OCTOBER 2025AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM9a municipal government, city planner, airport authority, or otherwise ­ and build the operation out incrementally from there. In that model, Bristow and its partners understand that, at this early stage, there are going to be issues and hiccups, but there is a way to back it up with traditional rotorcraft. With that in place, it's about bringing in these new systems and working in collaboration with an industrial partner that has the desire to be sustainable, and can potentially reduce costs, as the first model of adoption.Our internal research also suggests that one regional air mobility model operating at full scale that covers a region such as the Florida peninsula could take as many pilots and engineers to support it as our entire global company today. That's a huge workforce challenge. Pilot recruitment and training will be a critical factor limiting uptake. We hope that simplified vehicle operations and early experience in OEM simulators will ease training to fly the new generation of aircraft and shorten the path to proficiency that has historically been required for traditional rotorcraft. If regulatory pathways can be agreed, the sector should be able to recruit the huge numbers of pilots likely to be required.Something Bristow and other experienced operators know well is that newly certified aircraft will absolutely be exposed to rigors and environments and a pace and scale of flights in commercial operations that they did not experience in flight testing. It will be the operator's duty to demonstrate - in the real world - safe and reliable initial operations with these aircraft. We must demonstrate that point to ourselves first, and then the regulators and public will get on board.Regulations are the minimum standard, but no sophisticated air carrier operates to the minimum standard ­ they go well beyond it. Early and successful operations with these new aircraft are going be a crucial part of the process. We must use this time to demonstrate to the public that this is a safe and efficient mode of transportation.Safety in operating aircraft is evolutionary. There are lessons learned in aviation that can only be learned through operational experience. Operators like Bristow are best positioned to be the integration point where these revolutionary aircraft and the evolution of safe operations intersect.Bristow is firmly part of the AAM advance guard, but it is not neglecting its core markets of offshore transport, search and rescue (SAR), and government support. The company has been supplying SAR services to governments and the oil and gas industry since 1971, and has operations in, among others, Norway, Suriname, Trinidad, the U.K., and the U.S. Bristow is also in the Canadian market through a partnership with Cougar Helicopters.In 2022, Bristow secured two major pieces of business. In November, Bristow began a 10-year contract with the Netherlands Coastguard, providing round-the-clock SAR from bases at Den Helder and Midden Zeeland airports, each equipped with AW189s. In July, we were awarded a new 10-year deal with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the UK, where we are the incumbent SAR supplier. Six AW139s will shortly join our fleet, adding to nine AW189s and three S-92s retained from the current contract.Since the post-war era, energy companies and governments have relied on Bristow's "no mission too complicated" approach to providing safety-first services. The company's willingness to invest in a big way on the technologies of tomorrow has added a new dimension to one of the most recognized helicopter brands. It could make it even more of a fitting career choice for those who want to play a key part in the next evolution of aviation. THERE ARE LESSONS LEARNED IN AVIATION THAT CAN ONLY BE LEARNED THROUGH OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE. OPERATORS LIKE BRISTOW ARE BEST POSITIONED TO BE THE INTEGRATION POINT WHERE THESE REVOLUTIONARY AIRCRAFT AND THE EVOLUTION OF SAFE OPERATIONS INTERSECT
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