HomeBase March 2023

MARCH 2023

« SPOTLIGHTING PHI MRO SERVICES

« NEW OFFICES FOR APAC & EMEA

« LAUNCHING PHI WOMEN’S NETWORK

« HELIPASS & OFFSHORE LOGISTICS

MESSAGE FROM KEITH MULLETT

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the latest issue of HomeBase—the first of 2023—and what a year it’s shaping up to be already!

Our teams across the globe have been kept busy with search and rescue missions, base moves and our business-as-usual commercial operations.

You can read more about what’s been happening in this issue, including the incredible rescue of 134 people in the Kimberley, Western Australia, during unprecedented flooding earlier this year. As always, our commitment to safety remains front of mind.

It’s truly an exciting time to be a part of the PHI team as we experience significant growth and expansion of our Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services division.

With our full-service MRO facility and a network of resources strategically positioned worldwide, our teams are ready to mobilize aircraft quickly and meet the requirements of multiple international regulators. This means we can support operations across the globe, and we expect activity levels to continue to grow and ramp up in 2023. We’re thrilled to give you an inside look into our state-of-the-art maintenance and repair center located in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.

It’s a busy time for other areas of our business too, with a number of new opportunities presenting across different markets and locations. The changes we made to our organization last year will allow us to seize these opportunities, better aligning our organization and resources with our customers’ needs and our own strategic growth and diversification opportunities. Take a look at pages 12 and 14 to find out about our new head offices in Australia and the United Kingdom.

As part of our ongoing Global Sustainability Plan and commitment to diversity and inclusion, we recently announced the launch of the PHI Women’s Network from our PHI Americas region. Read more about the Women’s Network and our partnership with Whirly-Girls on page 16

In this issue, we also bring you spotlight interviews with Tom Neumann, President of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services and Kelly Carter, HR Director – APAC ( pages 8 and 28), and congratulate two of our most recent Pilots in Command–read about their achievements on page 26

I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I do–HomeBase is a testament to our people and the great work that they do every day, whether in the air or on the ground.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue. Enjoy HomeBase

Keith Mullett, Managing Director – PHI Aviation

RAISING THE

OUR MRO CAPABILITY

INDUSTRY

With experience dating back to the beginning of commercial rotary-wing flight, PHI is recognized around the world by operators and manufacturers alike as an industry leader in helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. Today, our teams of tenured aircraft mechanics and maintenance technicians expertly maintain our own fleet of helicopters and provide support to companies across the globe.

In March 2022, we announced the expansion of our MRO services to be delivered from our state-of-the-art facility in Lafayette, Louisiana, to external third-party customers.

With aircraft becoming bigger and more technologically advanced, more businesses are needing specialist-level MRO capabilities, and PHI is expertly placed to meet this need. Opening our MRO services to the wider market is also a core part of our diversification strategy and complements our work in energy, search and rescue, air medical and marine pilot transfers segments.

Our teams of expert maintenance technicians are trained and certified to service a wide range of aircraft models and engine types. When partnering with PHI, our customers get access to more than 70 years of industry-leading MRO experience and expertise. Moreover, our services are competitively priced and aligned with the market.

As part of the expansion of MRO services announced last year, we offer routine maintenance and inspections, prebuy and lease return inspections and professional paint finishes for a variety of aircraft component types. We also offer aircraft modifications, engineering new solutions and installing complex modifications to existing systems with the MRO division able to manage the entire design and build process in-house.

Alongside offering comprehensive MRO services and support, we also leverage our integrated global parts and supply chain knowledge and insight, providing solutions to help further minimize costs and downtime while maximizing aircraft availability for customers. Backed by our deep long-standing partnerships with OEMs, PHI’s global parts and materials teams and extensive supplier network offer flexible solutions to deliver materials and components to support our customers’ fleet and asset needs.

STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY

Located in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, our state-of-the-art maintenance and repair center is recognized as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certified Repair Station with DAR/DER authorization and a Certified Service Facility for major manufacturers. Our purpose-built facility offers more than 170,000 square feet for major inspections, modifications and upgrades, painting and more. With our full-service MRO facility and a network of resources strategically positioned worldwide, our teams are ready to mobilize aircraft quickly and meet the requirements of multiple international regulators to support operations across the globe.

We also have a full array of specialized shops onsite at our MRO facility, offering everything from avionics, specialty machining, component overhaul and repair, custom paint, corrosion control, airframe structural support and custom upholstery.

DELIVERING

MEET TOM NEUMANN, PRESIDENT OF PHI MRO SERVICES

Tom joined PHI in 2022, bringing with him more than 20 years of business development and operational leadership experience, and leads the global growth and expansion of PHI MRO Services.

HomeBase sat down with Tom to find out more about MRO and his love of green chilies.

