The Union had a short meeting on the 28th of July. The members discussed different plans of action moving forward. The Union will be working to address the concerns of pilots, specifically Compensation, Quality of Life, and Membership Growth. As these plans are formulated and solidified, they will be shared with our fellow members and represented pilots for your consideration and input. We welcome your response and your ideas. It is important to be able to communicate with all of our members and represented pilots so we ask that you register with this website and provide a non-PHI or Careflite corporate email. This website is new and we will be adding new content quickly to include a Forum, Frequently Asked Questions, and Education sections. This will allow us to communicate, exchange ideas, and bring attention to issues concerning all of us. If you register and provide us with your email, we'll get you added to our mailing list, and send out updates as they become available.

I’d like to take a moment to thank Lucas, Ben, and Jon for all of their effort overseeing and administering the nomination and election process. I’d also like to thank Greg Awbrey for all of his hard work and dedication to PHI, the Union, and his fellow pilots.

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Ryan Lanning to the position of Secretary/Treasurer. He is currently an S-92 PIC in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve known Ryan for over 15 years. We served together in the Marine Corps and have both been with PHI for over 10 years. He is a consummate and demanding professional. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to fly or interact with him on a personal level, you would be hard-pressed to find a more focused, thorough, and disciplined pilot. Now Management will get to experience these traits first hand.

We're trying to get Management's attention about the hazards of the helmets Shell requires pilots to wear.  These concerns were brough to the Chief Pilot, but he says he hasn't heard many complaints about them.  While not specifically a Union issue, it is a pilot issue.  If you've ever had to fly with one of these helmets on Shell, you know how bad they can be.  Let's give Management some input.  I'm suggesting the use of Safety Communications to address the Safety Hazard they represent.  There should also be a letter, essemtially a petition conveying these concerns to the Chief Pilot.  Please take the time to submit a safety comm and add your name to the letter.  Here are some points to get started with.  Please feel free to copy and paste.  Add whatever additional information you like.  Thanks.

Company supplied helmets for Shell contract pilots are uncomfortable, lack communication clarity, and are unsuitable for extended use. Shell required helmets have been in use for approximately seven years. They lack sufficient noise attenuation, which exacerbates the lack of clarity provided by low-end avionics installed in the helmet. Extended flight in these helmets causes hot spots, headaches, neck pain, and additional fatigue. All of these issues cause fatigue and distraction. I would suggest we purchase a new batch of quality helmets that meet Shell's requirements, but are comfortable and have quality avionics. Additionally, once these helmets are purchased, I would recommend having professional fitment conducted by the vendor to ensure long-term comfort.

To: All OPEIU Local 108

Members,

Nominations for the offices of President and Secretary-Treasurer closed on July 5th at 1800 CT. Only one nomination for each position was received by the election committee. Gordon Harwell was nominated for President and he has accepted the nomination. Ryan Lanning was nominated for Secretary-Treasurer and he has also accepted the nomination.

Both nominees are active members in good standing and meet the requirements for the Officer positions. As only one nomination for each Officer position was received, the candidates are uncontested and no vote by the membership is required.