... begins to get a foothold in the Part 135 charter/aircraft management segment, evidenced by the recent hiring of a full-time executive director. Bryan Burns takes over the helm from Jacqueline Rosser, who has been doing double duty – she is the long-time director of regulatory affairs for the National Air Transportation Association, out of which the ACSF was hatched.
Burns has some 28 years in the industry, having worked at various fixed base operations through the years. Among those: Signature Flight Support at Washington Reagan and Dulles airports; Jackson Hole Aviation; Midcoast Aviation in St. Louis; and Miami Aviation Corporation at Opa Locka. He had the distinction of leading Signature DCA to Number One in pilot surveys, prior to the feds essentially shutting down that operation following 9/11.
ACSF primarily targets Part 135s for membership, along with associated suppliers and vendors, and is aggressively pushing its audit program – a primary mission for Burns. He relates that the association was formed by leading NATA charter members who were concerned about maintaining a high level of safety and service to customers. The audit program is one more extension of that effort.
Burns equates ACSF’s efforts for Part 135s to that of the FlightSafety Foundation’s program for airlines. Safety and credibility are paramount; thus the audit program. Comments Burns, “One thing we’ve discovered is management involvement, or lack of involvement, has an impact. What seems to surface is the director of operations has to realize that this is an across the board compliance. It’s not just checking the boxes and thinking you’re going to be certified. This is about going into every component of the business, from cleaning airplanes to the director of aviation -- to ensure they’re doing what they say they’re doing. The real measuring stick is … is it being implemented?â€
One area in which ACSF seeks to have an impact is with the safety management systems (SMS) initiative expected to come soon from FAA, which Burns says is a big supporter of ACSF activities. “We’re creating best practices,†he says. “We know it’s [SMS] coming; we’ve just taken the lead in putting out that information and capturing this data. We’ve been working with the FAA to continue to share with them what we’re doing. They’re very supportive of what they say is a very strong program. They’re looking at our program as a potential guide for what may be out in the fall.â€
The group also wants to create an aviation safety action plan, a “whistleblower†corrective action program through which employees and others can report unsafe practices without retribution.
The foundation was formed just as the industry, and charter firms in particular, took a big hit from the economic downturn and industry bashing by Washington. Yet, says Burns, “It has nothing but growth opportunities. We’ve added five new members since I joined in July.â€
Thanks for reading. jfi
(Look for the complete interview with Bryan Burns in the upcoming September issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS magazine.)