Tell us about your career to date.

My professional background began in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the helicopter business working for Papillon Grand Canyon helicopters, where I worked at the flight line and with customers directly. After that, I went into the logistics business working with DHL as a logistician and then moved into a 20-plus year career at Honeywell, managing various parts of their business - mainly in the rotorcraft area. I had stints both on the defense side of rotorcraft, as well as working with all of our OEM partners - Airbus, Sikorsky, Leonardo and Bell. I then went into the avionics business prior to joining PHI last year.

What’s the most memorable moment of your career to date?

I think for me, the most memorable part has been watching the helicopter industry evolve from a very grassroots type of organization into a thriving industry where we’ve evolved to utilize technology and aircraft in a way that is transformative. Being a part of the evolution of the helicopter industry, working with global fleets and looking at the way we’ve embraced safety is probably the most memorable part of my career versus a specific time. And as technology continues to grow in our field, it’s pretty cool to be part of that.

Tom Neumann

“Our MRO division at PHI is full of team members who carry an immense amount of experience and capability. What I’d like to help us achieve is to take this capability and experience and provide it to the greater market for helicopter services.”

- Tom Neumann, President of MRO Services

EXCELLENCE

What interested you about joining PHI?

PHI has a wonderful reputation with almost 75 years in the business. The fact that I had an opportunity to take an internally-focused portion of the PHI family and turn that into a business that allows us to help the greater industry by providing specific services and expertise really appealed to me. That, and we have team members who have been with us for more than 40 years – that’s really saying something positive about an organisation when people stay for so long!

What is your vision for the future of the MRO function?

Our MRO division at PHI is full of team members who carry an immense amount of experience and capability. What I’d like to help us achieve is to take this capability and experience and provide it to the greater market for helicopter services.

Our goal is to be able to provide our gold standard MRO function to partners, to help them drive safety and best practice within their own businesses, as we have the capacity and willingness to share what we do with others. We’re putting as much emphasis on third-party work as we do on working on our own fleet.

How has your background and experience set you up for success in this role?

Having worked with multiple partners across a variety of roles within the industry means I bring a collaborative spirit to try and make things better, not only for PHI but for the industry as a whole. For example, one of my focuses is how we can get state-of-the-art safety technology installed on aircraft at a reasonable price point.

What do you want our teams and our customers to know about what we’re doing here at PHI?

I want our teams to know that we have a bright future to showcase our talents to customers, and I want to show our customers that entrusting their valuable assets with us for maintenance, repairs and completions gets them a value that they can’t get in many other places.

I also want to show our OEM’s that we have the ability to help them get their products onto aircraft to offer to the market. OEMs know how to make things; we know how to install things, and we want them to trust us to install their products on aircraft.

Our strategy right now is three-pronged.

Firstly, we want to focus on OEM support across first, second and third-tier OEMs. The second prong is supporting government operators in the United States and globally. We’ll work with everyone from the very top of the federal government to the most rural of municipal operators. Thirdly, we are focused on providing the best technological products and completions for any helicopters in the industry. That’s what we do—we’re helicopter people through and through.

What excites you most about the future of PHI’s MRO division?

What excites me the most is that we have all this capability that the wider industry didn’t have access to until now, and now we’re willing to work with folks to help raise that gap, including smaller MROs. We are driven to be collaborators and we actively want people to partner with us to raise the capability of the entire industry.

How are you finding living in a new part of the US?

When I joined PHI in 2022, my family and I moved from New Mexico to New Iberia, Louisiana. We really feel that we have been embraced by the Acadian culture and the people here, and this has been one of the greatest transitions I’ve had!

Aside from the food being amazing, too, I know that this is a great place to live and there’s such a strong culture of not just working hard but playing hard too—it’s a great balance and truly embodies the ‘Laissez les bons temps rouler’ (Cajun French phrase meaning ‘let the good times roll’) attitude of South Louisiana. The cost of living here is also affordable, compared to many other parts of the United States; we have great access to the airport; and our regional infrastructure is strong. I’m really enjoying living in this part of the world.

Is there anything you miss about New Mexico?

Green chilies – there’s nothing else like ‘em.

Do you have any parting words?

I encourage everyone to keep an eye out for all our exciting progress coming up in 2023! At PHI we are always open to discussing any opportunities with the industry on how we can contribute, and we want to be a collaborative partner in every way possible. We have great people, we take care of our own and we’re excited about a long-term future for PHI’s MRO division.

“PHI has a wonderful reputation with almost 75 years in the business. The fact that I had an opportunity to take an internally-focused portion of the PHI family and turn that into a business that allows us to help the greater industry by providing specific services and expertise really appealed to me. ”

- Tom Neumann, President of MRO Services

APAC & EMEA NEW HEAD OFFICES FOR

In June 2022, PHI Aviation introduced a new global organizational structure to better align our organization and resources to our customers’ needs and our strategic growth and diversification opportunities.

