Registration is now open for WBAT Safety’s 2023 Virtual Training Conference, to be held on Wednesday, February 1, 2023!

This conference will be open to current WBAT subscribers as well as anyone who wishes to learn more about WBAT. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with the speakers and other attendees, all while receiving valuable insight on how to leverage WBAT to its full potential in your organization.

Contact info@wbatsafety.com with any questions.

We look forward to having you join us for WBAT Safety’s Virtual Training Conference!

The post Register Now for WBAT Safety’s 2023 Virtual Training Conference! appeared first on WBAT Safety.

Save the Date!

WBAT Safety will be hosting WBAT Safety’s Virtual Training Conference on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

Please email info@wbatsafety.com if you are interested in speaking about how your organization uses the WBAT platform.

This conference will be open to anyone who wishes to learn more about WBAT. Stay tuned for registration details!

The post Save the Date for WBAT Safety’s Virtual Training Conference! appeared first on WBAT Safety.

Based in Modesto, CA, Modesto Jet Center offers charter services (operated as Modesto Executive Air Charter, Inc.), FBO services, aircraft management, aircraft detailing, aircraft sales, and more. Modesto Jet Center’s air charter fleet is based in the Central Valley of California and includes both jets and turboprops, with a focus on safety, comfort, and efficiency.

Formerly known as Sky Trek Aviation at Modesto City-County Airport (KMOD), Modesto Jet Center changed ownership and its name in 2019, but continued a span of over 30 years of aviation services and excellent customer care.

Modesto Jet Center offers 80,000 sq ft of hangar space and a professionally trained line crew to safely take care of aircraft. As an Avfuel-branded FBO, Modesto Jet Center offers competitive prices with Avfuel Contract Fuel and lucrative rewards with AVTRIP.

Modesto Jet Charter provides top notch aircraft management services, including one exclusive single point of contact 24/7, complete trip coordination, and strong and consistent charter revenue.

Safety is a priority to Modesto Jet Charter, having received a Gold Rating from the Aviation Research Group US (ARG/US) CHEQ System, which is awarded to FAR Part 135 Aircraft Charter Operators who, as a result of an on-site safety audit, are found to not only have good, well-documented policies and procedures (as well as good management structure and performance), but also show that these policies/procedures are followed in practices conducive to safe operations.

“The Modesto Jet Center is excited to work with WBAT Safety and be part of a program that the FAA stands behind. Safety is a critical part of our business, which is why working with WBAT Safety to implement the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and our Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) has made it easier to work closely with the FAA to identify—and mitigate—potential risks. We feel WBAT Safety is able to deliver great tools that give us operational transparency and an effective safety culture,” said Otto Wright, General Manager of Modesto Jet Center.

“WBAT Safety is proud to work with Modesto Jet Center, and we look forward to providing their ASAP facilitation services and SMS needs,” said Kamron Githens, WBAT Safety Program Manager. “Modesto Jet Center is a prime example of a model company with which we want to work.”

WBAT Safety is the sole FAA-supported SMS program available on the market. The WBAT platform is a web-based system that supports all aspects of a complete SMS, including safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, safety promotion, and SMS recordkeeping and documentation. Platform+Support subscribers have access to support, training, and customizations to help organizations utilize WBAT to its fullest potential.

Any organization can utilize the WBAT platform to collect, process, and analyze safety reports; conduct audits; and identify as well as manage risk. To learn more, visit www.wbatsafety.com.

The post WBAT Safety Welcomes Modesto Jet Center as Most Recent ASAP and Platform+ Subscriber appeared first on WBAT Safety.

This edition of WBAT Safety’s Subscriber Spotlight features responses from Roger Zimmerman, Director of Safety at KaiserAir, Inc., which has a split Air Carrier Certificate (121 Supplemental/135 On-Demand) based in Oakland, CA, and a Part 145 Repair Station based in Santa Rosa, CA. KaiserAir, Inc. has 120+ employees and a fleet that includes three (3) Boeing 737s and four (4) Executive Jet Aircraft in world-wide operations.

