Ready to take the next step?

ARAC brings Canada's Class D helicopter rescue teams and air carriers together under one regulator-recognized standard. Shared training, shared quality assurance, and a collective voice with regulators and industry partners.

That standard is the whole point of ARAC. We're not a directory or a networking group — we're a common bar that every member agrees to meet, and to keep meeting.

Membership is a commitment to run your program the way every other ARAC team runs theirs, not a credential you acquire once and set aside.

You don't need existing Class D capability. You need a track record, a governance structure ready to take on the standard, and an air carrier relationship — existing or in progress.

Here's who should apply:

• Air carriers supporting CDFL or hoist winch rescue operations
• Rescue organizations whose personnel perform or support Class D and specialty helicopter rescue operations
• SAR teams authorized, or seeking authorization, to conduct Class D external load operations

To be accepted into the association, you will need the following:

• Regulatory Standing — A designated, fully compliant air carrier with no unresolved safety findings, and a sponsoring governance body able to host the program
• Operational Readiness — A program lead, personnel ready for levels 1–3 training, equipment maintained to standard, and incident-reporting practices in place
• Safety Culture — A willingness to enforce go/no-go and abort criteria over mission pressure, and openness to audits, cross-training, and peer review

• Enrolling personnel in the ARAC Helicopter Operations Training Program (Levels 1–3), with air carrier sign-off
• Using DATS, our digital learning system, for training and recertification records
• Holding annual recurrent training and re-certification with your full roster
• Participating in ARAC quality assurance audits — and acting on the findings
• Reporting incidents and near-misses through our shared network framework

Air carrier applicants also need Class D–configured aircraft, current pilots and crew, and a role in signing off member competency.

Because the standard is what members are joining, the application process is built to confirm — step by step — that an organization can meet and sustain it.

• Expression of Interest — Tell us about your regulatory standing, air carrier relationship, and roster
• Documentation Review — We assess your standing against our eligibility criteria
• Operational Review — We meet with you and your air carrier
• Provisional Membership — Your personnel begin training while we observe your program
• Full Membership — Confirmed once personnel reach Level 3 and you've passed a quality assurance audit

A regulator-recognized standard you don't have to build from scratch. Training records portable across every member team. A stronger collective voice with Transport Canada and provincial agencies. And 50 years of Canadian longline and hoist rescue experience, built into one program.