We opened new head offices in Perth (APAC) and the United Kingdom (EMEA).

Under the new structure, we have three geographically-based operating units: PHI Americas (Americas); PHI Asia-Pacific (APAC); and PHI Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). As part of the refreshed organizational structure, we opened new head offices in Perth (APAC) and the United Kingdom (EMEA). Read on to find out more about each office.

PHI’S APAC HEADQUARTERS OFFICIALLY OPEN IN PERTH

PHI Aviation celebrated the official opening of our Asia Pacific (APAC) headquarters with an event in Perth, Western Australia in August 2022. Our new APAC offices are located at 1100 Hay Street and will oversee bases across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, expanding PHI Aviation’s global reach.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director Keith Mullett said that Perth was chosen as the regional headquarters because of its proximity to key customers and strategic growth and diversification opportunities in the region.

“The decision to base ourselves in Western Australia was primarily driven by a strong focus on customer service, growth opportunities and safety best practices that require key decision-making on the ground. We see huge potential in the region,” said Keith.

Keith also spoke of the company’s commitment to exploring the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

“Using SAF will make a significant impact on our emissions. All of our helicopters are capable of using SAF and we are working hard with our suppliers and customers in the US to introduce SAF into the Gulf of Mexico where a supply network exists. We look forward to having SAF available in Australia in the future and more specifically in WA, and to working with our clients to introduce it fully in our operations.”

Cory Latiolais, who has taken on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the APAC region said that the company sees growth opportunities with energy clients working offshore in Australia; in supporting renewable energy investments such as offshore wind; in offering advanced helicopter maintenance capabilities; and in air medical and search-and-rescue in regional and remote communities.

“We regularly provide support to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and recently completed a number of critical rescue operations...”

“We also see huge growth opportunities in the region in the provision of mining support, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” he said.

At the opening of the new headquarters, Western Australia’s Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Energy, Corrective Services and Industrial Relations, Hon. Bill Johnston, welcomed PHI into the region.

“We [Western Australia] are the logical base for people in the energy sector – and we’ve watched the growth of PHI here in Western Australia as you’ve picked up new contracts over the last few years. We’re really appreciative of the fact that you’ve decided to come here to Perth for your regional headquarters,” said Minister Johnston.

Since the opening of the office, we have welcomed many new faces to the PHI team in Australia and the wider region and continue to pursue opportunities across APAC.

EMEA HEAD OFFICE OPENED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Our Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business unit has a new regional headquarters near Farnborough Airport, just outside London.

Our EMEA team, led by Chief Operating Officer Jamie Mitchell, is enjoying having a dedicated workspace and being able to see team members face-to-face more often.

Although smaller than the recently opened APAC head office, the EMEA office will have a big impact on the teams, who to date have not had a permanent base for head office staff.

“Although smaller in terms of office space compared to our APAC and Americas counterparts, the team and I are enjoying being able to see each other more often and work collaboratively,” said Jamie Mitchell.

“The fact that our regional teams are spread across Europe, the Middle East and Africa does not negate the need for a regional head office, and we are thrilled to have a permanent office just outside London.”

The EMEA leadership team from across the region recently spent a week together in the new office for a strategy session.

“The team and I are enjoying being able to see each other more often and work collaboratively.”

- Jamie Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer of EMEA

PHI WOMEN’S NETWORK

PHI HAS LONG BEEN A PIONEER IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, AND NOW, WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR PHI WOMEN’S NETWORK IN OUR AMERICAS REGION, WE’RE PROUD TO CONTINUE CHARTERING THE PATH FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW SUIT.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

The spark that ignited this initiative came from the 2022 Women in Aviation International (WAI) conference, and specifically, the breakout session on “Changing the Face of Aviation.” During that session, the WAI Advisory Board addressed the barriers preventing women from entering the aviation field and—worse yet—causing them to leave. Among those barriers, they discussed:

1. Lack of scholarships and financial aid for initial training.

2. Uniforms designed for men.

3. Lack of mid-career stretch assignments.

4. Lack of leadership development and promotion opportunities in management positions.

5. Lack of tailored professional development and operational leadership opportunities at the executive level.

“The biggest barrier that discourages women from entering and staying in aviation careers is culture—and it is the hardest to change.” - Heather Wilson, Chair of Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB)

The conference and message were so impactful that it inspired the concept of establishing a PHI Women’s Network whereby all women in our organization could benefit from an intentional focus on guidance, support, mentoring and professional development. Effective culture change strategies come from the top down, but before we can begin to effect real change, we must first understand our own unconscious bias.

