SM4 Safety Articles & Resources
Beyond Part 107: Enhancing Drone Pilot Skills for Safety and Performance
As a licensed drone pilot, you can fly commercial missions, embark on exciting new adventures, hone your skills and earn money. Your Part 107 license is an important start on your training journey. However, additional training beyond Part 107 is crucial. You should invest in your future and strive to become the best drone pilot you can be!
Understanding the Effect of Increased Aviation Demand and Fatigue on Pilots
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the aviation industry, with travel restrictions and flight cancellations severely impacting air travel over the past three years. Business aviation was one of the most impacted air travel sectors, as organizations opted for virtual meetings or found other ways to engage remotely with their clients and colleagues.
What Would Marcus Aurelius Do?
In a recent discussion with an experienced pilot about this, he immediately gave his biggest concern. “It’s not just about pilots or air traffic controllers, everybody is new,” he said. From maintenance personnel to ground support, thousands of new entries into our industry are learning as they go and making simple mistakes along the way. It has always been this way with inexperienced people, but now we have a lot more of them.
Management of Change (MoC): A Collaborative Approach To Raising Awareness Amidst a Constant State of Change
Identifying and managing hazards affecting an operation’s integrity is a fundamental objective of all flight departments or organizations working within a risk-based environment. In aviation, more and more operators are coming to the conclusion, and rightly so, that mere regulatory compliance is not an assurance of operational integrity and safety.
Strategies for Reducing a Concerning Trend in Runway Excursions
Over a four-year period ending in 2010, there were 20 runway excursions at Jackson Hole, WY (KJAC). As a result of this uptick in excursions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 11011. A combination of the heightened awareness created by the SAFO and the Jackson Hole airport and operators adopting many of the recommendations successfully has mitigated excursions over the last 12 years.
SMS and ERP: Moving Toward Full Integration
Regulatory approaches to aviation safety are after-the-fact reactions to major incidents and accidents or historical data studies. Where working safety professionals value proactivity and prevention, governmental agencies often take an…
Ready for Takeoff: The Importance of In-Flight Allergic Reaction Preparedness
As business aviation operators, we are constantly focused on the safety and well-being of passengers and crew. But what happens when an in-flight allergic reaction strikes? Are you prepared for the unexpected?
Quality of Life and Its Implications for Safety, Attraction & Retention
We are often asked, “What are the greatest factors in an aviation operation that influence attraction, retention and operational safety?” Without a doubt, the most frequent response we get when talking one-on-one with hundreds of aviation professionals is quality of life. Then, company leadership commonly asks us, “What has the greatest impact on quality of life for those in an aviation organization?”
Take the Stairs!
It is only human nature to seek the easy button and attempt to expedite the path to understanding and mastering skills. Unfortunately, this streamlined approach is inconsistent and far less effective than its more methodical, and occasionally longer, counterpart.
