Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

The UK CAA unveiled a series of stringent measures today as a result of a <a href="http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP%201145%20Offshore%20helicopter%20review%20and%20annexes%20final.pdf">review</a> it launched last September to improve the safety of helicopter operations in the North Sea. These changes are expected to improve survivability after a ditching.


Effective June 1, operators will be allowed to carry passengers only in those seats that are next to emergency exit windows. Other seats can be used if “helicopters are fitted with extra flotation devices or passengers are provided with better emergency breathing systems,” the CAA said.


Moreover, flights in the most severe sea conditions (above sea state 6) will be prohibited from June 1, so capsizing is less likely. The CAA is expecting helicopter operators to make improvements to helicopters and survival equipment, including fitting automatic flotation equipment, adding hand holds next to push-out windows and improving life rafts and lifejackets.


Meanwhile, the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization is expected to improve survival training for offshore workers. The CAA has also announced “important changes to the way pilots are trained.”

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