The Flight Safety Foundation’s (FSF) and NBAA’s business aviation safety summit (BASS), which opened yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is focusing on the importance of data sharing and analysis, human factors, disaster recovery and company preparedness. During a session yesterday, G550 pilot Steve Charbonneau said the voluntary aviation safety and information analysis sharing program (ASIAS) has now recruited 12 corporate flight department members and is looking for more input as the group works to bring to general aviation the same data analysis strategies that have helped to reduce the airline accident rate.
One of the day’s highlights was a presentation from John Cox of Washington, D.C.-based aviation consultancy Safety Operating Systems, who offered a sobering view of the rissing risks of lithium ion battery meltdown on board an aircraft and just how difficult it is to extinguish the resulting fire. He also emphasized the hazards of anyone trying to extinguish such a fire without the proper safety gear. Cox reviewed the latest actions from theFAA and other regulators that can help to mitigate this risk.
Meawhile, Boeing Executive Flight Operation chief of safety Alan Dean was this year’s winner of the FSF’smeritorious service award, which recognizes an individual or company for exceptional ability to improve the safety of business aviation. FSF president Jon Beatty said, “Alan’s leadership has cultivated a safety management system that is truly industry leading.”