ERHC Message from Chairman: COVID-19

The ERHC Board of Directors had a virtual meeting on April 2 with the main topic being operations during the current COVID-19 pandemic. With almost all rotary wing operations on hold, our survival as an industry in the northeast has become the number one issue that we all must confront. Personally, I have not had a flight since March 14, and do not have anything scheduled in the future. Our customers are not flying (totally understandable), and our operation is in survival mode right now. I know that almost everyone in the ERHC family is most likely in the same place.

The following were items discussed during this ERHC BOD’s meeting:

• Employees of companies in good standing who may be furloughed or laid off will not lose the rights and privileges of being an ERHC member.
  
  
• Companies are working on applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), related to the CARES Act, for financial help. Companies can receive up to 2.5 months of payroll. Everyone should look into this; the ERHC will be, to help offset payroll costs during these lean times. The ERHC Treasurer, Kurt Carlson, will be monitoring all governmental assistance packages for businesses and will be updating the membership.
  
  
• EAST HAMPTON UPDATE:
  • Everyone is hunkered down in their (second?) homes in East Hampton.
  • Supplies became very limited because all of the summer people came early and bought all of the goods in the stores. This did not bode well for the people who live there year-round.
    
    
• Due to social distancing concerns the ERHC BOD’s are cancelling the General Membership Meeting in May. We will not be rescheduling this meeting.
  
  
• The September 18-20, 2020 ERHC Annual Meeting will go on as scheduled.
  
  
• The NYC Helicopter Forum has been rescheduled to October for now due to Coronavirus concerns. This meeting may have to be put on hold due to the current political climate and will be a topic of discussion during the annual meeting. Plans are to ask HAI to present a briefing on what the national issues that concern our industry, legislative objectives could be changing. It may be redundant to schedule another meeting in October.
  
  
• ERHC is sending lunch to TRACON, LGA and EWR towers as a thank you for working through the current circumstances. The ERHC BOD’s unanimously agreed this is HAP funds well spent.
  
  
• The ERHC BOD’S also passed a resolution that due to the present circumstances a waiver is given to any board member who may be furloughed or lost their job to remain on the ERHC Board of Directors.
  
  
• ERHC Website: I will try to get a page up that addresses/updates the current situation, with links to aid our membership.
  
  

Your ERHC is working hard to help our membership get through this extremely trying times and if any of our membership has any information to help the rest of us weather these trying times, please share it with us.  Together we must stay strong and try to persevere.  I am always amazed with the strength and resiliency of the ERHC membership and know we will eventually come back from this present situation stronger than ever.

On a personal note: During these times I cannot help but think of a song by Warren Zevon called “Splendid Isolation.” One of the verses are:

I want to live alone in the desert
I want to be like Georgia O'Keefe
I want to live on the Upper East Side
And never go down in the street

Seems like this is our world right now, but it will change. Let’s all try to stay positive.  If anyone is directly affected during this pandemic, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

As always, please contact me at any time with suggestions or concerns.

Richard D. Huggins
ERHC Chairman
[email protected]