Story ID: 
Second GWBAA Safety Standdown Deemed a Success
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: About 85 pilots, mechanics and flight department personnel attended the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association’s second annual safety standdown, 
Word Count: 191
About 85 pilots, mechanics and flight department personnel attended the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association’s second annual safety standdown, held last week at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Va. “I thought it was a huge success and improved on what we offered the previous year,” said corporate pilot and GWBAA safety and operations chairman Jim Lumley. At this year’s one-day standdown, three speakers filled the agenda: Bob Agostino, father of the annual Bombardier safety standdown and former Bombardier director of flight operations; Paul Schuda, NTSB associate managing director, who gave a presentation on the cause of the TWA Flight 800 in-flight breakup and a tour of the 747’s reconstructed forward fuselage; and former NTSB investigator Greg Feith. NBAA president Ed Bolen opened the day’s events by encouraging attendees to keep improving their already high levels of safety. Bolen expects about 20 of the 45 regional business aviation groups to hold safety standdown-type events this year. Agostino emphasized that it is critical that aviators continue to learn and to share their knowledge with each other. “Knowledge is power only if you share it,” he said, “not if you keep it to yourself.”