FAA, NBAA Recognize Advances, Opportunities to Improve Safety

March 31, 2016

NBAA’s Chief Operating Officer Steve Brown told government and other industry leaders who participated in the FAA’s annual General Aviation Safety Summit on March 31 of the need to use data to address current limitations in business aviation training and operations.

Brown’s assertion was supported by the NBAA Safety Committee’s recently identified Top Safety Focus Areas for 2016, which includes the need to develop technical excellence through improved business aviation training. View the NBAA Safety Committee’s 2016 Top Safety Focus Areas.

The NBAA Safety Committee’s Technical Excellence Working Group, which acts as a conduit between NBAA and the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC), has also published Training Management Systems for Business Aviation to help business aircraft operators develop their own data-driven training curriculum. Review Training Management Systems for Business Aviation. (PDF)

“The Technical Excellence Working Group is focused on improving aviation decision making, risk management and flight path management through realistic, data-driven training events,” said Brown. “Part 91 flight departments have some ability to tailor their pilots’ training experiences to address risks identified by the flight department or by the industry as a whole. Part 135 operators are a little more constrained by regulatory requirements and both types of operators face some restrictions when working with Part 142 training centers.

“We will continue to work with the FAA to address those limitations and allow for more flexibility in order to target identified risks,” he added.

FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker commended the general aviation community for recent safety improvements, in particular the voluntary efforts of the GAJSC. He also recognized the need for continued effort, saying, “While we still have more work to do, the GA Joint Steering Committee’s work on voluntary safety measures is making a difference. Together, government and industry are building on our momentum and commitment to improve general aviation safety.”View the FAA’s full statement on the summit.

“The FAA’s General Aviation Safety Summit is an excellent opportunity for industry and government to take the community’s safety pulse and focus attention on the safety priorities that various industry groups have determined for the general aviation industry,” added Brown. “NBAA is proud to be part of the GAJSC and to be making advances in safety through the efforts of the NBAA Safety Committee and other government-industry partnerships as part of the association’s ongoing commitment to safety.”