In the modern aviation industry, data is a crucial element for essentially every organization’s operations and goals. Today’s connected aviation ecosystem is data-driven and calls for greater transparency and accessibility to accommodate key goals of the industry like safety and superior passenger experience. This is particularly applicable for safety. With the broader application of concepts like data sharing, every stakeholder in the aviation ecosystem stands to benefit.
“We can never be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety, and the free exchange of vital information is a cornerstone of safety and continual improvement,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson in a recent announcement from the organization. In this context, Dickson was speaking to a new program for aviation professionals to voice safety-related issues and concerns, but the sentiment stands with the significance of data sharing and aviation safety.
A recent article from NBAA’s Business Aviation Insider elaborates on the power of data sharing and exactly how its value can be applied across the different areas of aviation. Various experts from across the industry spoke to how data sharing benefits their respective roles and how it closely weaves together all the different fibers of the aviation tapestry, so to speak.
Steve Bruneau, VP of Aviation Services at Polaris Aero, explained how data sharing provides a clearer, more holistic view for operators, helping to inform future safety management endeavors. “Data by itself, or without context, might tell you the wrong story; it’s only when you take that data and dissect it down to the root cause (or ‘why’) that you get the full safety story,” Bruneau said.
According to Bruneau, and myriad other aviation experts, data sharing is a notable benefit of the successful implementation of a safety management system (SMS), a requirement from the FAA that’s soon expanding across the entire aviation ecosystem. With SMS, data sharing becomes more intuitive and native to aviation operations, contributing to safer, smoother journeys for all.
“By having an SMS, you are putting in place a means of capturing the safety data of your flight operation in a way that you can now manage. Improvement comes from managing what you measure,” continued Bruneau. “Once you can capture data, you can then break it down and turn that into safety insights.”
The ability to develop those safety insights rapidly and reliably with the power of data sharing via an SMS embodies the more modernized and data-driven approach to aviation that the industry has long been touting.
Connected Aviation Today is currently engaged in a series championing the importance of the SMS safety mandate from the FAA. Subscribe here to stay tuned on what’s next in the series.
