VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES (Details)	6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended																																							6 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 GBP (£)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Cash and cash equivalents [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Cash and cash equivalents [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accounts receivable [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accounts receivable [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Inventories [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Inventories [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Total current assets [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Total current assets [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Investment in unconsolidated affiliates [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Investment in unconsolidated affiliates [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Property and equipment, net [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Property and equipment, net [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Goodwill [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Goodwill [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Other assets [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Other assets [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accounts payable [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accounts payable [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accrued liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accrued liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Curent Deferred Taxes [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Curent Deferred Taxes [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Maturities of long-term debt [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Maturities of long-term debt [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Total current liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Total current liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Long-term debt, less current maturities [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Long-term debt, less current maturities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accrued pension liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Accrued pension liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Other liabilities and deferred credits [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Other liabilities and deferred credits [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Long Term Deferred Taxes [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited [Member] Long Term Deferred Taxes [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Ltd [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Pan African Airlines Nigeria Ltd [Member]
Variable Interest Entities And Other Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage in Variable Interest Entity					49.00%																																							40.00%	50.17%
Purchase of deferred stock shares	eight million shares
Purchase of deferred stock value	$ 14,400,000
Principal amount of subordinated unsecured loan stock	141,800,000
Interest rate on unsecured loan	13.50%
Deferred interest cost	908,200,000
Call option price held by noncontrolling interest		1,000,000
Annual guaranteed rate of return	We have accrued the annual return due to the other shareholders at a rate of sterling LIBOR plus 3% (prior to May 2004, the rate was fixed at 12%) by recognizing noncontrolling interest expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income, with a corresponding increase in noncontrolling interest on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Prepayments of the guaranteed return element of the call option are reflected as a reduction in noncontrolling interest on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. The other investors have an option to put their shares in Bristow Aviation to us. The put option price is calculated in the same way as the call option price except that the guaranteed rate for the period to April 2004 was 10% per annum.
VIE Financial Information
Total assets			618,286,000		618,286,000		638,945,000	39,362,000	29,840,000	201,030,000	190,896,000	93,902,000	108,586,000	65,478,000	50,296,000	399,772,000	379,618,000	12,686,000	12,344,000	184,505,000	221,274,000	13,167,000	15,915,000	8,156,000	9,794,000
Total Liabilities			1,343,289,000		1,343,289,000		1,272,352,000																			107,258,000	72,140,000	966,200,000	902,570,000	9,437,000	9,816,000	1,982,000	2,724,000	1,084,877,000	987,250,000	150,801,000	156,080,000	97,237,000	99,645,000	1,252,000	13,043,000	9,122,000	16,334,000
Revenue			252,292,000	223,609,000	497,618,000	427,827,000
Operating income			(18,387,000)	10,544,000	(16,515,000)	18,133,000
Net loss			$ 52,085,000	$ 21,875,000	$ 82,722,000	$ 41,468,000