Bombardier’s annual Safety Standdown, set for November 7 to 9 in Wichita, is marking its 27th iteration and pivots around the theme of "integrity in safety."
Chris Milligan, v-p of preowned aircraft services and flight operations at Bombardier and the head of the Safety Standdown event, explained the conceptual evolution from prior themes. He told AIN that this year’s event emphasizes "ensuring that we do the right thing even when it's behind closed doors.”
“We always strive to reach the highest ethics in operations,” he added. “Aiming to achieve integrity in safety, we can ensure that safety is always the overriding driver of every decision we make.”
Originating 27 years ago from a Bombardier Learjet flight demonstration team passionate about human factors and safety training, the event saw rapid growth due to the industry's broad interest. By 1999, it was no longer just a Bombardier-focused event but one that embraced the entire aviation industry. The Standdown's commitment to addressing human factors, safety, and training has since attracted a diverse pool of attendees. "It didn't resonate with just the pilots," Milligan explained. "It was everybody working together for the overall safety of an operation."
To date, approximately 10,000 people from varied backgrounds—corporate, commercial, and military aviation professionals—have been impacted by the Safety Standdown, he said. While a full house of over 400 participants is anticipated for the event in Wichita, the livestream webcast will extend its reach to numerous countries.
Among this year’s list of presenters are Tony Kern, the founding partner of Convergent Performance—who spoke at last year's event—and Amy Grubb from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who focuses on workplace safety. Milligan also highlighted a presentation from Daniel Mollicone of Pulsar Informatics on fatigue risk management as a must-see session.
"Our [overarching] theme for several years has been learning, applying, and sharing," Milligan said, urging attendees to integrate what they learn during the event and impart it to their colleagues. "It has a far-reaching effect even beyond the three-day event."
In addition to the annual event, Bombardier hosts year-round safety talks and has established a resource center on its website to offer continuous support to aviation professionals. “A number of presenters will give live examples of things that they either researched at the NTSB or that they've seen and experienced in their own workplace," Milligan said, "and they'll share those with the audience.”
The Safety Standdown remains a free event: sponsors, along with Bombardier, ensure that it is accessible to all aviation professionals.