Bell Helicopter Textron Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Rotorcraft
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
I put my risk [assessment] in and went about preparing for flight; I went up to the aircraft; did my walk around; came in to the cockpit; the iPad dinged like it does with every flight when OCC (Operations Control Center) approves it. I looked quickly at the screen and with the glare thought it was approved; it turned out OCC had not approved the mission but pinged me back to discuss the weather front to my west. I was aware of the front but in the time I had gone up to the helipad it had made a significant update on radar and moved closer. I took off with what I thought was an approved brief instead it was a call from OCC. I let dispatch know I was landing assured and they said call from OCC. When I did we discussed that the tone for approval and every notification is the same and the IT department was working on a change so it would be different. Flight was completed with no problems.I discussed it with the OCC personnel and a change to the approval ding on the IPad and other notifications is already in the works. Additionally I will discuss this with my base pilots and at the upcoming safety meeting to help make other pilots aware of the possible results of submitting a risk and specifically looking and ensuring the mission is approved not call OCC.
An EMS helicopter pilot reported hearing an iPad notification sound which he thought indicated Dispatch's mission approval after his risk assessment. In fact; Dispatch wanted to discuss weather. A distinctive Dispatch approval notification 'ding' was discussed as a solution.