The Health Care District of Palm Beach County operators of the Traumahawk HEMS service has revealed that it has been forced to reduce operations due to a shortage of pilots. Formerly, the service operated two Sikorsky S-76Cs with one in operation 24/7 and the other from 1200 to 2359 daily but has withdrawn the second aircraft pending recruitment of replacement pilots.
This appears not to be an isolated incident, increasingly HEMS and Law Enforcement operators have restricted or reduced their cover as a result of pilot shortages. According to a study by The University of North Dakota (UND) and the Helicopter Association International (HAI) predicts that by 2036 the industry in the US will be short of around 7,650 pilots. This compares with an annual inflow of 6-800 CPL(H) certificates issued each year by the FAA.
