Gulf operators face unexpected challenges after Katrina, Rita
For many residents of the Gulf Coast stretching between the Florida Panhandle and Galveston, Texas, the sound of helicopter rotors overhead serve as a freq

For many residents of the Gulf Coast stretching between the Florida Panhandle and Galveston, Texas, the sound of helicopter rotors overhead serve as a frequent reminder of the importance of oil exploration to the region’s ecomony.

Dozens of operators in the Gulf own or lease a combined fleet of more than 600 helicopters, providing daily transport service for companies engaged in the business of pumping oil from the nation’s richest energy basin.