Canadian helicopter industry gears up for B.C. trade show
Written by Jen Nevans | Retrieved from Vertical Magazine
Approximately 600 attendees will converge in Vancouver, B.C., for the annual Canadian helicopter industry trade show. Set to take place at the Westin Bayshore Hotel from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, this year’s 29th annual Helicopter Association of Canada (HAC) Convention and Trade Show is a sold-out event with nearly 80 exhibitors on the show floor.
“We’ll have technical briefings on Wednesday from Bell, Airbus, and Safran, aimed at providing key information for our maintainers,” Trevor Mitchell, HAC’s president and CEO, told Vertical, highlighted the value of the event for all segments of the aviation industry.
The convention will also feature presentations on topics such as pay equity, aviation insurance trends, heliport siting, and safety management systems. Meanwhile, Thursday evening will see the much-anticipated HAC Helipad Party at a new venue adjacent to the Westin Bayshore.
“This is something new for the association,” Mitchell hinted. “I won’t reveal all the details, but it will be a great night to socialize and connect with others in the industry. Look forward to Thursday night — it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
For Mitchell, this year’s event will be his third show as HAC’s president and CEO. He noted the event’s growth as one of the aspects he’s most excited about.
“We’re maintaining relationships with long-time exhibitors, but we’re also seeing new exhibitors and more people coming through the doors,” he said. “The growth of the community is something I’m really proud of.”
Mitchell said some of the key industry issues expected to be discussed on the show floor include Canada’s contentious flight and duty regulations and fatigue risk management systems (FRMS).
“FRMS was the ‘silver bullet’ sold to the industry,” Mitchell said. FRMS offers an alternative to Transport Canada’s prescriptive regulations for tracking and managing flight crew fatigue, allowing operators to submit their own fatigue risk management system for approval.
“We’ve had back-to-back, extremely busy fire seasons, and I would venture to say we’ve seen record-setting flight hours. That dataset should start to reflect whether FRMS is indeed a better safety system,” Mitchell added.
Alongside discussions on flight and duty times, Mitchell anticipates ongoing conversations about the arrival of foreign ex-military restricted-category aircraft into the Canadian marketplace, including Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, Boeing CH-47 Chinooks, and Sikorsky CH-54s.
Medical fitness for aviation is another major issue likely to be discussed among showgoers, according to Mitchell, who describes it as a “systemic problem” with Transport Canada. “A lot of people have seen very long delays, some in excess of a year,” he said.
In the past, if a pilot had a medical concern, “[they] dealt with the concern. You might be offline for a bit, but there was always a path to return to flying, unless it was a critical issue. We haven’t seen these problems before, not like this.”
Looking ahead as HAC’s president and CEO, Mitchell remains focused on fostering growth and maintaining a strong industry, alongside building relationships with federal regulators. These priorities remain the backbone of this year’s convention and trade show.
“We don’t always know what the next issue will be, but if we keep an open dialogue with regulators, we can work through challenges,” he said. “Right now, the focus is on ensuring that the industry stays strong and cohesive, and keeping communication open with the federal authorities is crucial.”