Helicopter Association International (HAI) announces Scott Tinnesand as the recipient of the Salute to Excellence W.A. “Dub” Blessing Flight Instructor of the Year Award. The award, presented by H. Ross Perot and Family, recognizes superlative contributions by a helicopter or UAS flight instructor in upholding high standards of professionalism.

Helicopter Association International (HAI) announces Panther Helicopters mechanic Jeffrey Donnell as the recipient of the Salute to Excellence Maintenance Award. The award, presented by Rolls-Royce, recognizes an individual for long-standing excellence in rotorcraft maintenance, maintenance instruction or supervision, or a single significant contribution to rotorcraft maintenance.

In the chaos of a crisis, time is the enemy. The longer it takes to assess a dangerous situation and deploy the appropriate action, the greater the chance of the incident escalating. With that in mind, Aquiline Drones (AD), an American drone manufacturer and cloud-technology company, and AWARE®, a secure, cloud-based suite of technologies designed for first responders, announce a strategic partnership that will enhance the ability to comprehensively respond to any emergency incident.

Helicopter Association International (HAI) announces U.S. Coast Guard Avionics Electrical Technician Second Class Andrew Champagne as the first recipient of the Salute to Excellence Matthew S. Zuccaro Land & LIVE Award. The award recognizes aeronautical decision-making, crew resource management, and coordinated actions by flight crews that result in the decision to terminate a flight before an accident could occur. The award will be presented March 7, 2022, at HAI HELI-EXPO 2022 in Dallas, TX.

Helicopter Association International (HAI) announces Helicopter Life editor, Georgina Hunter-Jones, as the recipient of the Salute to Excellence Communications Award. The award, sponsored by Lightspeed Aviation, recognizes an individual for creative distinction in disseminating information about the helicopter industry. It will be presented March 7, 2022, at HAI HELI-EXPO 2022 in Dallas, TX.

Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, completes its audit to continue operating as an authorized fabricator of Stratoflex aircraft hose assemblies. The audit was conducted virtually and completed with no findings. Twenty-three documents passed with supporting data, including the hose shop quality management system.

Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) in Boise, ID, announces the company has received the Seven Seals Awards from the Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for the company’s efforts to support ASU employees in the National Guard and Reserves. ASU director of Aviation Services, Chris Schoonover, also received the ESGR Patriot Award. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures, including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

S.A.F.E. Structure Designs (www.SAFEstructureDesigns.com) announces the delivery of custom ergonomic maintenance stands to the Airbus Helicopters Maintenance Training Center in Grand Prairie, TX, where technicians from around the world train in the support of Airbus Helicopters. The aircraft that have been outfitted at the training center are the EC120, EC130 and H145.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and several other industry groups urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take action regarding Santa Clara County’s rushed decision to ban the sale of 100LL as of Jan. 1, 2022.

GPMS International, Inc., announces it has received ODA approval to install Foresight MX on the Mi- family of helicopters. Foresight MX is GPMS’s next-generation health-and-usage monitoring system (HUMS), and the Mi- series kit is adapted to Mi-8, Mi-17, and Mi-171 aircraft and variants. The company is already accepting orders for the comprehensive helicopter performance-monitoring system on the Mi- platform.