IASS 2016 Featured First Time Maintenance and Engineering Safety Track

The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) held its annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS) last November in Dubai UAE. The event drew airline and aviation safety representatives from around the world and provided attendees several days of aviation safety presentations, discussions, and workshops, all in support of the FSF mission of supporting, developing, promoting safety standards, practices, and solutions on a global scale.                                            

I did not have the pleasure of attending last year's IASS but what caught my attention was for the first time this global aviation safety event contained one full-day of maintenance and engineering safety sessions. Topics covered were Engineering Safety Culture, Fatigue Risk Management, Maintenance LOSA, Maintenance Human Factors, and Measuring Safety in a Maintenance Organization all presented by an impressive group of industry leaders.

The maintenance track was moderated by Joseph Barclay, CEO and president, Inflight Warning Systems, a member of the FSF International Advisory Committee and current chairman of the FSF Maintenance Advisory Committee.

I recently spoke with Greg Marshall, Flight Safety Foundation’s Vice President of Global Programs about IASS 2016. Marshall commented that including the day-long maintenance and engineering track was very well received, and the Foundation was pleased with the level of participation and the feedback received from participants.

For some time now FSF has had its Maintenance Advisory Committee but the primary focus of FSF initiatives and programs has always had more of an eye toward flight operations rather than directly on any specific maintenance and engineering safety topics. Perhaps including maintenance and engineering sessions into the IASS signals a change.                                                                      

This year’s International Air Safety Summit is scheduled to be held October 23^rd through the 25^th in Dublin, Ireland, and plans are to again include a maintenance and engineering track.   

Thanks FSF for continuing to include maintenance on your list of global safety initiatives. Ron