NBAA Safety Initiatives
Advancing Aviation Safety with Presence, Partnerships, Research & Insight
Associations are created to do more for their collective membership than any individual could do. These trade organizations use that leverage to deliver a variety of valuable services—lower insurance policies, larger conventions, greater public exposure, stronger voice in Washington and increased professional connections within the industry. NBAA is successful in all those member benefits and it advances SAFETY for the companies which operate aircraft for their businesses.
Like other (perhaps better than) aviation groups, NBAA has a presence at the FAA, NTSB, DoT, OMB, etc. It listens to the concerns of those executive bodies about aviation safety and Association staff carries specific information about this segment of flight’s approach to achieving compliance/reducing risk.
An exceptional example of NBAA’s advancement of safety is this partnership with the University of North Dakota. Presumably the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences will be involved, and UND graduate student/business aircraft pilot Tim Wollmuth will collect data about fatigue and crew duty issues in business aviation. The research will add to knowledge about:
- Duty information for various crew positions.
- Single-pilot operations.
- Specific questions on sleep and fatigue.
- Especially the effect of the increased number of ultra-long range aircraft in service.
- Demographics and questions for management.
This will update the 2000 NASA study which Dr. Mark Rosekind, former NTSB member and current administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lead.
This initiative is particularly commendable since the private sector has taken a step which might have been done by the government. When aviation associations get involved in preventative studies, the sector will be able to address the fatigue risk better.
While the NBAA staff is important in achieving its mission, the strength of its work comes from the active participation of professionals who operate & manage the aircraft. One of the most industrious association teams is the Safety Committee, headed by David Ryan, MI Aviation Holdings, LLC (Chairman), Marilena Sharpell, Global Aerospace, Inc. (Vice Chairwoman), Jason Starke, IBAC (Secretary) and Mark E Larsen, CAM, NBAA (Staff Liaison).
What is important is that these volunteers bring extensive real world experience and apply that knowledge in establishing best practices for all of the NBAA dues payers.
In this age of SMS and the NTSB’s Most Wanted List, it is clear that focus is an important means of prioritizing the pilots’ attention. Annually the Safety Committee publishes its Top Safety Issues to reflect the items which these subject matter experts need to be improved. The 2017 targets include:
Scenario- and Risk-Based Training and Checking
Plus Foundations for Safety:
Such carefully crafted, industry relevant information is incredibly valuable. Neither the quality of the content nor the depth of the insight is exceeded in the aviation association industry.
GOOD JOB, NBAA!!!
NBAA, University of North Dakota Launch Business Aviation Fatigue Study 2017 NBAA TOP SAFETY FOCUS AREASShare this article:
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