PREFLIGHT Campaign to Promote Professionalism Launches at NBAA-BACE

Oct. 13, 2021

NBAA Domestic Operations Committee members and other experts launched the PREFLIGHT campaign, aimed at promoting professionalism, and shared their perspectives on how best to demonstrate proficiency at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation & Convention (NBAA-BACE 2021) PREFLIGHT Live: Promoting Professionalism education session.

Professionalism can be defined as the pursuit of excellence through discipline, ethical behavior and continuous improvement. PREFLIGHT stands for a number of characteristics critical to professionalism:

Preparation
Respectful
Ethical
Follows policies and procedures
Leadership
Integrity
Genuine
Humble
Transparent

Certified Aviation Manager Jason Herman moderated panelists Capt. David Lawrence of the NTSB, Kent Stauffer, of Constant Aviation and Joe Williams, of Marsh & McLennan. They explained what professionalism means to them and how to encourage it within their teams.

Lack of professionalism can negatively impact the business aviation industry, while a commitment to professionalism can have a profound positive impact on aviation safety, they agreed.

Lawrence discussed a number of accidents which, upon investigation, demonstrated lack of professionalism from crewmembers, and encouraged attendees to review the NTSB report on the Trans-Pacific Air Learjet 35A accident at Teterboro Airport in 2017 to learn from previous events.

Williams explained how bad actors in the industry can drive up the cost of insurance and limit coverage for the entire industry. In his experience, lack of commitment to recurrent training, lack of preparation and poor attitudes are common symptoms of lack of professionalism, he said.

Poor interaction between the operations and maintenance sides of the business can demonstrate lack of professionalism as well, said Stauffer, adding this scenario can be remedied by learning to communicate more effectively between the disciplines.

Learn more about professionalism in business aviation.