Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Improves Helicopter Safety Management System Including Extension of Airworthiness Inspection Intervals

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Wanyong] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 23rd that it has prepared improvement measures for the private helicopter safety management system in the fields of helicopter safety and industry to create a safe helicopter operation environment.

To prepare these improvement measures, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a dedicated task force (TF) composed of helicopter safety experts from industry, academia, and research in August, and held public hearings and collected opinions with helicopter operation-related organizations (Public Procurement Service, National Fire Agency, local governments, Korea Forest Service), private experts, and helicopter companies.

First, safety management standards for aging helicopters will be strengthened. When national institutions (Public Procurement Service, local governments, etc.) enter into private helicopter lease contracts, the eligibility evaluation (currently the company's management status) will be expanded to include company quality management and technical capabilities.

In addition, helicopter information (currently company name, model name, water capacity, price) will be added (such as service life) to the Public Procurement Service's private lease helicopter information site (Nara Marketplace).

Installation of flight data recorders (or substitute devices) will be mandatory during airworthiness inspections verifying the airframe safety of transport and commercial helicopters equipped with flight data recorders. The inspection cycle for helicopters over 40 years old (accounting for 32% of private helicopters) will be expanded from once a year to twice a year.

Safety management for helicopter companies will also be strengthened by implementing safety evaluations. Safety indicators such as average service life and safety incident rates will be analyzed once a year, and safety levels will be graded from 1 to 4 for each company.

Helicopter supervisory personnel will be increased. Currently, the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration operates a helicopter safety team (total of 5 members), but active consultations with related ministries (Ministry of the Interior and Safety) will be pursued to increase helicopter supervisory personnel.

Qualification requirements for helicopter pilots will also be strengthened. Military-experienced helicopter pilots (with more than 1,500 flight hours) acquiring private commercial pilot licenses will be required to complete specialized training courses for private helicopters (designated specialized educational institutions).

Initial training (18 hours) for new helicopter pilots before deployment will include external hoisting training (5 hours), and the validity period of physical examinations for helicopter pilots aged 60 or older will be shortened from the current one year to six months.

Helicopter operating organizations (local governments, etc.) will designate their own safety managers to manage whether flights are conducted according to flight plans reported to air traffic control agencies, and to eradicate flights unrelated to their primary duties, mandatory aviation safety reporting will be enforced.

Hadongsoo, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “We will faithfully implement the system improvement measures prepared to create a safe helicopter operation environment in cooperation with related organizations and companies,” adding, “We will continue to cooperate with helicopter experts from industry, academia, and research to do our best in preparing system improvement measures to revitalize the domestic helicopter industry and enhance safety.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.