And so, the PHI Women’s Network launched in August 2022.

CREATING A CULTURE OF CHANGE

The Network is designed to engage and empower our teams in building a community where women and allies from across our organization can connect, share ideas, learn and inspire each other to be their best selves.

As a company, PHI believes that it’s the diversity of ideas, perspectives, backgrounds and skills of our people that make us stronger as a team and set us apart in the industry. Our goal with the Network is to reinforce a culture where all PHI employees feel supported, valued and respected while also having equal opportunities for career advancement and promotion.

In a predominately male-dominated industry, PHI is proud to introduce our Women’s Network not just to cultivate more diversity in our own organization but to leverage our own experiences to help the wider aviation community.

ACCELERATING THE CAREERS OF WOMEN IN AVIATION

PHI is a proud advocate of diversity in the workplace and strongly believes that recruiting a highly-skilled, talented and diverse workforce is crucial to our long-term success as a business. As such, diversity, equity and inclusion are important pieces of our Global Sustainability Plan, and the PHI Women’s Network is an exciting step on that journey. Not only does the Network empower individuals through the promotion of self-growth, but it’s also designed to bring cultural change by challenging policies and creating positive, more inclusive work environments. Together, we’re brainstorming ways to achieve diversity and inclusion initiatives and working closely with senior leadership to impart changes across our global operations and in the broader aviation industry.

One initiative to come out of these efforts our are partnerships with like-minded industry organizations including Women in Aviation International, Whirly-Girls and the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance. PHI also partnered with Whirly-Girls to sponsor a new scholarship that provides two Whirly-Girls the opportunity to attend a Bell 407 Flight Training Course, and we’re excited to celebrate the scholarship recipients at the Whirly-Girls Award Banquet at HAI Heli-Expo in early March 2023.

“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team and Network, and I look forward to supporting our efforts to continue advancing diversity—both here at PHI and throughout the entire aviation industry.” – Jamie Hinch, Chief Operating Officer – PHI Americas.

The Network’s most recent meeting was held via Zoom and focused on communication, specifically on how women can successfully speak up, get heard and get what they need for their professional and career success.

“Having the opportunity to meet all of the exceptional PHI women, exchange ideas and learn from each other—all while supporting a mission we’re passionate about—is incredibly inspiring,” said Katie Domas, Communications Manager – PHI Americas, who helped to lead the recent meeting

“The goal of launching this Network was to positively impact career growth within PHI while overcoming the obstacles and challenges women face in the aviation industry,” said co-founder Diana Meador. “Our long-term goal and the optimal outcome of the PHI Women’s Network is to dissolve because there are no longer topics to address that are unique to women.”

As the industry landscape and workplace environments continue to change, the PHI Women’s Network is proud to support women and pave the way for the next generation of women in aviation. Stay tuned for more news and updates from the PHI Women’s Network.

Not only does the Network empower individuals through the promotion of self-growth, but it’s also designed to bring cultural change by challenging policies and creating positive, more inclusive work environments.

Together, we’re brainstorming ways to achieve diversity and inclusion initiatives and working closely with senior leadership to impart changes across our global operations and in the broader aviation industry.

A YEAR IN

Following an initial campaign in 2011-2012 with Noble Energy, PHI officially began operations in Cyprus in September 2014.

Following an initial campaign in 2011-2012 with Noble Energy, PHI officially began operations in Cyprus in September 2014.

PHI Aviation is the only heli-aviation company in Cyprus that employs local employees. It’s this local knowledge that provides a level of service that goes above and beyond what other companies in the region offer, giving the team a strong competitive advantage when engaging in tenders. PHI is also the only operator in the area with a secure and enclosed hangar, based out of Larnaca International Airport.

The last 12 months have been busy for the Cyprus team as they continue to deliver for clients and look for upcoming opportunities in the region.

HomeBase spoke with Kyriacos (Kerry) Petsas, Director - PHI Cyprus, about the last 12 months and what is on the horizon for the team. Kerry was a line pilot when PHI first began work in Cyprus, when operations were run via PHI’s US office. Kerry oversees the day-to-day operations of the base, and in 2019 he began recruiting his current team, which now number 22.

What has been happening over the last 12 months?

It’s been a busy 12 months for us here in Cyprus. We’ve welcomed some new team members and there is plenty of contract work to keep us busy.

In early 2022, we concluded our campaign with ExxonMobil, with only a short break before we kicked off work with ENI, which we supported until the end of the year. We received very positive feedback from both campaigns and ExxonMobil graded us an ‘excellent’ rating for our service.

