HAI is proud to announce that Dr. Walter B. Comeaux, a former member of HAI’s Board of Directors, and a former HAI Safety Committee Chairman, is the 2005 recipient of the Lawrence D. Bell Memorial Award. Sponsored by Bell Helicopter Textron, this award salutes excellence in management leadership, and is awarded to an individual who has been dedicated to service to the civil helicopter industry.
From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, Dr. Comeaux generously contributed his personal time and medical expertise for the benefit of the entire helicopter community, through active and regular participation in HAI. During this time, Dr. Comeaux served as Chairman of HAI’s Safety Committee, and then became a Special Advisor to HAI’s Board of Directors, where he served for 10 years.
Dr. Comeaux was instrumental in the development of the original HAI Safety Manual, which was approved by the Board in 1985. In 1993, he was awarded the Joe Mashman Safety Award, and is an HAI Honorary Lifetime Member.
Dr. Comeaux’s medical career spans 58 years, including his time as a senior aviation medical examiner for the FAA. As a flight surgeon for Petroleum Helicopters, Inc., Dr. Comeaux initiated the company’s original drug screening program.
Dr. Comeaux has long been committed to safety in the helicopter industry, and works tirelessly to promote safety. Although many in the industry complain that higher safety standards are more expensive, Dr. Comeaux always responds with, “If you think safety is expensive, try an accident.”
HAI is the professional trade association for the civil helicopter industry. HAI’s 1,350-plus-member organizations and 1,150 individual members, in more than 73 nations, safely operate more than 4,500 helicopters approximately 2.3 million hours each year. HAI is dedicated to the promotion of the helicopter as a safe, effective method of commerce and to the advancement of the civil helicopter industry.
