Advancing safety is a key goal for the industry, and looking at various ways of doing that was in focus at the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s 14th Safety Symposium, recently held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, FL.
“The new venue not only gave industry professionals the opportunity to gather and discuss aviation safety, but it also highlighted business aviation career options to students,” said NBAA Director of Safety and Flight Operations Mark Larsen, CAM, who’s been a member of the ACSF Board of Governors since 2014. The event had previously been held at the NTSB training center in Virginia.
Students attended presentations and engaged with symposium participants during the breaks, Larsen said. A number of ERAU professors presented their work on safety culture, using virtual reality in primary flight training, and the relationship between accidents and energy management. ERAU Dean Alan Stolzer and Robert Sumwalt, former NTSB chairman and now executive director of ERAU’s Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, welcomed symposium participants.
Sessions looked at the various issues that impact safety, including human factors such as fatigue, stress and psychological wellness.
On the operational side, former NASA chief astronaut Charlie Precourt, now Citation Jet Pilots Association safety chairman, presented “Bringing Space Shuttle Lessons to Business Aircraft Operations Safety,” which covered the use of flight operations quality assurance data to improve business aviation safety.
Examining case studies also was part of the program. Peter Basile, Textron Aviation’s senior air safety investigator, presented on a Cessna Citation Latitude runway excursion accident, which took place in Tennessee to discuss one of the most common causes of accidents in business aviation.
“This year’s ACSF Symposium offered a great opportunity for safety-minded professionals to network and learn the best ways to improve business aviation safety now and for future generations,” concluded Larsen.
