Aviation like most other industries, has a unique set of jargon, acronyms, and even slang words, that most of us use regularly to accomplish our work each and every day. As a greater number of companies implement Safety Management Systems or SMS these days, we become faced with yet another set of jargon. Dr. Bill Johnson, chief scientific and technical advisor with the Federal Aviation Administration, asks the question, “Do you sometimes find yourself lost in the maze of jargon that surrounds SMS?” We probably all do. Safety management systems (SMS) is requiring us to understand a new set of terms. In his article in this supplement, “Navigating the Maze of SMS Jargon” Dr. Johnson sets out to explain some of the jargon we are all likely to hear when we become more involved with SMS.
Data collection and auditing are parts of most SMS programs. Recently the National Air Transport Association (NATA) announced establishing their NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Standard. This audit standard is the first published audit standard for FBOs and their ground-handling service providers. An audit program which uses a standard such as this could very easily be made part of the oversight and surveillance parts of your company’s SMS. Read the brief description in this supplement and follow the link provided to learn more on this ground handling audit standard.
This month’s AMT Tools & Equipment Supplement highlights some of the latest in both new and existing products for the aviation maintenance industry. Whether you’re a technician responsible for the accurate and timely maintenance on ground support equipment, aircraft, or both, or a company owner or manager responsible for the same, I am sure you will find the listing and descriptions of the many new and existing products and tools in this supplement, of value to you in your maintenance role. For a more comprehensive listing of products and services, visit and search the online buyers guide on www.AviationPros.com.
Cygnus Aviation Expo
March 7th through the 9th, 2012 will be the Cygnus Aviation Expo held in Las Vegas, NV. This year’s expo is promised to be better than ever. We have several educational sessions planned for the entire week that will peak the interest of ground support service and equipment providers such as making the switch from diesel GSE to electric GSE and several other Green GSE topics. I hope you can join us in Las Vegas. Ron
