Aviation Safety Advocacy & Speaking

The term “safety” has a variety of classifications depending upon the context in which “safety” is used within operational policies, presentations, articles, books, or simply in casual conversation. The verbiage is typically focused upon those risk factors associated with a particular process, industry, or mode of transportation. How to prevent those factors from occurring and if they do, how to mitigate them to a level as low as possible, is the real challenge in the operational environment of a business aviation flight department.

We all want to live in a safe world, home, car, and aircraft. Regulators strive to ensure that manufacturers use materials and procedures that result in the safest products. Member associations develop “industry best practices” to aid operators in the conduct of their services. The challenge for each flight operation and organization providing support for business aircraft is to build a culture that fully supports the enhancement of safety.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) wrote, “Life is a journey, not a destination”. In the context of aviation operations, at Sundog Aviation we feel that, “safety is the journey, not a particular or arbitrary destination”. Each of us as well as the organizations we are associated with should take stock of where we are on the journey to safety.

Jim Cannon, Principal Consultant for Sundog Aviation, has been a business aviation advocate and speaker since 1985 when he became President of Jet Professionals in Fairfield, Connecticut. Jim has served on the following Boards and Committees during his long career in business aviation:

  • ICAO Safety Management Panel Member – 2011 – 2014
  • Chairman of the 1999, 2007 & 2010 Local Atlanta Committee for the NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention.
  • Co-Founded the Georgia Business Aviation Association, 1998.
  • Board of Directors of the National Business Aviation Association   1995 to 2001.
  • Corporate Advisory Committee of the Flight Safety Foundation 1992-1998.
  • Fatigue Studies Committee of the Flight Safety Foundation, September 1994 to January 1996.

Jim was a featured speaker at the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association in April 2015 on the topic of, “Building a Better Safety Culture”. During his tenure as IS-BAO Program Director for IBAC (2011 – 2014), he conducted more than 40 workshops on the Fundamentals of IS-BAO and IS-BAO Auditing.

Mr. Cannon has presented papers at numerous NBAA and Flight Safety Foundation (CASS) gatherings:

National Business Aviation Association:

  • NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention, 2014, Orlando. “Building Blocks to a Better Safety Culture”
  • European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, 2014, Geneva. “Benefits of IS-BAO from the Small Operator’s Perspective”
  • European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, 2014, Geneva. “International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling”
  • Baltic Business Aviation Conference, August 1, 2013, Riga, Latvia. “International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations”
  • NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention, 2013, Las Vegas. “IS-BAO – The Gold Standard”
  • NBAA Corporate Aviation Mangers Conference 1997, San Diego. Panel Participant – Subject, “Adding Value”
  • NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference 1996, Nashville. “Operational Considerations for Long Haul Flights”
  • NBAA Management Committee Presentation 1993 NBAA Convention, Atlanta. “Importance of SOP’s to the Single Aircraft Operation”
  • NBAA Flight Department Survival Seminar, Atlanta, June 1992. “Cutting Costs: Right Sizing our Fleet & Work Force”
  • NBAA Maintenance Managers Conference, Philadelphia, May 1986 “Motivating Maintenance Technicians”
  • NBAA Training Seminar, Orlando, November 1985 “Career Development – How to Keep Good Employees”

Flight Safety Foundation/CASS:

  • FSF Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar: April 2012, San Antonio. “Foundations of Safety and SMS Implementation”
  • FSF Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar: April 1995, Vancouver. “The Effects of Extended Duty Periods. What Departments Can Do to Cope”
  • FSF Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar: April 1991, White Plains. “Retention and Development of Aviation Department Personnel”
  • FSF Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar: April 1988, Williamsburg. “The Pilot Shortage & Safety of Flight”