LABOR DAY celebrates the Aviation Professionals who make flight SAFE!!!

Much is written about the technology, systems, procedures, policies, paperwork, analysis, oversight, and innovation that have been created to reduce risk in aviation. All of those are critical to achieving our profession’s commitment to the highest levels of SAFETY.

Even with all of that support, aircraft fly safely because:

• a Meteorologist determines the front approaching the destination is not a threat;
• an Aviation Maintenance Technician unchecks the item flagged by the last crew;
• a Passenger Service Agent interdicts a customer whose inebriation risks an inflight incident;
• a Wing Walker positions the airliner within limits to protect it from damage;
• a Baggage Handler loads the cargo hold meeting the weight and balance restrictions;
• a Crew Scheduler assured that the cockpit and cabin crews have adequate rests;
• a Trainer communicates in the FAA mandated classes the importance of safeguards for each student
• the Purchasing Agent double checks a parts supplier for QC
• the Flight Attendant assures that passengers keep their seat belts tight because of expected CAT;
• the Pilot scrutinizes the MEL because a recent FAA SAFO highlighted an avionic on this airplane’s serial number;
• a Tower Controller recognizes that a forecast wind shift will put arrivals on a runway in a cross wind unacceptable for safe landings and starts sequencing departures to other headings to make another landing track available;
• A Center Supervisor recognizes that turbulence hitting several sectors is stressing the FPLs there and adds relief controllers;
• A FAA FSDO Manager detects a pattern of poor inventory controls at XYZ and meets with the airline’s relevant manager to respond to this trend BEFORE it becomes a problem
• An Airport Restaurant Manager recognizes that two young kids under the thumb of an abusive adult are likely subjects of Human Trafficking, reports this to an LEO and they are saved.
• An Airline Manager, walking to her flight’s gate, spots FOD and lets the Ramp Manager know about it;
• A Senior FAA executive meets with a local Girl Scout troop and introduces them to aviation as an exciting application of STEM;
• A Ramp Rat at a GA hangar calls her co-workers together at a coffee break (her treat) to reinforce their SMS awareness 27/7/365. One of the aircraft owners hears of this and funds future coffee klatches with DONUTS and AOPA safety posters,
• A Runway Maintenance personnel notices heavy tire breaking rubber at one end of a runway and urges the Airport Director to install EMASS there. A nearby airport with the same runway orientation experiences a plane running off the end with significant undercarriage damage.

If any of these hypothetical, yet realistic SMS participants did not have the elevated SAFETY awareness exhibited in these vignettes, an accident could have occurred. HOWEVER, BECAUSE AVIATION HAS RAISED THE AWARENESS OF EACH OF THESE MEMBERS OF THE AVIATION LABOR FORCE, THESE RISKS ARE LIKELY TO BE DIMINISHED!!!