Safety Regulation - SM4 Safety Articles & Resources

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check engine lights

Check Engine Light: The Illusion of Program Effectiveness

An aviation company’s responsibility is to ensure regulatory compliance and conformance to its internal policies, procedures and processes, including voluntary standards. To do that, leaders and team members throughout an organization must understand and monitor the “dashboard lights.”

Posted on November 5, 2024
risk management team

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.

Posted on February 28, 2023
An event is a free lesson... report it!

Safety Reporting: Crewed and Un-Crewed

It’s an exciting time to be part of the expanding UAS industry. It has been a whirlwind to watch the growth from its earliest days until now. Over the next few years, it will continue that evolution and expand in tandem with regulatory standards and guidelines for its safe operation.

Posted on September 6, 2022
woman holding digital tablet in the airport runway

Safety Reporting: An Obligation and Opportunity to Contribute to the Greater Good

Safety in aviation is always a top priority. There are many ways to approach this important task, with the first line of defense being a keen and constant personal awareness of one’s habits, health, skill and environment. But even under the best conditions, sometimes there are still various factors that lead to safety incidents or accidents.

Posted on August 5, 2022
Pilots flying an airplane

Selecting Items To Include on Your FRAT

At its core, the Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) is a pre-flight evaluation of potential threats faced in a mission or flight. Developed from research and detailed study of accidents occurring in the aviation industry in the early 2000s, the FRAT was revolutionary when it became mainstream in 2007.

Posted on May 2, 2022
hand holding wrench

2022: The Year of the Aviation Mechanic

As we ring in the New Year, many of us like to think big. How can we have the most impact in the new year? How can we recruit and provide the best people with the best tools, training and motivation to excel? How can we find the resources to accomplish all of our grand ideas floating like sugarplums though our holiday-spirited minds?

Posted on January 10, 2022
Standard operating procedure spray painted on road

The Bedrock of Aviation—Standard Operating Procedures… Consider the Variables!

Aviation is all about standard operating procedures and their more-beloved acronym “SOP.” With the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on staffing levels, operators have had to make some hard decisions, whose impact may not be readily apparent. This article illuminates the risk in assuming SOPs are, in fact, standards.

Posted on October 30, 2020
Technicians studying blueprints in hangar

The Journey to the New Normal: is Your Organization Prepared to Resume Operations?

In hindsight, it is fair to say that the world was ill‐prepared to cope with the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although not commeasurable to the Black Death of the 14th century or…

Posted on April 29, 2020
Drone flying in front of airplane

Preparing for and Understanding Remote ID

Over the last decade, Civil Aviation Authorities worldwide have had to tackle the challenge of integrating unmanned aircraft into traditional airspace systems. As drones have increased in popularity, it has…

Posted on March 26, 2020