EASA has granted Part 147 maintenance training organisation approval for Australia-based HeliTSA's AW139 and S-92 type courses. This comes after HeliTSA transitioned to its own Part 147 late last year. It makes HeliTSA the only Australian organisation currently running type training on the AW139 and S-92 with both CASA and EASA approvals.

“This approval is attractive to engineers with an EASA licence, as well as CASA-licensed engineers who want to access the best standard of training,” says HeliTSA co-founder and avionics instructor Pep Sayabath.

“We initially launched with EASA approval, and the transition to our own Part 147 means that our courseware has now been scrutinised by EASA twice and passed. Developing the materials for each type course is an intensive process that takes 12 months, so we are really pleased to see our efforts recognised.”

Being an Australian-based provider makes HeliTSA a cost-effective option for EASA-licensed engineers, due to the exchange rate of the Australian dollar. The company runs AW139 type courses in Brisbane, Australia, and worldwide on-site AW139 and S-92 type training for operators. Courses are delivered by maintenance engineers who still work in the field in order to bring current best practice to the training room. The company launched in December 2016 and ran its first courses in 2017.

Uptake of the AW139 continues to grow worldwide, with a fleet of more than 900 aircraft currently in operation around the world.

The S-92 is a leading choice for offshore operations globally, with 90 per cent of the fleet's registered flight hours being for offshore oil operations. There are currently more than 300 S-92 aircraft operating in 92 countries around the world.