As president of Professional Helicopter Pilots Association (PHPA) I would like to welcome every helicopter pilot, military and civilian, from the student just starting out, to the ATP with thousands of hours and years of experience to join with us in our effort to make this profession better for each and every one of us.

As you all know, helicopter pilots fly versatile aircraft that are capable of doing a multitude of tasks that no other class of aircraft can do. Consequently helicopter pilots find that although they fly the same basic machine, the things they are tasked to do with that machine are vastly different. This versatility tends to separate us as a profession. This diversity has made it very difficult for us to come together as a single group that is strong enough to promote our profession, our goals, and our ideals. Through membership in PHPA we will speak with one voice, representing all helicopter pilots, in all areas they find themselves working, including--EMS, Offshore, Logging, Firefighting, Tourism, ENG, SAR, Law Enforcement, Military, Power Line, Pipeline, Crop-dusting, and Corporate.

For the first time in the history of our profession we now have the opportunity to stand up for our profession and ourselves. We finally have access to legislative bodies, both national and international. We have access to the manufacturers where we can influence, safety, design, ergonomics, and more. We also have access to the FAA and ICAO, where in the past we have been ignored. In other words, we now have a voice and that voice has access. It is up to us to make it a strong voice because that is the only way our voice will ever be heard.

The success of the Professional Helicopter Pilots Association is in your hands. It is your membership which will help it grow, and your input which will help it grow in the right direction. The future of our profession lies squarely in the hands of each and every one of you, the working line pilots. Personally I hope you choose to support the PHPA, and more importantly, I hope you will choose to participate in the growth of your new association.

Butch Grafton
President
PHPA: Helicopter pilots working for helicopter pilots.