July 15, 2014
The spring and autumn tend to be the busy seasons for regional business aviation groups, but many groups are continuing to meet through the summer, and several are also providing in-depth safety programming in the coming weeks.
The Georgia Business Aviation Association (GBAA) helped pioneer the regional safety day concept, holding its first event in 2005. The one-day meeting was modeled on national programs such as the Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS, then called CASS) and the Safety Standdown created by Bombardier.
This year, GBAA will hold its 9th Annual Safety Day near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta. Scheduled for Aug. 21, the program will review upcoming avionics mandates and explore safety issues for aging pilots.
“In our industry, it’s only becoming more important to take time out to focus on safety. Regulatory and technological changes are happening faster,” said Greg Voos, NBAA Southeast regional representative, who will be attending the GBAA event in August. “The summer is an ideal time to focus on safety, when state legislatures are in recess and there are fewer opportunities to do advocacy work.”
Another group with a long tradition of safety education is the Southern California Aviation Association (SCAA), which is holding its 6th Annual Safety Standdown on Sept. 22 in Carlsbad, CA. The theme of the full-day event, ““Managing Automation,” is very timely given the focus of the NBAA Safety Committee, the NTSB and others on stick-and-rudder skills, as well as training for increasingly sophisticated cockpit technologies. Industry experts will discuss overreliance on automation without active pilot monitoring, as well as other issues related to automation and airmanship skills.
Also, the Tampa Bay Aviation Association (TBAA) will hold its 4th Annual Safety Standdown on Sept. 18 at Tampa Executive Airport (VDF). In past years, TBAA’s Safety Standdown has focused on human factors in every aspect of business aviation, from the FBO to the cabin and the cockpit.
Another tool flight departments have for enhancing safety is the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). This summer, there will be workshops offered on the Fundamentals of IS-BAO in Cincinnati, OH; Seattle, WA; San Diego, CA; and Atlanta, GA.
NBAA helps promote regional business aviation group events, including membership meetings, local safety days, advocacy days and fundraisers, held nationwide throughout the year. Learn more about NBAA’s regional resources.
More details on the following regional safety events:
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.