Have you noticed how you walk on to your airline flight and don't give your safety any real thought? There are about 30% of the flying public out there who are nervous fliers, if not outright fearful fliers. But most of the flying public give no more concern for their safety as they do getting a safe drink of water from their tap or turn on a switch for electricity to illuminate their way. However, at one time none of these endeavors were very safe.
In this book, I go into intimate detail as to how airline travel has become so safe. And no, it wasn't all in response to accidents. If it were, there would be aircraft crashing on a monthly, if not weekly basis. No, there has been over three decades of hard, proactive work by the government (namely the FAA), industry, labor and education to develop and implement many philosophies, programs, policies and procedures that have "raised the safety bar" as the flying public expect.
This safety journey started with the government and industry collaborating and providing key documents that set the framework for the "new era" of safety we enjoy today. The list is long but I delve into the origins of programs such as: AQP, ASAP, ASIAS, CAST, CRM, FOQA, FRMS, IEP, IOSA, LOFT, LOSA, NASIP, QMS, RNP, SAS, SEAP, SMS, SRB, TEM, UAS and VDRP. Don't worry, I included a Glossary and put it up front of the book to help you.
This book is really a memoire because I found my 40+ year aviation carrer (whether by destiny or luck I don't know) gave me a front row seat in observing and even participating in the development and approval of the many programs I mentioned above. I also had the opportunity to implement an SMS at a major airline (so I could practice what I preached) and I take you step-by-step through that process.
Since this is a memoire, written as my professional aviation career sunsetted, during the pandemic, I capture my thoughts on a vast range of subjects pertaining to aviation. I talk through my "Fini flight" as a tribute to the many airline pilots who were unable to have a fini flight of their own during the pandemic. I also wanted to provide to folks interested in a career in aviation safety, some things that may help them (eg. leadership, ideas for success and the like).
If you are involved in an aviation endeavor, space endeavor, a student of safety here in the United States or anywhere abroad, this book is for you.