October 10, 2013
NBAA once again showed its support for Bombardier’s Safety Standdown USA, which was held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 in Wichita, KS, with the participation of Doug Carr, the Association’s vice president of safety, security, operations & regulation.
“Safety Standdown is one of two must-attend business aviation safety events that NBAA supports every year. NBAA and Bombardier have enjoyed a long and positive relationship working together to promote aviation safety and professionalism,” said Carr.
“Safety Standdown isn’t an academic seminar. The information provided at this event can be integrated into a flight department the minute attendees return home,” Carr added. “I believe that’s why Safety Standdown is so popular – not just with pilots, but with maintenance professionals and flight department managers as well. It provides practical, implementable guidance to increase the safety of your flight operations.”
The Safety Standdown was started in 1996 with eight individuals from the Bombardier Learjet Flight Demonstration Team. The event promotes knowledge-based training along with personal discipline and responsibility as essential elements of aviation professionalism and safety. The event’s mission is to inform and inspire aviation professional to commit to lifelong learning to achieve higher standards of safety and professionalism.
Sessions presented at this year’s event included “Safety Management through Flight Data Monitoring,” “The Foundations of Ethical Leadership” and more. Not all topics are tailored to pilots or flight operations. This year featured maintenance-focused sessions such as “Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance” and “Maintenance Checkpoint: What Tools are You Missing in Your Knowledge Toolbox?” Speakers represented a range of aviation experience, including members of the National Transportation Safety Board, industry experts and university professors.
The Eugene Cernan Safety Award is also presented at the Safety Standdown, and this year it was presented to Jeffrey Wofford of CommScope, an NBAA Member Company. The award honors an aviation professional who demonstrates professionalism and dedication to aviation safety.
The Safety Standdown is a free event and is open to aviation professionals on a first-come, first-served basis. Although sponsored by Bombardier, the event is not aircraft or manufacturer specific. The standdown is now a worldwide event with seminars conducted in the U.S., Latin America and China.
Many presentations from this year’s event will be available at www.safetystanddown.com.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.