Jan. 17, 2023
Longtime aviation safety advocate Russ Lawton, vice president of operations at the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), passed away Jan. 14 after a long illness. Lawton served on NBAA’s Safety Committee for more than 15 years.
Lawton dedicated his entire career to aviation safety. He was the first full-time employee at ACSF, joining in 2006. There he developed the industry audit standard for air charter and fractional operations. Most importantly, his efforts brought the ACSF Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) to smaller operators, making the benefits of that safety data sharing program available to Part 91 and 135 operators for the first time.
A natural teacher, Lawton conducted workshops around the country to help operators implement safety management systems and ASAP, and became a mentor to many safety professionals working to improve the cultures of their organizations.
“Russ made our industry safer with his endless dedication and made our community better simply by being a part of it,” said Doug Carr, NBAA’s senior vice president, safety, security, sustainability and international operations. “Russ was one of the industry’s great advocates. Of his many accomplishments, his efforts to make ASAP accessible to Part 91 and 135 made an immediate and lasting impact on aviation safety.”
Before ACSF, Lawton held posts at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), AOPA Air Safety Foundation and Wyvern Consulting, where he served as the lead safety auditor and combined his passions for travel and aviation safety, conducting audits around the world.
Lawton was a graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor’s degree in air commerce. He also earned a master’s degree in safety from the University of Southern California.
ACSF is establishing a scholarship fund in Lawton’s memory.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.