N.L. chopper safety still needs work: inquiry head

The head of an inquiry into helicopter safety off Newfoundland says he's pleased with recent improvements but wants to see more.

Commissioner Robert Wells called in February for faster and better emergency response to serve offshore workers.

Oil companies brought in an extra Cougar chopper to cut its emergency response to 30 minutes from up to an hour.

Wells praised the change, but said that's still almost twice the response standard ordered by regulators.

Wells made an urgent call for search and rescue improvements, pre-empting his first report due in September.

The inquiry was called after Cougar Flight 491 crashed in March 2009, killing 17 people.