How do you use the WBAT platform? For over two (2) years KaiserAir has utilized the WBAT incident reporting function. These reports include safety and non-safety events for all KaiserAir operations. Once the report is received, we conduct our investigation. We close the incident in WBAT, documenting the high points of what actions were completed.

What do you consider the most useful part of the WBAT platform? The availability of an electronic incident form, where our employees can report any incident anywhere in the world. Soon we will be implementing our ASAP program, through WBAT, and will expand our electronic reporting opportunities, including ASRS. We are also exploring additional opportunities within WBAT.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: After each charter, the aircraft is cleaned, maintained, and re-provisioned. We received an incident report that an aircraft’s doors remained open one night presenting a security risk.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: Through our investigation, we initiated additional post-flight procedures where the flight crew will secure and lock all doors to the aircraft as part of their post-flight activities.

In addition, we’ve emphasized our after-hour line service technician’s responsibility to routinely walk around all KaiserAir aircraft during their shift, and if a door is found to be open/unlocked, they have authority to immediately close and lock. Follow-up surveillance on this procedure has been positive, and we’ve closed this event in WBAT.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: KaiserAir, Inc. appeared first on WBAT Safety.

Flight Dynamics assists in the improvement of safety in your organization by increasing operational awareness and maintenance effectiveness.

Our team’s decades of experience in FOQA and flight data analysis bring an additional advantage to organizations that utilize the Flight Dynamics system by offering support during the initiation, launch, and sustainment of their FOQA or flight data analysis program.

Working with a third-party wireless data acquisition tool on the aircraft that can be fully automated, Flight Dynamics offers the following components, which an organization can use separately or in a combined system, depending upon your analytical goals:

• -Post-Flight Report (PFR)

• -Aggregate Data Analysis (ADA)

Post-Flight Report (PFR)

Post-Flight Report (PFR) allows an organization’s pilots to immediately receive a debrief directly to a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet, after every flight.

We are excited to enhance the debriefing process for pilots everywhere. The sky is the limit for what this product can do!

Aggregate Data Analysis

Flight Dynamics offers aggregate data analysis, which enables organizations to analyze aggregate data from all their aircraft. Reach out to a Flight Dynamics specialist to learn more about ADA!

Click here to learn more about Flight Dynamics, speak with a specialist, or schedule a demo!

The post Introducing… Flight Dynamics: A Flight Data Analysis System for Your FOQA Program! appeared first on WBAT Safety.

This edition of WBAT Safety’s Subscriber Spotlight features responses from Derek Sharp, Senior Safety Manager at CommutAir, a Part 121 commercial airline with 1,500 employees doing business as United Express.

How do you use the WBAT platform? Primary means of frontline employee reporting. Data collection and analysis activities to identify areas of risk in the operation.

What do you consider the most useful part of the WBAT platform? The ability to communicate directly with submitters through WBAT. The ease of gathering information for use in the FAA’s quarterly and annual ASAP Reports.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: Areas of increased risk at new airports in our route structure.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: Utilized reported events on a weekly basis to drive critical conversations in small working groups designed to mitigate risk in new areas of operation. Through the collection of targeted reports, were able to assess the risk mitigation strategies in new markets.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: CommutAir appeared first on WBAT Safety.

How do you use the WBAT platform? Aitheras Aviation Group utilizes the WBAT platform in multiple aspects, including Risk Management, Safety Assurance, Communications (both critical [Safety Notices] and non-critical), and storage of important company documents so employees can access them from remote locations.

What do you consider the most useful part of the WBAT platform? For our company, all of WBAT is important as this was one of the core tools that helped us achieve “Active Conformance” in the SMSVP in 2018; however, if we had to choose only one portion of the platform that we could keep, then it would be the Hazard Reporting/Risk Management area of WBAT. Collecting data across all departments and mitigating reported risks is key to our continuous improvement and an integral part of our operation.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: Through a hazard report, it was identified that a certain aircraft in the fleet having a radio knob layout different than the other aircraft led to pilots accidentally turning down the radio volume when changing frequencies.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: Upon investigation of the root cause, we determined that mitigation could be achieved through a process of communicating the issue in detail to the entire pilot group and giving them training on a proper procedure for this particular radio that would prevent future volume decreases, then documenting pilots had received training.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: Aitheras Aviation Group appeared first on WBAT Safety.

