The Air Charter Safety Foundation has welcomed Solairus Aviation of Petaluma, California, and the Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern Sky Aviation to its roster of more than 200 member companies.
TheAir Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is a non-profit aviation safety organization that provides programs to enable the highest levels of safety in personal, charter and business aviation.
As new ACSF members, both companies’ crew members will be able to participate in the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), which is administered by the ACSF in partnership with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The voluntary, self-reporting program provides an extra measure of precaution to help identify and reduce possible flight safety concerns, as well as mitigate risk.
“At Solairus, we employ 600-plus flight crew and support personnel to operate a fleet of nearly 170 aircraft. The safety of our clients and team members is our highest priority,” said Greg Petersen, chief operating officer and the senior executive responsible for Solairus Aviation’s flight operations, maintenance and safety.
“We are in the people business, not just the plane business, so our goal is to continuously get our teams exposure and access to as many tools and training as possible. Participating in the ACSF-FAA ASAP program is a natural extension of those efforts.”
“Joining the ACSF was a natural move for our company, especially to gain access to new safety resources offered by the organization,” said Jeff Cotton, director of operations, Southern Sky Aviation. “Being a member of the ACSF helps us learn from an industry-wide pool of like-minded operators, and also helps keep us on the cutting edge of new procedures that are developed in nearly real-time.”
ACSF president Bryan Burns said, “Because of the ACSF’s and the FAA’s diligence in making our ASAP program as proactive and robust as possible, we’re seeing a real spike in interest from Part 135 and 91 operators. As a charter and a management company, Solairus manages both sides of the operation, which makes them a perfect candidate for many of the safety mitigation processes we’ve put in place.
“We’re highly gratified that Southern Sky Aviation has joined our ranks and is adding their voice and efforts to the cause of aviation safety. And, further, their participation in the ASAP program demonstrates a commitment to safety well beyond what’s standard.”
