April 2, 2025
It’s hard to argue the benefits of helping pilots identify areas of their flying that may need sharpening. For years, flight data monitoring (FDM) and narrative safety reports have been great tools in increasing the efficiency and safety of business aircraft operations.
The question is: Why are so many organizations hesitant to incorporate them into their Safety Management System (SMS)?
NBAA and its Safety Committee have made it easier for flight departments to implement these and other safety programs within the business aviation community with a new resource: Safety Data Collection, Analysis and Sharing Quick Facts.
“I’ve talked to many operators, and the most common reason is they just don’t understand not only the benefits of safety data collection, analysis and sharing, but how easy it is to add into their SMS program,” explained Jeff Mittelman, founder of Mittelman Aviation Solutions, LLC and lead on the NBAA Safety Committee’s Safety Data Working Group. “There are also concerns that the programs are expensive and the operational data that is ‘collected’ can be used to punish a pilot.
“Both of these are essentially myths and misunderstandings,” he said. “The reality is the FAA cannot use any information to penalize individuals except for a few egregious safety situations.
“When it comes to costs, the annual expense for FDM varies but is roughly equivalent to an hour or two of operating a typical business jet,” Mittelman continued. “The costs for narrative safety reports are much lower and can offer additional protections. And, in many instances, insurance companies may offer discounts to operators who participate in either of these types of programs.”
Mittelman said NBAA’s goal is to educate all business aviation operators on safety data collection, analysis and sharing. To help do so, it has created a web resource page that provides operators with accurate information about what safety data collection, analysis and sharing programs entail and why an operator would want to take advantage of those benefits. View NBAA’s resource page.
“The quick facts sheet touches on not only what safety data collection, analysis and sharing is, but it also summarizes its benefits, myths, realities,” Mittelman said. “It’s easy to download and share with company management to help start the discussion about implementing it into their operation.
“No matter how it’s done, the goal of any safety data program is to use the collected data to proactively spot a specific risk before it becomes a real issue. And use that information to discover opportunities for operational improvements,” Mittelman said. “Introducing these types of programs into a flight department is a huge step in strengthening the flight department’s safety culture and commitment to prioritizing safety.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.