World Helicopter Day

Both Facebook and Twitter are flooded with heartfelt posts dedicated to MS Dhoni with #HappyBirthdayCaptainCool trending on the latter, from calling his birthday on July 7 'National Helicopter Day' to taking a look back at the captain's amazing achievements. On 21 August 2016 join in this global celebration of one of the world’s greatest engineering inventions. There is, however, a real helicopter day held on the 3rd Sunday of August every year.

This year World Helicopter Day aims to raise awareness of the contributions that helicopters make to our society and celebrate the diverse range of people that design, fly and support them.. Throughout the world every day there are people relying on helicopters for rescues, disaster relief, transport, firefighting, medical transfers, powerline maintenance, tourism, agriculture and many more roles.

"If a man is in need of rescue, an airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's just about all. But a direct lift aircraft could come in and save his life," helicopter pioneer Igor Sikorsky. There are an estimated 56,200 helicopters worldwide and the industry employs more than 500,000 people.

Helicopter organisations and companies can support this international day through hosting their own open days. This a chance for members of the public to get up close and look over the helicopters while meeting the people that operate them. For rotary wing aviators and support staff, World Helicopter Day is an opportunity for the helicopter fraternity to share in their common passion while preserving and promoting relationships, traditions and shared memories.

Online live presentations covering topics such as safety, training, aerodynamics, maintenance, technology and helicopter history will be held on the day and accessible worldwide. The website (http://worldhelicopterday.com ) will maintain a register of worldwide events that local communities can access to see what is happening in their local area.

Individual open day organisers are encouraged to submit their event details and company logos to be included via the main website Open day organisers can download a range of promotional collateral from the website including press releases for local media, tweetables, flyers and online banners. The hashtag #worldhelicopterday will be used to tie in activity across different social media platforms. World Helicopter Day aims to raise awareness of the contributions to society that helicopters make and celebrate the diversity of people who design, fly and support them.