Helicopters have reached a state of mechanical reliability today comparable to that of the aeroplane. Rotary wing aircraft have been severely limited performancewise, however, by the fixed wing type of instrumentation commonly used. It has been impossible to operate helicopters throughout their complete flight regime in their normal operational areas during instrument flight conditions. This paper defines the problem, the approach taken by Bell Helicopter Company, the flight test programmes and results, and the future for helicopter instrument flight operations in both populated and remote areas using information sensors and displays designed expressly for VTOL machines.