When The SMS Manager Is Silenced

When The SMS Manager Is Silenced

By OffRoadPilots

The person managing the safety management system (SMS manager) can easily be

silenced by the accountable executive (AE), who is responsible for regulatory

compliance on behalf of the certificate holder (CH). Silencing the SMS manager is

not intended to withdraw from the safety management system (SMS) itself but is

simply a business and contract decision made by an AE. An accountable executive

is not an SMS expert and may struggle with accepting work by an SMS manager,

since an SMS is intangible, SMS operations runs smooth, but financial results are not visible. 

An accountable executive is

often the chief executive

officer (CEO) of an

organization and is trained

to analyze tangible results.

An AE is result oriented, and

when an SMS does not

produce any results, or does

not have much to show for,

an AE could fall in the trap

and force the issue. Forcing

the issue is to find a tangible root cause that can be changed or replaced. SMS

might be a businesslike approach to safety, but it is not compatible with business principles, and is unable to compete with tangible business results. Without tangible results, an SMS becomes a liability to an organization, since there is only operational cost associated without any revenue to show for. An imaginary saving due to lack of accidents is not a taxable revenue yet.

When applying a businesslike approach to safety it is vital for a successful startup

and operations of the business is on the right track from the beginning. Starting up

a business takes more than cash. It takes strategic planning. Many businesses

started up with little cash but became successful by their strategies. Business

An accountable executive is a leader through the regulatory maze.strategies may be as simple as selling used items out of a garage, to a complex

strategy designing artificial intelligence.

The first question to answer when building a safety management system, is what

type of an SMS needs to be built. Before an operator starts spending money to set

up their SMS, it is essential to ensure that the SMS idea has the potential to be

successful. It is a competitive world out there, and safety needs to compete with

on time departures and arrivals, it needs to compete with snow, rain, and other

extreme weather conditions. Taking some time to research what affects safety in

operations within an operational area, will pay off in the long run.

Just as a successful business

needs to stand out from the

crowd, a successful safety

management system needs

to sand out. When an SMS is

regulated, there are

regulatory requirement any

SMS must conform to, but a

successful SMS conforms to

processes with their

customers in mind. An SMS

enterprise must define who their target customers are. Regulatory compliance is a

priority, but the regulator is not the target customer. Target customers are the

users, tenants, airport and airline personnel, air traffic services, and anyone else

who are associated with an airport or airline.

It takes money to start up a safety management system. Buildings, offices,

equipment, vehicles, computers, software, personnel, tools, and training are

essential for a successful SMS. One of the first operators to implement a regulatory

SMS, tracked the implementation cost to a million dollars. A million dollars is a

large investment for intangible results. When starting up an SMS business, it is

crucial to do the homework, research, and develop expected outcome results. An outcome result that there were no accidents today is not an SMS investment, or

business investment result. The value, or money earned, by lack of accidents is not

a taxable income yet.

To find a profitable niche, an

SMS enterprise needs do

some initial market research

to identify their target

customers and understand

their needs and desires.

Airports and airlines should

also get familiar with the

competition and pinpoint

market gaps they can fill.

Traditionally airlines are operating out of larger and international airports. This

does not change with a safety management system. However, an airport with

fewer or no scheduled air operations, could tailor their SMS to business jets and

private charters. The future is in smaller aircraft charter where the cost of travel is

competitive to the cost of purchasing an airline ticket. Travelling on private jet

charters normally takes a person closer to their destinations, since they are

operating out of low-movement airports located in relatively remote areas. Airport

with a successful SMS has fixed base operators (FBO) on their field, that has been

granted the right by the airport authority to operate on the airport and provide

aviation services, such as fuel, parking, and hangar space, to non-scheduled air

charters, and to the aviation community. The future in aviation and success of the

safety management system is in the hands of airport authorities to accommodate

for the increased private jet charters.

An airport goal is to find the right service market fit, which is the sweet spot where

airports are attracting customers and turning them into loyal customers and

advocates for the airport. During the preplanning startup stage of a safety

management system is also the time to research investors and answer any

objections they will have. Investors need to see that their investment will produce

an acceptable return on investment. Investors are expecting to receive cash

dividends, which an SMS does not generate in a traditional way. Company share

holders and investors may rightfully request financial statements showing that

their safety management system is a profit generator.

