| The U.S. aviation industry is composed of thousands of aircraft operators. While the few, major air carriers are large companies, with well-developed management resources, the majority of carriers and corporate flight operating departments exist with the minimum management staffs allowable under the rules of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). For operators of large aircraft, or operators of medium-size aircraft in scheduled service, the FAA has, since 1994, required the position of Director of Safety. Smaller aircraft operators are not required to have a safety department. With small management staffs and the lack of a regulatory requirement, most of these operators exist without the benefit of a formal safety program.; This project seeks to supplement the attributes of commonly observed airline safety programs with research in the fields of safety, education, psychology, and law to formulate safety sub-programs which are usable by small operators with minimal staffing. Then an internet-based system is established for the population of carriers, and the carriers are provided with a continuous flow of safety program management, similar to that provided by the safety staff of carriers with safety offices. After an introductory period of program operation, the users are sampled regarding the perceived usefulness of the various program elements. The program is modified to improve usefulness, and the users are polled again. Data from on-site audits of various carriers with and without safety programs is analyzed to match the overall operations and maintenance management strength with the degree of maturity of the carrier's safety program.; The objective is to show that safety program management can be extended economically to the smaller carriers who would ordinarily not participate in such a program, to determine the usability of such a system, and to estimate whether the effectiveness of the safety program is related with overall performance. If successful, this model could provide the template for a nationwide, or even worldwide system of safety program management, elevating the level of safety awareness, training, and performance for the largest segment of the aviation industry. The model could also apply to other industries with a large number of small, fragmented safety-sensitive operators. |
