Wyvern, ARGUS, FAA, TSA, Drug & Alcohol Abatement, IS-BAO, ICAO, INS (insurance), NATA, NTSB, DOT, IRS, OSHA, and yet not an all inclusive list, all team up with (or against) the aviation operator. Each provides their own oppression to compliance and standards. 

We must note here that the burden of responsibility to standardize each of the aforementioned agency’s influence is specifically on the operator.  Although Special Services Corporation (SSC) does agree that each of these enitities have an important purpose, as an operator we are the only common denomination to the list as a whole. We must all work together as a team to the common cause of aviation safety.

This lesson was taught, although apparently not learned, from the unfortunate 9/11 tragedy.  The enforcement agencies were justified independently in their own right and purpose, but did not work  or communicate together as a whole for the common cause, therefore deeming them less effective to protect our country.

SSC, as an aircraft operator who relates to all of these agencies, finds this true more frequent than not.  Compliance with one standard may conflict or at least sometimes counter another.  This causes busy work to find ways to a compromised resolve. This oftens results in losing focus on our common cause and objective: Effective high safety standards.

The most recent challenge is the Safety Management System (SMS). SSC firmly believes in its purpose and objective. We have worked and continues to work extensively on expanding our Safety Program to a complete cycle management system. However the industry guidance continues to be of a wide variety as to what the standard of a SMS should be.

Operators must be able to develope an SMS that meets its safety enhancing purpose, but yet realistically fits the specific operation. SSC challenges ourselves and the agencies named above to stay focused on the objective and not allow it to grow into a required bearucratic compliance document approved on paper that simply may miss this great opportunity to collectively work together to enhance safety.

Maybe also as operator and agency resolve to not give guidance or mandate compliance that conflicts with brother or sister agencies in the industry. This can only be done when we consider the impact of our impositions on the whole aviation industry team before acting. This is called “communication” which by the way is an imperative action required for good CRM, SMS, SOP, etc..

SSC sincerely believes that this type of unity will make aviation as a whole more effectively safe in the real day-to-day operations. Oh yes, not to mention more efficient and cost effective.

 What a deal! The irony is that safety is the greatest and most valuable commondity in aviation, yet it costs the least. How effective really is the aviation auditing process?

Jim Alexander