A silenced SMS manger may be discouraged to conduct system analyses, risk

analyses and other process control tasks in fear of making decisions which are

opposing to business expectations. An SMS manager may find it more productive

to accept reasonable demands that are in non-compliance with SMS principles, as

opposed to maintain a healthy SMS. When there is no profit to show for, the SMS

manager becomes an easy target to silence. When an SMS manager is silenced, an

SMS non-conforming to SMS principles will deteriorate over time. A deteriorating

SMS happens over a longer time period, over several years and goes undetected

for those who do not fully comprehend a safety management system.

The accountable executive is the person who is responsible for operations or

activities authorized under the certificate and accountable on behalf of the

certificate holder for meeting the requirements of the regulations. Maintaining

regulatory compliance is the priority for both airlines and airports since a non-

compliant operation is jeopardizing the validity of their operating certificate.

Without maintain a certificate in good standing, their operations may cease to

exist. Several airline operators, small and large, have in the past temporary lost

their operating certificate, while others lost it for the foreseeable future.

Maintaining regulatory compliance is an expense which in itself does not generate

a revenue. For airports and airlines to generate SMS revenue they need to

establish what their SMS services and SMS products are. After this is established,

then they may itemize items and set their sales price. Establishing SMS services

and products is a mindboggling project, since everything need to be safe, and it is

emotionally difficult to apply different price to safety items, and to establish

different levels of safety.When an SMS viewed as a wheel with spokes it becomes manageable to assign lines of expenses and income. 

When viewing an SMS as a wheel, there are no levels of safety, but there are lines of safety, where each line, or spoke, are equally

important contributors to a profitable SMS. Prior to the regulated SMS, there were

no hub, other than the CEO, that profit and loss could be contributed to. With the

implementation of the safety management system, the SMS becomes the hub

where operational expenses and incomes are allocated to. With an SMS, every

areas of operations are contributed to the SMS hub. With this approach it

becomes a simpler task to determine how, or if, their SMS is a profit generator.

When the blueprint for an

SMS operation has been

designed, an operator takes

on the goalsetting task and

establish objectives for how

to reach their SMS goals.

Create a vision for the

airport or airline for the

long-term future. The

clearer the vision is, the

faster an SMS enterprise

move toward their goals,

and the faster these goals move towards the SMS. It is crucial for success that these goals and objectives are written in the SMS safety policy. When a clear

mental picture of where an organization wants to go, the people in the

organization become more positive, more motivated, and more determined to

make it a reality. A natural creativity is triggered, and everyone come up with idea

after idea to help make the vision come true.

When setting goals, decide exactly what the organization want in each area of

operations and include financial goals. Most people do this as wishes, but never do

this clearly in a goalsetting environment. Write down each goals clearly and

specifically. Something amazing happens between the mind and a hand when goals are made in writing. Set a deadline for each goal. Set sub-deadlines if a goal is big

enough. Give a target to aim at. Make a list of everything you can think of that

needs to be done to achieve each goal. As new ideas come up, add them to the list

until it is complete. Organize the list into a plan of action. Determine what needs to

be done first and what can wait until later. Decide what is more important and

what is less important. Act on the plan immediately. It is amazing how many

splendid goals and plans are never realized because of procrastination and delay.

Last, or perhaps most important, do something every day to move at least one

step closer to the most important goal. A commitment to daily action moves an

SMS enterprise closer to a successful goal.

With goals and avenues to funnel these goals, an SMS manager can promote the

safety management system and allocate operational revenues to every avenue

leading to the SMS hub. An SMS manager who is not silenced has unlimited

opportunities to turn an SMS around to a profit generator.

OffRoadPilots

OffRoadPilots

When SMS Conforms to Customer’s Needs

When SMS Conforms to Customer’s Needs 

By OffRoadPilots

Private air charter businesses are taking off like rockets. Their customers like it and

there is less hassle, pressure, and time limits than catching a scheduled flight.

Anyone can travel from coast to coast at a cost equal to or less than scheduled

airline tickets cost. Ther is no holdover time for the charter since they are picking

up new passengers upon arrival. When it is time to go back home, a charter aircraft

is ready for you to take you there. Service is great, security is great, and the flying

experience is a pleasure nobody could imagine just a few years ago.

Convenience and time

savings are benefits that are

often considered priceless in

our modern, busy world, and

flying private offers both in

spades. When flying on a

private aircraft, the flight

leaves when the customer is

ready. Easily avoid the

hassles of busy airports with

a private charter and set

your own schedule instead of being required to work around the schedule of a commercial airliner. As the number of budget commercial carriers increases, if

your destination is not a hub then the choices are limited and restrictive. The overall travel time with a private jet service is significantly lower than commercial airline travel time and a customer can enjoy planeside valet parking and step aboard as soon as they arrive.

