Advancing the Safety of All Who Fly: Embry-Riddle, Boeing Partner to Advance Airline Safety
Representatives from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety recently traveled internationally to deliver an aviation safety certification course focused on Safety Management Systems (SMS). The course, taught on behalf of Boeing, took place in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, at the SF Airlines headquarters. It included over 40 safety leaders from 10 cargo airlines interested in further advancing the global safety of all who fly.
Robert Sumwalt, executive director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, was joined by Embry-Riddle’s Dr. Bob Waltz, an adjunct professor in the Worldwide Campus as well as an aviation industry leader for nearly 40 years, and representatives from Boeing, who coordinated the program. Program details were also organized by Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Campus Professional Programs Director Sarah Ochs.
According to Sumwalt, the Boeing center has three key objectives: to provide education and training to support safety awareness, to lead and conduct relevant research to enhance safety, and to support safety thought leadership.
“This meaningful partnership with Boeing has the unique characteristic of satisfying each of our key objectives as well as fulfilling our mission to advance the safety of all who fly,” Sumwalt added.
Collaborative Training
The five-day course, organized by Boeing in partnership with Embry-Riddle, included classroom lectures, group exercises and open discussion. The program culminated in a final scenario-based mitigation activity addressing the SMS pillars of safety policy, risk management, safety assurance and safety promotion.
John Gong, a member of the Boeing Global Strategic Initiatives team, said that the diverse mix of course content and stories shared by experts in the field created a dynamic learning environment.
“Mr. Sumwalt and Dr. Waltz have decades of industry experience that really made the course relevant and engaging for all participants,” Gong said. “One of our team’s goals is to strengthen and support the aviation ecosystem as a whole, and our partnership with Embry-Riddle to provide this in-depth training is a major step forward.”
Dr. Waltz, a former vice president of flight operations for a major airline (and a current airline captain) who has vast experience implementing and overseeing an SMS, appreciated the opportunity to be a part of the forward-thinking program.
“Throughout my career, my focus has been on preventing accidents in high-reliability organizations, along with the value of proper preparation and customer care should an accident or incident occur,” he said. “Safety certification programs like the one we’ve offered with Boeing further not only global safety but also global collaboration — a consideration that cannot be overlooked in the pursuit of safety excellence.”
Boeing has also contracted with Mr. Sumwalt and Dr. Waltz to teach an advanced SMS course to the aviation regulatory authority of Indonesia in the near future.
Looking Back
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made its first aviation safety recommendation on SMS in 2007, resulting in a 2015 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement for commercial air carriers to implement an SMS. Earlier this year, the FAA requirement was expanded to include commuter and air tour operators, as well as aircraft manufacturers.
Sumwalt, who was vice chair at NTSB when the initial recommendation was made, regularly speaks on the importance of a strong safety management system.
“SMS isn’t just about process and procedures,” he said. “To have a strong safety management system, you must have a commitment to a safety mindset and culture, and that starts at the top of the organization.”
He added that programs like this one are vital to continuous improvement. “Safety isn’t a one-and-done activity. You’ve got to continue to flex that muscle and engage in learning and practice to ensure that you’re in the right mindset to prevent issues if you can.”
Continuing the Dialogue
Dr. Alan Stolzer, author of “Safety Management Systems in Aviation” (3rd Edition), along with Sumwalt and John Goglia, stresses the importance of talking not only about when things go right but where improvements can occur.
“While countries such as the United States and China have implemented SMS years ago, for other countries, there is still a lot of work to do,” Stolzer said, noting that SMS is a standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the aviation branch of the United Nations. “It’s important that we continue to think about, study and analyze situations and scenarios so that we can advance safety performance internationally.”
Stolzer also acknowledges that safety means different things to different people and that those definitions can vary country-by-country and even between aviation operators. As Dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus, Dr. Stolzer is an active researcher and has been the principal investigator on several federally funded grants related to aviation safety. In other words, he’s made safety his life’s work.
“Because of cultural differences, we may never reach consensus on every aspect of safety in operations, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying,” he said.
Fortunately, the principal vision of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle is to lead and foster innovation and collaboration among industry, government and academic leaders, focusing on research, academic programs, professional education and consulting that will enhance aviation and aerospace safety.
That’s a mission we can stand behind.
Posted In: Aviation | Institutional News | Security Intelligence and Safety