Business Aviation Remains Focused on the Safety Journey

The business aviation community has always provided essential leadership to ensure aviation remains the world’s safest form of transportation, but a recent series of tragic accidents and near misses have put aviation safety under a microscope.

For the entire industry to thrive, we’ve got to not only be safe, but we also need to be perceived as safe. In light of recent events, many have been asking themselves for the first time: Is it safe to fly? The statistics say yes, but rather than patting ourselves on the back, we need to roll up our sleeves. When it comes to safety, we are in pursuit of perfection. Fortunately, we have proven tools to help us advance in our journey.

For example, a recent NBAA News Hour webinar brought together leading experts to highlight several steps immediately available to enhance safety, including an expanded application of technology toward accident reduction, an increased use of data sharing to continually refine safety training and a recommitment to a just-culture framework for accident assessment.

Importantly, we have also engaged Washington policymakers in discussions about recognized approaches to operational safety. In written testimony for a House subcommittee hearing, NBAA encouraged the expansion of programs like the FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) initiative. At a safety-focused Call to Action gathering held by the FAA, NBAA hosted a discussion on both established and new ways of thinking to drive a safety-first mindset, on the ground and in the air.

We also know that learning from each other is key to continued progress in safe flying. That’s why NBAA has joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and a host of other organizations, as a partner in AOPA’s new National Pause for GA Safety program, which emphasizes the sharing of best practices. All aviators should make a point of visiting GAsafe.org, which offers a variety of unique resources to help the industry maintain the highest possible safety standards.

Finally, this annual safety-themed edition of Business Aviation Insider includes a feature story analyzing accident case studies, and the potentially life-saving lessons we can all take away from those events. This edition of the magazine also includes the first installment in NBAA’s new, year-round series of articles dedicated to safety, ensuring that this core value will be incorporated into each edition of the magazine going forward.

Since its founding, NBAA has continually prioritized the safety of your operation, on the ground and in the air. It’s important that we all look at safety as a journey and not a destination.