- March 17, 2021, 8:00 AM
James Viola, who became president and CEO of HAI in January 2020, has kept a busy agenda in his first year despite events such as the pandemic that could not have been foreseen when he took the role. (Photo: Barry Ambrose)
When James Viola accepted the position of president and CEO at Helicopter Association International (HAI) in late 2019, he expected to have a long transition period as he paved the way for the association’s goals of extending its reach internationally and building on its well-established safety programs.
A year later, HAI has made strides towards those goals: initiatives are underway to strengthen the association’s presence before the International Civil Aviation Organization, establish new relationships throughout the globe, expand the membership beyond traditional rotorcraft, add new and revisit safety programs, and consolidate safety and other initiatives under a newly rebranded Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST).
An international mechanic nominated for the HAI Board of Directors Michael Yip Press Release | March 11, 2021
Estimated reading time 1 minute, 49 seconds.
Helicopter Association International (HAI) has announced its candidates for the 2021 Board of Directors. It has continued with its international representation and named Mr. Michael Yip, the director of maintenance for Becker Helicopters operating from the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
Michael Yip, aka “Yippy”, continues to swing spanners in between meetings and phone calls. Michael Yip Photo
Yippy, as he is known, has for the past 11 years, been their head of maintenance, with a staff of over 20 maintainers and support staff, all coordinating to keep 15 IFR/NVG Bell206s each achieving 1000 hours per year with a sortie completion rate of 99.8%.