Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

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DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]  
DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
During 2011, the Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements calling for the Company to pay fixed interest rates of 1.29% and 1.76% on an aggregate notional value equal to the balance of its promissory notes (see Note 8) and receive a variable interest rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) on these notional values. The interest rate swaps matured in December 2015 and were not renewed. The Company recognized gains of less than $0.1 million and $0.3 million on these derivative instruments for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, which are included in derivative losses, net on its consolidated statements of operations.
From time to time, the Company enters into forward exchange option contracts to hedge against foreign currency payment commitments and anticipated transaction exposures. All derivatives are recognized as assets or liabilities and marked to fair value each period. The Company does not use financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. None of the Company’s derivative instruments contain credit-risk-related contingent features, and counterparties to the derivative contracts are high credit quality financial institutions.
The Company entered into forward contracts during 2014 to mitigate its exposure to exchange rate fluctuations on euro-denominated helicopter purchase commitments. The Company did not designate these contracts as hedges for accounting purposes, and the contracts were settled in 2015. The Company recorded a loss of $0.3 million on these derivative instruments during the year ended December 31, 2015. These losses are recorded in foreign currency gains (losses), net, in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company recorded an unrealized loss of $0.8 million on these derivative instruments during the year ended December 31, 2014. These losses are recorded in derivative losses, net, in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company had no open forward contracts as of December 31, 2016.