French Hems Debate Heats Up Around Second Crewmember
The deadline in France is approaching for adding a technical crewmember in the copilot seat but a French pilot union is objecting.

France’s civil aviation authority, the DGAC, has approved the idea of training medical personnel as helicopter emergency medical service (Hems) “technical crewmembers,” beginning October 8. This change should meet the EASA IR-OPS requirement, which France opted out of for two years. Most helicopter EMS flights in the country today are conducted by a single pilot. The idea comes from an association of French doctors who believe the additional cost and weight of a second pilot would be excessive.