Textron Standdown Drills Down on Pilot Performance, SMS

Textron Aviation held its 2026 Flight Operations Safety Standdown on February 11, gathering more than 200 employees and industry partners to review safety protocols and operational lessons following more than 17,500 flight hours logged in 2025.

The agenda included safety updates on flight operations with an overview of air safety investigations, a status report on the company’s design and manufacturing safety management systems, and an interactive session on pilot mental focus. Additional topics covered the relationship between pilots and air traffic control, self-reflection and learning through reporting and safety data review, pre- and post-flight briefings, and crisis management.

The event brought together the company’s flight department, quality and air safety teams, the FAA, and other industry groups for a day focused on collaborative learning and safety reinforcement. Textron described the standdown as a pause to refocus on protecting every flight through reflection and shared learning that strengthens employee mindset and operational habits.

“The Standdown is an important day for our team to reflect on lessons learned and reinforce the importance of a safety mindset,” said Ron Draper, Textron Aviation president and CEO. “Safety is a collaborative effort that requires all of us to emphasize the importance of quality and working diligently to prevent avoidable incidents.”