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New NBAA Campaign Links Professionalism and Safety

Everyday professionalism is an integral component of business aviation safety. That’s the core message of NBAA’s new PREFLIGHT campaign, which highlights the impact that positive behavior has on operational safety through a series of presentations, infographics and educational videos.

“The beauty of focusing on professionalism is that it doesn’t take a lot of time or money – you just have to want do it,” said Jason Herman, CAM, chair of NBAA’s Domestic Operations Committee, which is working with the association’s Safety Committee to launch the campaign.

Committee members have created original materials showcasing actionable ways to enhance professionalism in the flight department. In these resources, which will roll out on a regular basis on social media, industry experts will break down the positive behaviors encompassed in PREFLIGHT:

Preparation

Respectful

Ethical

Follow policies and procedures

Leadership

Integrity

Genuine

Humble

Transparent

“One of our challenges is coming up with ways to promote professionalism without it coming across as a lecture or admonishment,” said Jeff Wofford, CAM, director of aviation for CommScope and chairman of NBAA’s Safety Committee. “This campaign is about making it easy to remember that little things like attention to detail and respect for others can make a big difference in aviation.”

Wofford described the campaign as a formalization of trends he’s been heartened to see, including an increased focus on fostering working environments where personnel are encouraged to talk openly about mistakes or lessons learned.

“We’ve found that one key to success is putting the ego aside and talking honestly with each other about our performances,” agreed Michael Whannell, CAM, chief pilot for Jack Henry & Associates, Inc and NBAA Domestic Operations Committee member. “In an industry with very serious consequences, we owe it to each other to be honest and to provide valuable peer-to-peer feedback.”

The PREFLIGHT campaign will push to extend these valuable lessons to all segments of the business aviation industry, with a focus on reaching young professionals and smaller flight departments.

“Our new professionalism campaign is not solely focused on pointing out poor behavior, but rather promoting positive actions and demonstrating how individuals in the community are successfully living these values,” said Herman.