Throughout 2022 we also transported a number of VVIPs (very, very important people!), including a number of Ministers including – the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Energy for the Republic of Cyprus, Federica Ferrari – the Italian Ambassador to Cyprus, Salina Grenet-Catalano – the French Ambassador to Cyprus and the managing directors of ENI and TotalEnergies. It was great to be able to show our customers what we do and get some invaluable face time. We also completed several Medevac flights from the drilling location, approximately 130 nm southwest of Cyprus, which saw the PHI crew safely extract personnel under challenging conditions.

REVIEW

We are currently in discussions with another customer for a campaign in 2023 and hope to support ENI once they move into the production phase.

Tell us about the team in Cyprus

We’ve got a small, tight-knit management team of six here in Cyprus, which includes me, as Country Director; George Vasiliou as Head of Maintenance; Andreas Eleftheriou, Director of Flight Operations; Marius Wagnen as Head of Training; Natalie Ayiotis our Executive Assistant & Logistics Support Manager; and John Charos who joined us in early April 2022 as Compliance Monitoring Manager, overseeing compliance for the regulatory, quality and safety systems.

Out in the field, we’ve got a great team of nine pilots, five engineers and two Ground Support personnel, who are a mix of locals and ex-pats.

What opportunities do you see for PHI in Cyprus?

While not something we would class as an opportunity, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis have fueled offshore exploration activity off the coast of Cyprus and we are seeing an uptick in activity and interest in the region.

ENI has made a significant discovery, Block 6, which is the second-largest well in this part of the world (after Egypt). They are expediting their next campaign, which will kick off sometime in 2023. The Block 6 discovery has put Cyprus firmly on the map for the oil and gas industry and means long-term production and investment in the region is much more likelygreat news for PHI.

What were some of your highlights from 2022?

The whole team has been exemplary over the last 12 months and I’m proud of each one of them. Completing the ExxonMobil contract and being recognized for the quality of our service was definitely a highlight for me.

PHILIPPINES TEAM NEW BASE FOR THE

PHI BEGAN OPERATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES OVER NINE YEARS AGO. HOMEBASE SAT DOWN WITH BRIAN CURRIE, CONTRACT AND BASE MANAGER IN THE PHILIPPINES, TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NEW BASE IN EL NIDO.

Over the past year, and despite the pandemic, the team has been preparing to move the operation to El Nido, approximately 280 kilometers north of the original hangar in Puerto Princesa.

The move means the team is now located much closer to the platform, reducing the flight time for Prime Energy passengers from 55 to 15 minutes, minimizing passenger risk exposure and operating costs. El Nido is a small town on the northern end of Palawan Island and is a tourist destination best known for island hopping, diving and surfing. It is a 1.5 hr flight from Manila, a five-hour drive from Puerto Princesa but more importantly, only a 15-minute flight to the platform which was the main impetus for our customer to shift operations to this new location.

The team officially commenced full-time operations from El Nido on 8 November 2022. After almost a decade of operating from myriad offices, sea containers and a shared hangar, the brand-new, purpose-built facility has been a welcome change for the team and is a significant improvement to our operations. Our new El Nido home is an 825 sqm hangar/office facility that has been purpose-built for the Malampaya project.

PHI has worked out of the El Nido Airport on and off since 2013 and recent upgrades to the airport have made permanent operations more feasible. The airport runway was upgraded some years ago and more recently, airport lighting and IFR procedures have been introduced. Brian says it’s great to finally be in the new base.

“The planned move has been on the books for over two years, but a combination of the pandemic and the unique operating requirements in El Nido led to multiple delays,” Brian said.

“While waiting for full regulatory approval, we began staging all passenger flights from RPEN, which allowed us to prepare the hangar for the final move. The move has also coincided with Shell’s divestment from the Malampaya project and the introduction of our new customer, Prime Energy Resource Development B.V.”

The team is enjoying the new location and recently took the opportunity to combine its “RU Ok Day” and Workplace Health Awareness activities and take a boat cruise through the El Nido islands, followed by dinner and swimming.

However, it’s not all palm trees and white sand beaches for the team.

“While our team is certainly lucky with the scenery they get to enjoy, El Nido is a small, remote town that often struggles with basic infrastructure provisions,” Brian said.

“Most recently, we had several days of 12-hour electricity ‘brownouts’ in the area due to a lack of fuel for the municipal power generating station. This provides additional challenges in continuing our safe and steady performance; however, this isn’t anything we can’t overcome, and it certainly does keep things interesting!”

SEARCH AND RESCUE

OUR SUPPORT DURING EXTREME FLOODING IN THE KIMBERLEY WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The PHI Aviation team based in Western Australia undertook an extensive search and rescue operation across nine days in early January, rescuing a total of 134 people–including two babies.

This time, we responded to the State of Emergency declared by the Western Australian government due to the one-in-100-year flooding event experienced in the Kimberley, where many people were stranded and cut off from dry land by the extensive flooding.

