How the Safety of Helicopters compares to Airplanes?
When considering taking part in a helicopter ride for a tour or another form of activity, one may wonder how the safety of such aircraft compares to standard fixed-wing aircraft. While various studies have been conducted and safety statistics have been published by organizations such as the National Transportation Safety Board, results can be complicated due to the versatility of roles that helicopters play in diverse flight operations. There is also the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not oversee tourist helicopter companies for safety, and as such, general experience among pilots can often vary. In this blog, we will discuss the safety of helicopters, allowing you to better understand how they stand up to airplanes.
When looking over the safety statistics of private planes and air taxis, which helicopters belong to, such groups are often faced with much more accidents as compared to larger commercial flights. In 2015, for example, there were zero fatal commercial airline accidents in the United States. Meanwhile, 415 aviation fatalities were completely made up of general aviation aircraft, commuter planes, air taxis, and various unregistered aircraft. In 2010, the three total recorded helicopter accidents resulted in two serious injuries and damage to vehicles.
There are various reasons for these accident rates, ranging from regulations to the design of helicopters themselves. For one, a majority of accidents tend to occur during takeoff and landing procedures, and helicopters engine often have to undertake many more landings and takeoffs during their general operations. Additionally, helicopters are much more prone to certain weather conditions, and pilots may not have training, experience, and skills that match those of commercial aircraft pilots.
While fixed-wing aircraft require runway space for landings and takeoffs, helicopters are much more diverse in their areas of operation due to their ability to take off and land vertically. As such, they are commonly sent on high-risk missions for military applications or search and rescue operations. During these missions, they also typically operate close to the surface, meaning that they are much more vulnerable to risks such as sudden changes in landscape, the rapid presence of buildings, and collision with other aircraft. Helicopters also require an increased amount of control for navigation, thus accidents during training regularly surpass the rates of fixed-wing aircraft. Despite this, the overall rate of crashes is only slightly higher than airplane crashes, and the fatality rate is sometimes lower.
If the helicopter is operated by a private flier, the pilot in question may be less experienced. This often results in higher crash rates as compared to professionally operated commercial helicopters. Higher-end models also present increased safety, regularly being due to the better mechanical quality of such aircraft. As many helicopters skidtube undertake various dangerous missions, the overall safety statistics of such aircraft types can be skewed in the fact that more accidents during dangerous operations can be counted against standard commercial flights.
With the above considerations, one should not be entirely discouraged from undertaking helicopter tours if they are presented with the opportunity to do so. When choosing whether or not to take part in a ride, however, one should determine the experience of the pilot to further ensure safety, and it is recommended to check the company’s safety ratings and customer reviews prior to making a booking. Additionally, weather reports are crucial to pay attention to, and a booking should be cancelled or postponed if weather seems dangerous. While accidents are not common, taking safety into consideration is always important.
If you are in need of helicopter skidtube parts, helicopter engine components, or other various helicopter parts, ASAP Aviation Stock has you covered with our unrivaled inventory. Sourced from leading global manufacturers that we trust, our inventory contains over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find items that cater to a diverse set of industries and applications. If you find particular items on our website that you would like to procure, send us a completed RFQ form at your earliest convenience and a team member will reach out in 15 minutes or less to provide a personalized quote for your comparisons.
Share
