Story ID: 
Safety Standdown 2025 To Focus on Accountability
By: Amy Wilder
Caption: Registration now open for the event, in its 29th year
Word Count: 430
Registration is now open for Bombardier’s 29th annual Safety Standdown, scheduled for November 10 to 13 in Wichita. The free event continues a tradition of bringing together aviation professionals from around the world for seminars, workshops, and discussions focused on advancing flight safety. This year’s theme, “Own the Outcome,” underscores the seminar’s emphasis on accountability at every level of aviation.
According to the program website, the theme is “a call to action for aviation professionals to take full responsibility for every decision, every procedure, and every moment that impacts safety…safety is not left to chance—it is the direct result of intentional choices and disciplined actions.” The statement adds that “owning the outcome means understanding that safety is not just a policy—it’s a personal and collective responsibility.”
The agenda begins with a welcome reception on November 10, followed by three days of general sessions and workshops. Returning once again to the podium is Tony Kern of Convergent Performance, a longtime Safety Standdown presenter. Kern will deliver the opening keynote on November 11, “Under the Black Flag: Lessons on Performance and Culture from Men without a Country.”
Other general session topics include “Learning from Normal Work,” presented by Madeline Young of Polaris Aero and Ivan Pupulidy of the University of Alabama at Birmingham; “Enhance Safety Intelligence with Training Data” by CAE’s Clément Cateau; and “Leadership and Life Lessons from Blue Angel One” by Russ “Boss” Bartlett of Centerpoint Leadership.
Workshops will cover a wide range of issues, from runway excursion prevention and upset training evolution to psychological safety, data-driven training, aviation security, and sustainability. First day highlights include “Safety Performance Monitoring for Business Aviation: Measuring and Analyzing Data for Operational Insights” by Jason Starke of the Business Aviation Safety Consortium (offered again on day three), and “Prepare for More Than the Mission,” by Adam Hartley of Universal​ Weather and Aviation.
The seminar’s structure ensures that participants can attend multiple sessions of interest. Each workshop is offered more than once during the three-day program, allowing attendees to balance their schedules and hear from a diverse slate of experts. Among the confirmed presenters are Katherine Lemos of DaVinci Tech Performance, Jermaine Cadogan of Convergent Performance, Jeff Wofford of Flying W Aviation, and Norman “DQ” Dequier of Aviation Performance Solutions.
Safety Standdown remains free to attend but requires advance registration. Both in-person and webcast options are available, though these use separate registration platforms. Organizers caution that seats for certain workshops tend to fill quickly.