The experience exchange visit on helicopter flight standards and safety promotion took place in Europe (France and Germany) from 15 to 20 June 2017.
The exchange started in Aix-en-Provance, where the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) Oversight Office welcomed the delegation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). DGAC presented their organisation, overview of national helicopter operations rules within the European regulatory framework, national helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) regulatory framework, national safety promotion initiatives for HEMS operations and related oversight work conducted in France.
The delegation appreciated the lively and informative discussions during which the CAAC oversight system and its activities including helicopter operations were also presented.
On 16 June, a dedicated visit to Babcock, the leading HEMS operator in France took place. Their HEMS operations, as well as the operator safety management system, were presented and discussed. The programme continued with a helicopter demo flight organised by Airbus Helicopters (AH) to Marseille Airport. On this occasion, AH presented and discussed in depth the company’s safety system with the CAAC delegation.
The next destination of the experience exchange was Cologne where EASA welcomed the delegation with the objective to support CAAC in the revision of the Chinese helicopter OPS regulations. These revisions are part of a larger effort to promote the development of HEMSs in China. Following a first exchange in Beijing in 2016, discussions went much more into detail with the delegation showing great interest in topics such as commander qualifications and experience, staffing and work of the Operations Control Centre (OCC), approval of medical equipment, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) based navigation for HEMS.
The last stop of the experience exchange was the German HEMS operator Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC). ADAC presented its Koblenz rescue station and the HEMS Flight Academy in Sankt Augustin where the delegation had an opportunity to learn about ADAC operations, functioning of the OCC, Flight Crew and Technical Crew training and simulator training.
The exchange visit was organised under the umbrella of the EU-China Aviation Partnership Project (APP) with the support of Airbus Helicopters, ADAC, the French DGAC and other European partners. Promoting HEMS in China is an ongoing theme that the project will continue to support in future. For more details, please visit the upcoming activities page or contact the Project team.