The efforts took more than 35 hours of flight time as our crews battled the storm and floods in the area to meet the needs of the community.

Aside from safely rescuing and transferring people to dry land, PHI also flew resources from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) into the flood zone to aid relief efforts.

The operation is one of the largest helicopter search and rescue (SAR) single catastrophe taskings ever performed by a commercial operator and the success of the rescue operation was due to the incredible effort of our people and the support of our partners.

With the support of our commercial partners, we were able to quickly divert resources to the flood zone to rescue those stranded in the flooding–many of whom were children.

PHI has been operating in Western Australia since 1980 and currently has operating bases in Broome, Karratha and Truscott, with operations from a new base in Exmouth due to start in March 2023.

We regularly provide support to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and completed a number of critical rescue operations throughout 2022, including at Horizontal falls and off the coast of WA from its Broome and Karratha bases.

An intensive training program ensures our SAR Pilots and Technical Crew, who operate in the cabin, are always rescue-ready. Becoming one of the SAR Technical Crew requires dedication, determination and a good level of physical fitness, which is regularly tested with the ongoing swimming and fitness testing program. No two days–or rescues–are the same for our crew. Our SAR work operates 24/7 and spans both offshore and inland emergencies. We are called in to undertake emergency rescues, respond to health emergencies and provide transportation to hospitals, and undertake search operations in the instance of overturned or missing vessels.

Our crews also undertake Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (TBOSIET). This course involves a series of offshore safety elements, including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), firefighting, smoke/ zero visibility ship escape and Underwater Emergency Breathing System (UEBS) training.

The learning never stops, with the crew also undertaking training in the operation of the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera and night vision goggles (NVG), along with medical training, crew resource management training, aeronautical radio operations, SAR observer and aircraft voice-marshaling training also involved as part of SAR training.

DOMINIC ADDAE

MEET TWO OF OUR NEWEST PILOTS IN COMMAND

Dominic Addae, Line Pilot and Flight Safety Manager for PHI Century in Ghana, is the first of our Ghanaian pilots to achieve this standard on the S92 aircraft, which is a fantastic achievement. Wherever we are in the world, developing local talent is key to how we do things, and we look forward to more Ghanaian pilots joining Dominic in the future.

PHI Century is a joint venture between PHI Aviation and the Ghanaian-owned Century Aviation Company Limited and was founded in 2011, commencing operations in 2012, to support the growing requirement for transportation to offshore drilling rigs and production platforms in West Africa.

In its 10 years of operation, PHI Century has provided services for Hess Energy, Talisman B.V. (of Sierra Leone), Tullow Oil, Newmont Ghana Ltd., Aker Energy and Kosmos Energy Ltd.

Congratulations, Dominic!

Over in Australia, Tom Corlis has received his S92 command upgrade. Tom joined PHI in January 2022 following time working for the Royal Australian Navy where he flew Seahawk helicopters.

This was Tom’s first tour as Captain after progressing well throughout his initial training and while flying as an ICUS Co-pilot. He was presented with his Captain epaulets in Broome by Sam Bolton-Riley during the annual wet season brief run by our Role Trainers.

Congratulations, Tom!

TOM CORLIS

TOM CORLIS

MEET KELLY CARTER, HR DIRECTOR AT APAC

Kelly Carter joined PHI as HR Director – APAC in mid-2022. HomeBase sat down with Kelly to find out more about her life, her job and her industry insights.

Tell us about your career journey to date:

My career in Human Resources (HR) hasn’t followed a traditional pathway. I didn’t go straight to university but started off working in the social work sector. It was really challenging but it made me realize how much I liked working with people.

I then started in HR administration and payroll functions and discovered I had a passion and talent for the human element of HR. I joined BHP as an HR Business Partner and was promoted to a role similar to that of a superintendent. From there, I progressed to operational roles at BHP, Alinta and DP World, before moving into larger strategy and culture roles at a senior level.

I was also the HR manager of onshore operations for Woodside Energy when they were building Pluto, a significant project in Western Australia, and did a stint with Tronox, a mining and chemical business, before joining PHI in July last year.

What changes have you seen in the industry?

Across the majority of industries I’ve worked in, automation has taken place at a rapid pace and while there are many benefits to automation, people have often been hesitant about what it represents. Managing those changes and helping people understand what it means for them and their role is increasingly part of HR’s function.

There has also been a significant shift in the types of skills and talent required by businesses.

Traditional types of apprenticeships are changing, and organizations need to work with educational institutions to ensure they are teaching them the right way of doing things, and equipping their students and future employees with the right skills.

