Martin Thysell

"(a) To what extent do you believe the current rotorcraft certification standards need to be amended to remain relevant over the next 20 years, given the rapid pace of advances in technology?" Concern should be given to the noise and vibration levels inside the helicopter, particularly on the pilots' seats. Today, noise and vibration levels in helicopters are a safety and health issue not addressed enough. Manufacturers generally don't give priority to these issues which have huge impacts on pilots. Hearing problems and problems due to vibrations, both which also cause fatigue which is a safety concern itself, are unfortunately a big problem among helicopter pilots. In some VIP helicopters it could be "lounge quiet in the back" but due to the lack of certification requirements and commercial incentives nothing or very little is done to reduce vibrations and noise that pilots are exposed to. Therefore, these issues should be dealt with in the rotorcraft certification standards.