Safety Standdown Opens with Call To Share Responsibility

In its 29th year, Bombardier’s Safety Standdown opened today in Wichita with a clear message: aviation safety is everyone’s responsibility. The 2025 event, themed “Own the Outcome,” convened with more than 400 attendees in person and many more via webcast for three days of training on accountability, leadership, and safety culture.

Master of ceremonies Franco Pietracupa, Bombardier demonstration pilot whose team manages the Safety Standdown program, welcomed participants with humor and gratitude. He greeted the audience, noting that the first Safety Standdown in 1996 drew just eight participants. He said more than 12,000 participants have attended in person over the event’s 29 years, amounting to “72,000 days where we get together and we talk safety.”

Pietracupa thanked sponsors and the Safety Standdown Advisory Council, calling the annual program critical to advancing human factors education. “We’ve got a great theme this year—Own the Outcome,” he said. “You own the outcome. You are the people, your team. You empower your team to talk safety and be safe.”

Chris Milligan, Bombardier v-p for preowned aircraft services and flight operations, emphasized the event’s longstanding purpose. It is “always an honor…to be back in Wichita,” he said, “the air capital of the world.” Milligan reflected on the event’s motto—learn, apply, share—encouraging participants to carry lessons home to their organizations. “Own the Outcome…is not only about owning your responsibility in the steps of what you do day-to-day, but it’s owning the result,” he said.

Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association, addressed attendees via video, noting that he was “not sure any Safety Standdown has been as important as the one we have in front of us today.” Citing the January accident involving an American Airlines flight from Wichita and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, Bolen said it had “steeled our resolve to build a brand-new air traffic control system” and reaffirmed the industry’s shared duty to build “a safety culture in aviation that always puts safety first and makes safety our guiding light.”

Dan Boedigheimer, chief safety officer at Advanced Aircrew Academy and chair of NBAA’s safety committee, echoed the event’s theme: “Safety is not a reaction, but it’s a responsibility,” he said. “It’s about taking full ownership of the results of our operation and building a culture where outcomes are predictable, reliable, and safe.” He urged participants to “learn deliberately, stay curious and honest about what’s working and what’s not,” and to “share generously” their insights and challenges.

Troy Smith, Leidos aviation safety officer and former FBI supervisory special agent, recounted how attending his first Standdown changed his career path. “Safety Standdown has really changed the way I fly,” he said. “For me, Safety Standdown was instrumental in changing my mind from being a safety guy for two years to staying in a safety management role for the past 18 years or so,” he said, adding that he has been to almost every Standdown since 2008.

Since its founding by Bombardier’s Learjet demonstration pilots in Wichita, Safety Standdown has become a defining event in business aviation safety culture. More than 10,000 professionals have attended worldwide. Milligan reminded the audience that the program remains free thanks to sponsors and partners.