ANAHEIM, CA -- A new industry association that represents more than 90 percent of all U.S. emergency air medical helicopter operations is receiving American Eurocopter's full support in the efforts to further improve flight safety for the emergency air medical services industry.
American Eurocopter's contributions to the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) already include providing assistance in an operations data management and analysis project, and will expand in the future to cover such areas as flight training and quality assurance.
The Alexandria, VA-based AMOA formally began its activities earlier this month, and the organization's current air medical operator membership represents some 700 helicopters and nearly 400,000 airlift missions performed annually in the United States.
"American Eurocopter has always been fully dedicated to ensuring and improving flight safety in our industry, and we immediately committed our resources to the AMOA because safe operations are in everyone’s interest," says American Eurocopter President & CEO Marc Paganini. "I also encourage the other rotorcraft manufacturers to support us in assisting the AMOA in meeting its goals."
The AMOA has 10 air medical operators that range in size from local service providers with small fleets to the industry’s largest companies whose inventories includes hundreds of helicopters.
AMOA Managing Director Christopher M. Eastlee says the organization's initial focus is on developing positions and standards concerning key safety issues, as well as focusing on technology, training enhancements and oversight matters.
Howard Ragsdale, the Director of PHI Air Medical who also serves as AMOA's president, says American Eurocopter "was the first to step up" in providing support to the association from the manufacturer level.
"American Eurocopter already has opened its doors and immediately began sharing data, which is very important because this support comes from the leading supplier of helicopters to U.S. air medical operators," says Ragsdale. "I also am particularly pleased that Marc Paganini has personally urged that our organization embrace all of the helicopter manufacturers, as we have a common interest in improving flight safety."
AMOA members met during the HELI-EXPO 2009 industry conference and exhibition in Anaheim, CA, where American Eurocopter provided its data sharing inputs for the association.
Future area of cooperation with the AMOA and American Eurocopter will focus on various topics, including scenario-based training for flight crews – an area that American Eurocopter has taken a leadership role as the company develops its overall flight training capabilities.
"With the backing of American Eurocopter and the entire industry, we expect the AMOA will be able to bring about real change," says Ragsdale. "Demonstrating real progress in safety is particularly important today for all of the hospitals that trust helicopter operators to fly their medical employees, for the patients they transport, and for the public at large."
