By Rosemary McRae

Celebrating its centenary, the helicopter industry has grown from strength to strength. Rosemary McRae, President of the Helicopter Association of Australia, reflects on what they have achieved by working together.

I have people asking me all of the time when I speak to them about membership in the HAA, “what’s in it for me?” Sometimes the benefits for the individual can not be expressed as an immediate result but more as an holistic means to an end. Our industry deserves no less than our coordinated effort.

Below is an article written for one of our members but, which I feel is representative for all of the industry. It highlights just one area of the enormous amount of resources and framework that we can and have developed within our industry in such a short period of time as 100 years.

To make anything work we need the input by people from all sectors of the industry. It is not just one person or one small group of people left with the burden of making things happen but it should encompass the whole of the industry trying for the improvement and benefit for the whole industry.

We are a huge multi billion dollar industry spread out all over the whole country doing many varied tasks. By being one group even though you as an EMS operator on the east coast of Australia somewhere, may never see the cattle musterer way over in Kununnurra, as an industry, all sectors are vital to give strength to the other.

I feel that this is such a great article. It may sound like a cliché but it is all so true.

As Matt Zuccaro President of the Helicopter Association International said in his article in the last Rotor magazine “When it rains, it pours, but together we will overcome, because our industry is worth it.”

Within his article he talks of working together to overcome some of the issues the industry faces by doing it together.

In August I attended the NVG meeting of Participants, CASA, Aircrewmen, HAA and Observers. During those two days there was laughter, robust discussion, results and outcomes for the benefit of the industry. To have so many cats all huddled together in the one wheelbarrow and actually staying there was terrific.

Reading both the article below and the article by Matt Zuccaro highlights many issues and areas of our industry. None more important than giving our young up and coming aviators (being pilots, engineers and aircrewmen) a strong, healthy, robust environment where then can achieve their goals and ambitions.

working nine aircraft on the night shift, and the supervisor could find as rich a support network to help them keep their heart in the good fight.
I feel that this is such a great article. It may sound like a cliché but it is all so true.

I have written this month’s article like this in response to comments from some members and some non members. Some comments were positive and some were negative. Both opinions and comments must be expressed but not to the detriment of the overall position of the members of the HAA. Especially when there is opinion coming from non members that may be detrimental to the members.

People need people to make anything work. It is not just one person or one small group of people left with the burden of making things happen but it should encompass the whole of the industry trying for the improvement of the whole industry.