Safety a Major Focus at EBACE2013

May 15, 2013

As business aircraft operators from around the world gather at the Palexpo Convention Center in Geneva, Switzerland from May 21 to 23 for the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2013), safety will be a major focus of EBACE programming.

In fact, this year’s safety focus will begin even before EBACE officially kicks off. On Monday, May 20, the one-day EBACE Safety Workshop will provide critical safety information corresponding directly to human performance.

“We’ve always had a focus on safety at EBACE,” said Brian Humphries, president of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA). “Eight out of 10 aviation accidents are caused not by mechanical failures, but by human failures. This workshop focuses specifically on human performance issues. The point is, this workshop will challenge you to change the way you think about aviation safety.”
Monday’s Safety Workshop features a number of presentations aimed at improving safety.

“We will have a full-hour session from one of Bombardier’s premier test pilots focusing on professionalism in the cockpit. That’s always an interesting session,” Humphries said.

Another workshop discussion focuses on flight data monitoring.

“Shell Oil Aviation and others will demonstrate that monitoring flight data is a very effective preemptory exercise in safety,” said Humphries.“Instead of waiting for the next accident, they’re out to prevent it, based on the information they glean from flight data. They’ll be telling you how FDM [flight data management] enabled them to eliminate some potentially dangerous practices in their daily operations before they resulted in a safety event, as well as identifying adverse trends and correcting them before they do harm,” said Humphries.

The Safety Workshop also focuses on how business operators are perceived by European authorities at Eurocontrol and NATS in the United Kingdom.

“Based on that,” said Humphries, “we’re going to look at particular issues. One of them is management of fatigue, and we’ve got a great session involving the leader of an EASA [European Aviation Safety Agency] working group and also people from Alertness Solutions.”

Runway safety will be another topic of discussion during the workshop. Michelin will present information on the importance of proper tire inflation and the issues that can arise when aircraft tire pressures are too low. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that low tire pressure was a major factor in the crash of a Lear 60 in September 2008.

“Then we’ll conclude [the workshop] with a session on performance planning and coping with engine failures,” said Humphries. “We’ve got a really exciting, practical session on helping operators improve their safety.”
In addition to the Safety Workshop, a one-day EBACE Cabin Crew Symposium also will be held on May 20. This program will deal with cabin-specific issues relevant to safety, security, service and training. Learn more about the symposium.

Both the EBACE Safety Workshop and EBACE Cabin Crew Symposium require separate payment and registration. However, there are additional safety-focused education sessions offered free as part of EBACE registration. For example, an EBACE education session titled “Business Aviation Around the World,” to be held on Wednesday, May 22, will focus on a variety of hot topics – including safety – that face business aircraft operators worldwide.

For more information on EBACE2013 or to register, visit www.ebace.aero.