It’s OK to Stay, by USHST, February 2026

Michel MASSON • 25 February 2026

in community Rotorcraft

0 likes

It’s OK to Stay: When Smart Decisions Define Mission Success – USHST

The original article by Chris Hill, Senior Director, Safety, Vertical Aviation International, was published in the USHST Newsletter of winter 2026. It is hereby shared with the European rotorcraft community.
It’s OK to Stay: When Smart Decisions Define Mission Success – USHST
USHST Winter 2026 Newsletter – USHST

Summary

In aviation, critical decisions are often assumed to occur in the cockpit, yet many of the most impactful choices are made beforehand during planning, expectation setting, and discussions about how to manage operational pressures. This idea underpins Helicopter Safety Enhancement (H‑SE) 2023‑01, “Promote Conservative Go/No-Go Decision-Making,” launched by the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) in May 2023. The initiative aimed to produce practical results within a year – a difficult goal for volunteer-led efforts – so USHST partnered with the Vertical Aviation International (VAI) Safety Industry Advisory Council (IAC), which committed to driving the work to completion.

Rather than creating new tools, the team focused on organising and connecting proven resources that support thoughtful preflight decisions. The goal was not to promote blanket caution or automatic “no-go” choices, but to encourage sound, contextual, and well-communicated judgments based on risk, experience, and operational realities.

A recurring theme was communication: pilots often lack training on how to discuss changing conditions with customers or managers, and meaningful expectation-setting must begin long before departure.

To bring H‑SE 23‑01 to life, VAI will launch a new safety campaign in March 2026 named “It’s OK to STAY". The message emphasizes that professionalism includes recognizing when remaining on the ground is the safest and most mission‑effective action. The campaign will debut at VERTICON on March 11 under the banner “It’s OK to Stay: Because Smart Decisions Define Mission Success.” The event will share real examples, decision tools, and communication strategies, building on earlier efforts such as “56 Seconds to Live” and “Land & LIVE.”

Supporting materials – including a POWER UP magazine feature and VAI Spotlight on Safety articles, posters, and a video message from VAI CEO François Lassale will provide pilots with tools they can use operationally. The campaign reinforces familiar but essential behaviours: slowing down, assessing risk clearly, communicating early, and resisting pressure.

H‑SE 23‑01 stands as a meaningful example of collaborative, industry-led safety work resulting in relevant, practical outputs. The USHST continues to pursue multiple active safety enhancements, welcoming engagement from anyone interested in contributing. For more information, pilots can contact safety@ushst.org or visit the USHST booth at VERTICON.

Related safety initiatives

“It's OK to Stay" is part of a broader set of safety initiatives, similar in theme to “HAI Land & LIVE”, 2014 (rebranded” VAI Land & LIVE” in 2023), “Just Say No When It’s Not Safe to Go”, 2020, and “56 Seconds to Live”, 2021, and all designed to promote a culture of safety.

The objective of these initiatives is to encourage sound decision‑making. Their core message is to empower pilots to make safe, risk‑based choices rather than yielding to pressure to fly in unsafe conditions.

And it may be that cancelling or delaying the flight is the safest and most professional decision.

See also the EASA ESPN‑R articles cited in the References section below.