USHST Fall 2026 Newsletter

Chris Baur, FRAeS Industry Chairman, US Helicopter Safety Team  Welcome to the Fall 2026 US Helicopter Safety Team e-newsletter! The USHST is seeing more members than at any point in its history.  All of us appreciate your commitment to helicopter safety! If you are joining us for the first time, I encourage you to become a…

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An aviation leader with an Inspiring  career spanning military service, Systems Engineering to aviation safety leadership. Jill Browning is a Safety Manager and Air Safety Investigator at Sikorsky and an avid supporter of the USHST. Jill’s passion for aviation began long before she ever stepped into a cockpit. Growing up, Jill was inspired by her…

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Everyone knows someone who claims to thrive on very little sleep—some even boast how much more they can accomplish with all the extra time. Although getting less sleep than usual may not always feel harmful in the moment, scientific evidence tells a different story. Research published through the National Library of Medicine shows that even…

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New guidance for pilots and ATCS who would like to seek counseling or psychotherapy was released in the May 2026 update to the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners.  This guidance is the latest in a series of updates that have been released since 2024 with a goal of aligning the AME guide to reflect current…

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When we talk about helicopter safety, the conversation usually starts with pilots, weather decisions, mission pressure, risk assessments, and similar factors. All of those elements are critically important, and that aspect of safety begins well before the rotors ever turn. Every safe flight, however, actually starts much earlier, often hours or even days before a…

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