The perception of HR has also changed. HR has gone from being backroom personnel, a compliance-type function to providing a key leadership role. We stand for our people and are advocates for inclusion, wellbeing and creating a great place to work. The HR function also has a role to play in getting the right leaders and ensuring they have the right mindset, which applies across the business.

There is also greater recognition that a key part of business success is making sure people are happy, enjoying their work and feel included. This has become an even greater focus in recent times and correspondingly HR has become instrumental within businesses, as opposed to a support function.

There is more awareness of the impact people’s work environment has on their mental health and wellbeing, which is great. People want to make sure they are working for a good employer—and people talk about it more. There’s also more of a focus on flexible working. It’s an incredibly tight labor market at the moment, so a lot of our discussions are about what we can do to be an employer of choice.

What interested you in PHI?

I’ve worked mainly in the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors and heli-aviation is a closely adjacent industry–plus I’ve always loved Top Gun! PHI Aviation has a global footprint, supporting household names in the industry with huge opportunities for growth so I jumped at the chance to join the company.

The heli-aviation and oil and gas industries are typically male-dominated; what’s it like working in that environment?

Personally, I’ve always felt like I was part of the team and have operated in the same way. There are still cultural issues within the industry that haven’t fully been addressed, so there is work still to do. As an HR Director, part of my role is understanding what we can do differently to provide our team with the same opportunities so everyone can flourish.

What does your role at PHI involve?

I’ve hit the ground running since joining PHI earlier this year. I’m getting to know the leadership team, the industry and most importantly all our people across all of our bases and offices in the APAC region. There is a lot to learn and I’m keen to create a work culture and climate that attracts people to us and makes them want to stay. My role is to be focused and relentless in making sure people have access to that kind of workplace and provide them support to create it for themselves.

In the APAC region, we’ve got a diverse workforce spread throughout our offices and bases in Western Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, and I’m focused on ensuring all our people are working in an environment where they can do their best work and learn something new every day. I’m also focused on ensuring that our leadership team has the support they need to be great leaders.

I haven’t yet been up in one of our helicopters—but it’s on my to-do list!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to be by the water. I’ve done my advanced skipper training so I can skipper my own boat. I also live on the water and have my own jetty. In my previous role, I was working in US time zones so I would often take my coffee and go out cruising around the river and estuary in the morning. In summer I love to get out on the water and enjoy a glass of wine with my girlfriends.

HOW HELIPASS IS LEADING OFFSHORE

LOGISTICS

READ ON FOR DETAILS

When many of us think of Helipass, the first thing that comes to mind is the self-service kiosks stationed at our operational bases.

Similar to those used by the commercial airlines, these kiosks allow our passengers to check-in for their flights, check baggage and flight status, but Helipass doesn’t stop there. In fact, upwards of 85% of all passengers who enter the Gulf of Mexico today pass through the Helipass system at some point in their journey. HomeBase sat down with David Treadway and James Miller, President of PHI Helipass and Business and Commercial Manager of PHI Helipass, respectively, to learn more about how Helipass is leading offshore logistics.

LOOKING BACK

The Helipass journey really started in 2010 as an internal IT project for PHI that eventually became our original kiosk system—what most people know and recognize as Helipass today. The original kiosk system focused primarily on passenger processing automation, transforming an outdated tracking model that had been historically managed by pen and paper.

Following the early and highly successful adoption of the Helipass system, the team started folding in other functionality like compliance and expanded into a best-in-class total logistics management platform. Tackling industry automation opportunities like manifesting, workforce readiness, personnelon-board (POB) management, heliport automation and back-office functionality including financial allocation management.

Working closely with our industry partners and customers, Helipass evolved into an end-to-end solution—a solution that’s been developed specifically for our industry, by the industry. In 2014, Helipass spun off from PHI to operate as a standalone entity and continues to leverage its core values of customer service, automation and data-based innovation to help customers optimize their processes and make informative, impactful decisions about their logistics operations.

MUCH MORE THAN A KIOSK

These days, Helipass is much more than a kiosk that makes passenger processing easier. We offer a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that helps our customers improve the efficiency of their logistics lifecycle. The Helipass software helps companies manage activity planning and trip execution, and our software remains flexible enough to accommodate exceptions when necessary.

This efficiency extends well beyond passenger processing. In addition to our heliport kiosks and software logistics suite, we also offer the Helipass mobile app. The app provides passengers information about their planned departures and flight information—just like it does when you book a flight with a commercial airline. The app also allows operators to easily communicate with personnel or contractors, streamlining alerts and notifications. For example, the system can send out a communication to everyone scheduled to leave on a given flight that it was canceled due to weather or to let them know there will be a safety meeting at 2 pm when they arrive offshore.

That’s just the beginning—the software does far more than that. In addition to tracking passengers and personnel on platforms or in port, customers can also track cargo. Just as importantly, the cargo tracking feature has compliance coded in to ensure that any cargo with HAZMAT requirements remains in compliance.