Flying privately makes the most of valuable time by providing the privacy and

convenience to hold business meetings, work efficiently, or relax before arriving a t

destination. Private jet charter operators are able to fly into smaller airports that

often are closer to planned meeting, or recreation destinations. Flexibility

increases with private charter services, as well, because itinerary changes can be

Being busy is a challenge when it is without planned processes.made last minute or even mid-flight in some cases, should an urgent need arise.

One-way flights further boost the time savings by offering quick options for short-

notice meetings or spontaneous getaways.

Feeling comfortable when traveling is of high priority, and it is also what frequently

motivates the decision to fly first class or business class. Private jet services are

substantially more customizable to perfectly suit an individual’s comfort and

preferences. For instance, by choosing the type, size, and onboard amenities of an

aircraft, customers are able to tailor their experience to the exact needs they and

their passengers have. When they arrive at one of the private fixed-base operators,

they will find private lounges offering complimentary refreshments and personal

care to rest and freshen up. A customer can count on superior service from start to

finish, with crew focusing exclusively on their needs and the needs of their guests.

A private aircraft charter

travel offers a superior

travel experience, with the

possibilities of requesting

such personalized amenities

like catering, entertainment

media, reading publications,

even specific designer

fragrances. If a special

occasion is celebrated, they

can coordinate with the

operator ahead of time to

have the plane decorated

according to your theme. Fill the plane with balloons or other décor to start a vacation off in the most memorable way. Receive made-to-order catering or special food choices delivered to you ahead of time to enjoy while on the flight, and relish in the privacy of traveling only with whom the customers are comfortable.

Peace of mind is another invaluable perk of flying private. On a customized

chartered trip, a customer can feel free to continue confidential business

meetings, hold personal conversations, and entirely stay out of the public eye

while traveling. Utilizing the in-flight Wi-Fi, customers are able to host video

conferences from inside the plane with people back at the office or even hold a

presentation with laptop slides or whiteboards and presentation decks. There are

no limits to productivity to fly privately, as there would be on a commercial flight.

The benefit for companies to be able to continue their work and enhance their

productivity while en route to the destination will far outweigh the potential

additional cost. There will not be any lost luggage or lengthy security check

procedures and lines to endure, drastically reducing both wasted time and stress.

The pace of modern life requires airplane travel, sometimes involving multiple

flights in a single day, and so it is important to choose wisely. Human nature is for

daily activities to be enhanced by experiences, and the way we travel matters.

Meeting business deadlines, spending more time at home, and enjoying daily

activities with less overall stress are all benefits of choosing to fly privately instead

of commercial. With considerable benefits, private jet charter services can help

customers truly enjoy their time spent in the air.

Private aircraft charters are not regulated by the safety management system (SMS)

in the same way as scheduled commercial flights are. One condition for airlines,

and also for airports, are to maintain their SMS in good standing. Airlines and

airports are required to design a regulatory conforming safety policy, regulatory

conforming processes for setting goals, and attainment of those goals, regulatory

conforming processes for identifying hazards, regulatory conforming processes for

training of personnel, regulatory conforming processes for reporting and analyzing

hazards, incidents and accidents, a regulatory conforming SMS manual, a

regulatory conforming quality assurance program, a regulatory conforming process

for audits, review for cause, or change management, and any additional

requirements prescribed by the regulations. Regulatory compliance might not

always be practical to comply with and might not be tailored to customers or be

customer friendly, and it is incumbent on the operator to design complianceprocesses. 

With a regulatory SMS, both airlines and airports need to design

additional processes that are user friendly and customer friendly, and where these

processes are linked to one or more regulatory requirements. Regulatory

requirements compliance is found in manuals and other documents, while process

compliance, or practical compliance are found in the work being done. There is no

conflict between regulatory compliance and practical compliance, but this requires

airports and airlines to design practical compliance processes, in addition to the

written text compliance. A private air charter without an SMS requirement can skip

the SMS regulatory conforming requirement and focus on customer friendly

processes to conform to maintain operational, and regulatory conforming

processes.

