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Founded in 1977, the Eastern Region Helicopter Council's mission is to enable communication among communities, government, and the region's helicopter operators to enhance safety, professionalism, and efficiency.
Our leaders are pilots and serve the council's members as volunteers.
In 1982, ERHC earned the first ever Fly Neighborly Award from Helicopter Association International. Since then, many of our members have won recognition for community service by HAI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and others. Our members have helped establish voluntary sound abatement routings all over the region, developed over six editions of a government chart.
In February 2008, past President Richard Dutson will be awarded HAI's Agusta Community Service Award (descendant of the Fly Neighborly Award) for a career's worth of work in and around NYC. Another past President, Paul Smith, is posthumously being awarded HAI's Joe Mashman Safety Award for a career of safe flying and safety advocacy (Mr. Smith was killed by a taxi on a Manhattan sidewalk in October, 2007). ERHC members lead the industry with an exemplary record of safe flight operations in a very challenging environment.
Past and current ERHC members lead both the HAI and committees of HAI. New York City's 311 system forwards helicopter inquiries to our telephone information line. Members participated in the hurricane Katrina aftermath and we have maintained for years a standing group of operator volunteers ready to help with transport needs in the event of a regional emergency.
There have been many more achievements in the past 30 years and we continue to lead by proactive contact with communities along our common flight paths. ERHC's leaders are volunteers who care about the helicopter profession and along with our members, work hard to provide our passengers and customers with great service while respecting the concerns of residents of the NYC-centered region.
Until recently, ERHC and its members have conducted our mission without fanfare, in the spirit of quiet professionalism. Recent events indicate that it is time we better-publicize our good works to a broader audience, and thus be in an even better position to assist more communities.