The functionality is ever evolving. From planning to execution and close, the Helipass software covers every aspect of the logistics life cycle. All of that data is then collected and available in our customer dashboards, making it easy for our customers and their teams to track their analytics and measure their logistics KPIs.

The Helipass system, by nature, contains a great deal of information. Information is only as valuable as it is accessible. That’s why we worked so hard to make the interface and workflows customer-focused and intuitive. Our customers can access real-time visibility for anything or anyone in their logistics lifecycle from a mobile or desktop device.

And with our business integration features, customers can get access to data visualization tools and can even import key data to in-house systems to enable better financial tracking, accountability and transparency throughout their logistics lifecycle.

Maximize efficiency, ensure compliance, enhance visibility and optimize logistics — with safety at our core — that’s what Helipass is all about.

Story Continues

CUSTOMER FOCUS

We mentioned earlier that Helipass is built for the industry, by the industry, and that really is a testament to our focus and commitment to working closely with our customers. Helipass is, as David says, “Software as a service in its truest form.”

The insights that drive our continuous push for innovation often come from the people on the ground and leadership in our user community, and that only works by actively partnering with our customer base. After all, who’s better positioned to see gaps in the software than the people who use it every day?

We certainly wouldn’t be where we are without our team either. From software engineering to our customer success teams and everyone in between, they are the reason we’re able to keep our finger on the pulse. The team keeps a close eye on industry trends and works with our customers to identify new ideas, pain points and areas for improvement.

Our commitment to our customers extends beyond simply seeking insights. We are also caretakers of sensitive data, and that’s a responsibility that we take very, very seriously. Data privacy and protection is baked into our solutions at every level.

“We have to keep very high walls around the data in Helipass. We work with all operators, so we have to keep that data very secure. Data privacy and data stewardship is a huge, and our customers fully own access to their own data,” said James Miller, Business and Commercial Manager.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

Like most companies, we keep an eye on the future, and we have some really exciting things in the pipeline. One of our near-term projects is a technology refresh. We have a redesigned kiosk with a fresh look and feel coming for onshore deployment. We also have an offshore kiosk in development.

“For this project in particular, we had one of our Helipass analysts offshore for a week, sitting in the shoes of the offshore logistics coordinators, OIMs and people on those assets; understanding what they do at a very granular level; and then coming back and sharing that information with our product team,” said David.

Our offshore kiosk will apply the lessons we’ve learned about automation and hardware with the onshore version and make it accessible on the platforms, bringing that same level of automation and efficiency to those teams.

One of the most exciting long-term projects for us is our plan for globalization. With more than a decade of experience and refinement under our belts, the core Helipass software functions are ready for use in the international market. Of course, international use is about more than just functionality—the software must support local languages and units of measurement and must also afford a certain level of configuration. Our teams and industry partners are doing a lot of prep work to enhance our solutions to meets those needs.

These projects are all part of our two-year roadmap. The tech refresh and offshore kiosk are slated for introduction later this year with globalization coming later on.

LEADING THE WAY

Helipass has enjoyed a lot of success in the Gulf of Mexico, and that success has a lot to do with our people and their commitment to our core competencies. By always searching for ways that we can improve our software, we’re able to serve our customers in a uniquely valuable and powerful way.

AS PART OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF PHI AVIATION’S APAC HEAD OFFICE, PHI COMMISSIONED A PIECE OF BESPOKE ARTWORK FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA ARTIST

TAMINGA CONNELL.

HER WORK SHOWCASES HER CONNECTION TO CULTURE, COUNTRY AND HER PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH DREAMS, VISIONS AND STORIES.

Although the PHI piece, named “Unite,” did not arrive in time for the office opening – and was instead unveiled as a framed photo of the artwork – the original artwork is now proudly hanging in our new APAC headquarters in Perth.

The center of the artwork represents eternal life and how it always was and will be from the beginning to the end of time.

The outside circles connect all tribes and tongues from the nations of the world which have a solid foundation – that’s why they are connected. The ochre red is the land.

The four corners represent all the nations and creation that are drawn in and connected to the source of all life, wisdom and knowledge.

The top left corner represents several generations making their way to the ultimate destination of unity and togetherness for all tribes and peoples.

The bottom left is communities working together as one, complementing each other and growing stronger together.

The bottom right is the younger generation working together and learning from the creator whose spirit created all things to prepare people to go in love, peace and unity.

Taminga resides in the East Kimberley town of Kununurra and is thoroughly immersed in her family life, painting and assisting her husband Scotty in their family business, Kimberley Spirit Tours, which also has a not-forprofit called the Kimberley Spirit Foundation.