Washington, DC, March 20, 2015 — The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) just completed its eighth annual Air Charter Safety Symposium at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia, after setting records for attendance and sponsorships. The two-day gathering drew 110 people, including aviation executives, directors of operations, chief pilots, safety officers, risk managers and schedulers. The conference also attracted a record 23 sponsors.
“We are extremely pleased with the attendance at this year’s event,” said ACSF President Bryan Burns. “The attendees were rewarded with a range of information that they could use in their daily operations. It was an extremely successful event.”
The theme for this year’s symposium was, “How do you know you’re safe?” Some highlights from the symposium included:
- Keynote Speaker Capt. Al Gorthy, USN retired, reviewed the precursors leading to runway incursions and excursions, and provided attention control techniques to stay focused. “Reducing the likelihood of these events is dependent on the situational awareness and attentiveness of both pilots and controllers, and the time available to take action,” said Capt. Gorthy. “It often comes down to only a matter of seconds.”
- The Honorable Robert Sumwalt, Member, National Transportation Safety Board, spoke on managing professionalism and airmanship. “The number of opportunities for error, especially on challenging flights, is enormous” noted Sumwalt. “And many of those opportunities are associated with two safeguards themselves designed to guard against error: checklists and monitoring.”
- Dr. Quay Snyder, President and CEO, Aviation Medicine Advisory Service, provided updates on key FAA medical certification policies for pilots. Dr. Snyder covered the areas of obstructive sleep apnea, changes in heart disease protocols, antidepressant medication use, the FAA’s enhanced scrutiny of DUI incidents, as well as allowed and prohibited medications.
- Capt. Scott Turner, American Airlines, highlighted the importance of strict adherence to standard operating procedures and active pilot monitoring. “The accident rate due to mechanical reasons continues to decline,” noted Capt. Turner. “But the accident rate resulting from human factors’ issues remains a cause for concern.”
- Attendees also benefited from presentations on integrated risk management, SMS audit results, and a panel discussion on the advantages of participating in an aviation safety action program (ASAP).