Flight safety forum

Citation

Peacock-Edwards, R. (2003), "Flight safety forum", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 75 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2003.12775caa.001

Flight safety forum

Flight safety forum

Keywords: Flight, safety

Rick Peacock-EdwardsAir Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards has over 5,000 military flying hours, flown mainly on fighter aircrafts such as the Lightning, Phantom and Tornado. From 1994-97 he was the RAF’s Inspector of Flight Safety where he oversaw a number of new and important initiatives to further improve aviation safety. Since retiring from the RAF, he retains an active involvement with aviation safety matter: he is a Trustee and Member of the Advisory Board of the UK Confidential Human Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP), he sits on the Court of The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) and is a member of the Flying Control Committees for the Farnborough Air Display, The Royal International Air Tattoo, all Duxford Air Displays and also those at Biggin Hill and Eastbourne. He is Chairman of the Steering Group that is overseeing the organisation of a major aviation safety conference in November 2003 “International Aviation Safety and Security”. He is currently the Director of Military Advisors for General Dynamics UK Ltd.

“Flight Safety” needs no introduction as a subject, but how many people actually think deeply about the subject? or do they simply pay “lip-service”? I would venture to suggest that too many fall into the “lip-service” category, perhaps even a large majority. The subject has never been more important and will become increasingly so which has the projected growth in air traffic, and the problems associated, and with the introduction of aircraft such as the A380 which has the capability of carrying even more passengers in the future. I have been asked to contribute a regular article on flight safety associated subject to help promote interest and hopefully provoke comment. For this first article, I have intentionally kept the input short and simple to set the scene. I also want to take this opportunity to bring to your attention, an important flight safety event that is planned for later this year.

Flight safety is reliant on so many different inputs to be successful, e.g. design, manufacture, maintenance, technology, organisation, human factors, education, etc. Indeed, it could be argued that everything is relevant to flight safety. However, for flight safety to be most successful it must rely on foresight, not on hindsight, and concentrate on prevention as the ultimate cure. Accidents do happen, fortunately not like they did in the past, but the fact that an accident has happened at all inevitably means that there has been some failure in the system. It is good investigate to the causes of an accident and learn the lessons to help prevent the same , but the fact that this is after the event means that the cure is too late. Pre-emptive activity is the key and this is where we can be most effective (not to mention cost-effective). Now, I know from my own involvement with flight safety over a period of many years that much good work has been carried out in the field of accident prevention, and that this continues to be the case. Companies such as the British Airways have been very pro-active in this way and have policies that are focussed on accident prevention. However, I am also aware that there are others (world-wide) whose policies are perhaps not so pro-active and they are my concern. If this is viewed as a provocative statement, then I would have succeeded in my aim and you will be thinking of your own situation. Let me see what comments are made and whether or not I have opened a hornet’s nest!

In November this year, a major flight safety and security conference is being planned to be held in London, at Olympia. The organisation and preparations for this conference are being overseen by an influential steering group comprising some of the best known names in the business. Post 11 September 2001, the link between flight safety and security has never been more necessary and I believe this event will provide an essential forum to take the various debates forward. The conference is titled “International Aerospace Safety and Security (IASS)”, and I do commend that you make a space in your diaries to attend this event. The dates are 11-13 November 2003 (for details see Diary page 337).