Enhancing Aviation Safety: Expert Insights, Tips, and Updates from SMS-Pro

Christopher Howell

Manage global operations for aviation safety management systems (SMS) software that facilitates regulatory compliance, such as ICAO, FAA, Transport Canada, IS-BAO. Manage software engineering support efforts to local Alaska businesses. Assist in design, implementation, testing and documentation of complex, three-tier Windows applications relying heavily upon secure Web services technology.
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Recent Posts

Advanced Aviation SMS: Science and Technology Required for Profits

Posted by Christopher Howell on Mar 8, 2021 5:45:00 AM

Science and Technology in Aviation Business Drive Revenues

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) needlessly continue to remain unprofitable after almost fifteen years.

Your aviation SMS also fails to produce profits. Why?

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, Quality-Safety Management

Advanced Aviation SMS: Top Management Support Drives SMS Profits

Posted by Christopher Howell on Mar 3, 2021 6:00:00 AM

Management's Absence Creates SMS Adoption Challenges

Many newly-appointed safety managers try to single-handedly push their organization's aviation safety management systems (SMS) to success. Safety managers are hired to perform an ambitious undertaking that is not heartily welcomed by the entire organization.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, 1-Safety Policy, Quality-Safety Management

What Is Advanced Aviation SMS? → Safety Management Systems

Posted by Christopher Howell on Mar 1, 2021 6:00:00 AM

What Is Advanced Aviation SMS Series?

Aviation SMS Must Be Business First—Safety Second

Does your aviation SMS make money? Probably not.

Why not? Most aviation SMS failures result from operators consistently neglecting to follow the prescribed aviation SMS recipe as originally designed.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, 3-Safety Assurance

Advanced Aviation SMS: Seek Permission Before Focusing on SMS Profits

Posted by Christopher Howell on Feb 24, 2021 6:00:00 AM

Financial Opportunities Abound From Aviation SMS Processes

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) are designed to be implemented in a top-down managerial style for some "not-so-obvious reasons." For one reason, the "accountable executive" cannot accurately be considered "accountable" when safety initiatives and budgets exist beyond their direct control.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, Safety Culture

Advanced Aviation SMS: Generating Profits - First Steps

Posted by Christopher Howell on Feb 17, 2021 6:15:00 AM

Aviation Safety Management Is Business!

For most operators implementing regulatory compliant aviation safety management systems (SMS), their primary business goal was obviously regulatory compliance. Otherwise, thousands of aviation service providers would have initiated aviation SMS before ICAO's November 2006 mandate.

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Topics: Aviation SMS Database, Safety Culture

How to Review Management of Change Interfaces in Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Feb 10, 2021 6:00:00 AM

Aviation SMS Provides Structure to Safety Initiatives

An aviation safety management system (SMS) provides service providers with risk management processes that are:

  • Globally accepted by the aviation industry;
  • Structured and documented to ensure repeatability;
  • Implemented organization-wide; and
  • Monitored internally and often externally to assure compliance.
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Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management

How to Discover Hidden Value in Your Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Jan 27, 2021 6:15:00 AM

What Is Value to Aviation Operations?

Many modern line-level aviation managers maintain an imperfect perception of value relating to cost-effective aviation operations. These immature, untrained value hunters act as if leadership prizes value solely from the bottom-line perspective,

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation, 2-Safety Risk Management

Is Your Aviation SMS Implementation a Farce? - With Self Assessments

Posted by Christopher Howell on Jan 18, 2021 1:44:00 PM

The Brutal Truth About Your Aviation SMS Implementation

If you cannot handle emotional pain or controversy today, please don't read this. I certainly don't mean to offend, but I have to say this:

Most aviation service providers are lying regarding their aviation SMS implementations.

What? We just spent tens of thousands of dollars on aviation safety management system (SMS) implementation consultants, and we don't have an SMS implementation?

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Topics: Aviation SMS Implementation

3 Scenarios for Accountable Executives to Minimize Risk to Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Jan 6, 2021 6:00:00 AM

Accountable Executives' SMS Nightmare

In most cases, aviation safety managers are:

  • Dedicated;
  • Hard working;
  • Resourceful; and
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Topics: 2-Safety Risk Management

FAA Part 5 - Monitor Safety Risk Controls in Aviation SMS

Posted by Christopher Howell on Nov 11, 2020 6:00:00 AM

Do You Really Understand Safety Risk Controls?

FAA Part 5 - Safety Management Systems has a subtle, but important requirement stuck in subsection 5.25 Designation and responsibilities of required safety management personnel. There is a subsection that packs a dynamite punch that should leave most of you reeling with uncertainty.

This requirement is buried in the subsection 5.25 (c) Designation of management personnel and deals with monitoring the effectiveness of safety risk controls.

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Topics: 3-Safety Assurance

Site content provided by Northwest Data Solutions is meant for informational purposes only. Opinions presented here are not provided by any civil aviation authority or standards body.

 

 

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