Bombardier to Soon Hold Annual Safety Stand-Down in Wichita

The event, scheduled for November 12-14, will offer in-person and online learning opportunities, presentations, and workshops designed to improve aviation safety. The seminar is free to all aviation professionals, regardless of the type of aircraft they fly.

Safety Stand-Down seminars began approximately 30 years ago as a project by a group of Learjet demonstration pilots who wanted to make the Bombardier flight demonstration team in Wichita the safest in the industry. The event has evolved and grown, and this year the company expects hundreds of aviation professionals to attend.

The theme of this year's event is “Elevate Your Influence," which focuses on encouraging everyone in the industry, from flight crews and maintenance providers to air traffic controllers and airport officials, to reflect on how existing safety practices might be improved. 

Through a series of workshops and discussions, attendees can learn new tactics and techniques that they can take back to their home base for implementation, Bombardier said. This "learn-apply-share" ethos enables aviation professionals to work together to create a safer industry, beginning with improving safety culture for day-to-day operations, the company said.

"Safety Stand-Down brings together the most sought-after industry experts and thought leaders together to share invaluable information about aviation safety, and we are thrilled to be leading the charge in offering essential safety advice and strategies to help our teams and colleagues share ideas and knowledge to reach new heights in their professional roles," Chris Milligan, vice president of pre-owned aircraft services and flight operations at Bombardier, said in a statement. 

This year Tony Kern from Convergent Performance will be the keynote speaker and is expected to talk about the parallels between aviation and the world of professional sports. "We are never truly ready, only prepared,” Kern said.

Other topics of discussion will be aviation failures, which will include a presentation from National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham about aircraft near misses. A complete list of this year's presentations can be found here.