How do you use the WBAT platform? WBAT has many functions that are useful for performing the SMS functions for our carrier. Most importantly, it has been a tool for training those in management on how to perform risk assessments on our processes as they are being developed and documented in the company manual set.

What do you consider the useful part of the WBAT platform? The most helpful part of WBAT has been the Safety Assurance module, where we have been able to set up and track over 90 different audits for the operational functions of the airline. Tracking findings and corrective actions is easy to do by assigning them to the responsible individuals. Safety Risk Management is also useful and is able to be performed regularly from Safety Reports that are submitted, audit findings that are issued, as well as the Safety Risk Management module in the system.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: Our dispatchers submitted a report that the satellite communications product that we use for tracking real-time data on aircraft in flight was not communicating updates in less than 5 minutes. This is a safety and operational control issue that was identified to be mitigated.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: Working with the existing product developers to get live data to update more regularly was one action item. But we also decided to obtain back-up tracking systems that would give real-time data, such as a FlightRadar24 subscription to supplement the primary tracking system and provide more real-time data of aircraft in flight or on the ground.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: Waltzing Matilda appeared first on WBAT Safety.

This edition of WBAT Safety’s Subscriber Spotlight features responses by Carlos Veliz, Director of Safety at Verijet, a Part 135 Private Charter operating the SF50 Vision Jet. VeriJet is based in Opa-Locka, FL, and has 64 employees.

How do you use the WBAT platform? The WBAT platform is used throughout our organization as the main SMS database for collection of reports, tracking, data analysis, safety risk management, and safety assurance functions. WBAT has many tools, and we are using the most essential ones to collect information and disseminate that information to our leadership. We are using both the web- and app-based versions for reporting.

Most useful part of the WBAT platform: Obviously safety reporting is our most used part of the WBAT platform; however, the queries that can be developed to extract information from these reports are also very helpful. Queries give us a powerful macro and micro look at the underlying data and allow us to drill down to key issues.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: One of the more common reports that we receive is excess baggage. The SF50 is considered a Very Light Jet (VLJ) so excess baggage can be a problem. We have identified several hazards associated with excess baggage, including the possibility of injury due to improper lifting.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: Since receiving reports on excess baggage, we have begun a customer awareness campaign to ensure all brokers are aware of the aircraft’s limitations. We ensure passengers are made aware of loading limits during the booking process. In addition, we have issued awareness training to all crews on proper back injury prevention and lifting techniques. This information is now routinely communicated through our SMS promotion efforts and made a part of employee indoctrination training.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: Verijet appeared first on WBAT Safety.

This edition of WBAT Safety’s Subscriber Spotlight features responses by Jon Gourdoux, Director of Safety at Sterling Airways, a Part 121 airline with 70 employees that is currently flying charters and beginning scheduled service. Sterling Airways is based in Jacksonville, FL and commenced operations in the spring of 2020.

How do you use the WBAT Platform? We use WBAT to ensure we meet all four pillars of SMS. WBAT is our tool for auditing, SRM, safety reporting, and some of our employee communications.

What do you consider the most useful part of the WBAT Platform? The ability to submit ASAP reports and have the Safety department build an ERC agenda and run the meetings all in the same application is a huge benefit for us. WBAT makes it easy to keep our data organized across multiple work groups.

Please identify a recent safety issue or problem you identified in your data: A pilot submitted an ASAP report after ATC used the wrong callsign. The ERC investigated and found that since we were new, a lot of ATC facilities weren’t familiar with us.

Please explain how you mitigated the issue or problem: As a corrective action, the ERC recommended Dispatch to add our callsign (Stingray) to the remarks section of the flight plan.

The post Subscriber Spotlight: Sterling Airways appeared first on WBAT Safety.