Story ID: 
Hawker Beech Flight Ops Attains IS-BAO Registration
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Hawker Beechcraft’s flight operations, including all of the company’s flight test, demonstration and corporate transport operations, have received registra
Word Count: 165
Hawker Beechcraft’s flight operations, including all of the company’s flight test, demonstration and corporate transport operations, have received registration under the International Business Aviation Council’s International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO). “[IS-BAO] essentially structures ISO 9000 principles to apply to aviation safety,” according to Hawker Beechcraft. Meeting the IS-BAO requirements was particularly challenging for the aircraft manufacturer, given the variety of aircraft (10 distinct models) and flight operations that include Hawker Beechcraft’s government business division; engineering and experimental flight test; Wichita production flight test and demonstration; and corporate transportation flight operations. Pilots fly different airplane types under constantly varying conditions, and operations might include formation flights, transoceanic ferry flights and extended customer support operations, the company noted. “Adopting IS-BAO standards is a voluntary process designed to integrate all the best safety and operating procedures,” said Hawker Beechcraft vice president of operations Ken Qualls. “Since we highly recommend it for our customers, we felt it was a priority to pursue this certification ourselves.”