When operating when a

regulatory required SMS,

there is also a practical

compliance gap. The

practical compliance gap is

the gap between

compliance in a static

environment, such as at the

time of issuance of an

operating certificate, or

prior to any flight duty tasks,

and upon completion of a

process, e.g. a flight crew complete their flight, or upon an airport complete repainting runway markings. It is impractical for an SMS enterprise to operate

without the practical compliance gap.

Both an SMS enterprise, and private charter operator are required to appoint an

accountable executive (AE), to be responsible on behalf of the certificate holder

(CH) to comply with regulatory requirements. The regulator must be notified by

naming the AE. The AE position is not a liability position, which still rests with the

CH, but is an overarching oversight position of operations and level of compliance.

Gaps between operational functions are required for a system to work.It is the AE who must answer to the regulatory, or the public, when there are regulatory findings, or operational issues. Accountability is not just at the top management level but exists at all levels in the organization. Accountability is forward-looking accountability where everyone is accountable to their own job description, accountable to the intent, or expectation of their job performance,

accountable to acceptable work practices, and they are accountable to aviation

safety.

A private aircraft charter organization, which is not required to operate with a

safety management system, is required to appoint an accountable executive, Their

AE is accountable for regulatory compliance as required for their operations.

However, they may voluntarily choose to integrate the principles of SMS regulation

in their organization. Prior to SMS regulations, private charter operators had

customer service principles in place to ensure safety. The thought behind the

principle was when everything is done through a customer’s eye, their flight will

arrive safety without any major deviations or high-risk experiences.

Private air charters apply

these SMS principles in their

operations. They operate

with a safety policy,

processes for setting goals,

and for measuring the

attainment of those goals,

processes for identifying

hazards and managing risks,

to aviation safety and for

evaluating and managing

the associated risks,

processes for training of

personnel to be exceptional to perform their duties, processes for reporting and analyzing of hazards, incidents and accidents, and for taking corrective actions,

they operate with multiple manuals for making personnel aware of their responsibilities, they have a quality assurance program in place, they conduct periodic reviews and audits, and they include any additional requirements to adhere to the principles of a safety management system with an overarching

customer friendly framework.

Their safety policy conform to what customers needs and what they are expecting,

is a policy where safety is paramount. Regulatory compliance is a priority, but

safety is paramount. Regulatory compliance is subjective, while paramount is

objective. A safety policy that is paramount is a policy with a purpose, it is a

practical policy that personnel comprehend, it is a vision of the future and a vision

of where the organization is headed. Safety is paramount when operational

processes are linked to the SMS policy. A paramount system is a system that is

predominant, it is a reliable system, it is a system with integrity, it is a system that

is fluid and flexible, and it is a system where personnel work in a just-culture

environment. A just-culture environment is a place there is trust, learning,

accountability, and information sharing.

Their goal setting process conform to what customers needs and what they are

expecting, is a process where a private operator has conducted research of human

factors and what triggers the most pleasant air travel experiences.

Their process for identifying hazards conform to what customers needs and what

they are expecting, is a process where hazards are analyzed, and lessons learned

applied.

Their process for training personnel conform to what customers needs and what

they are expecting, is a process where technical knowledge is superior and flight

crew, and other organizational personnel are trained in recognizing human factors

and their sensitivity to any of the five senses, eyesight, hearing, taste, touch, and

smell. A training process includes any personal requirements for their customers.

Aircraft and aircraft manufacturer are also selected based how aircraft design

triggers any of the five senses.Their process for reporting hazards, incidents and accidents conform to what customers needs and what they are expecting, is a process where organizational personnel report any occurrences that affected their job performance.

Their manuals are readily available electronically and userfriendly for storage and

retrieval of information. Their process conform to what customers needs and what

they are expecting and designed with guidance for any person to easily navigate

through the manual.

Their quality assurance program conform to what customers needs and what they

are expecting, and is a program where, in addition to ongoing regulatory

compliance audits, there is ongoing quality assurance audits of customer’s

satisfaction.

Their ongoing review of operations, and review for cause, and change

management, conform to what customers needs and what they are expecting.

Every review is viewed through the eyes of their customer.

They operate with any other

requirements as required to

conform to what customers

needs and what they are

expecting. These processes

are tailored to personal

needs, their customers

business needs, or their

customers family and friends

needs travelling. When looking at their operations through their customer’s five senses, they establish an environment where their customer’s experiences may be affected by common cause variations, and opportunities for special cause variations are reduced to acceptable risk levels.

Customers are made familiar with common cause variations, such as airborne

turbulence, and they are comfortable seated in superior chairs.

OffRoadPilots