise to develop Safety Management Systems that are based on proven techniques, established resources, and consistent monitoring of client operations. Baldwin Aviation also offers a 24-hour help line, JetDesk®, to provide round the clock counsel and assistance. Headquartered on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Baldwin Aviation is the first and only firm of its kind to achieve the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO) Registration for its safety program, receiving certification in February 2007 and renewing it in January 2009. IS-BAO is a code of best practices that essentially structures ISO 9000 principles to apply to aviation safety. Visit www.BaldwinAviation.com for more information.
