Safety & Training

Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. has selected AviationManuals as its preferred Safety Management System (SMS) provider for its clients.

Spring brings with it a reaffirmation of personal and corporate goals – a chance to reassess processes, implement change and establish a new direction. And given recent events in the aviation industry south of the border, there’s plenty to analyze – at all levels of the corporate spectrum.

Float-plane safety has become a major issue after four fatal crashes and one non-fatal crash on the B.C. coast in two years. Last October, Transport Canada (TC) convened a float plane safety workshop in Vancouver, and the CARAC Technical Committee considered an issue paper on the subject at its Nov. 15-17 meeting in 2010.

On March 16, 2010, the TSB issued its Watchlist of the nine safety issues in transportation that pose the greatest risk to Canadians. The Board identified the oversight and implementation of SMS by the entire transportation industry as one of these risks. This article describes some of the challenges and lessons learned by companies as they implement SMS. While it draws on examples from aviation, similar issues can be found in other safety critical organizations.

Can we have zero accidents? Twelve years ago, Transport Canada declared its intention to pursue a “zero” aircraft accident rate when it published “Challenge 98.” No doubt many people in the aviation industry rolled their eyes at the notion of zero; likely many still do. So was Transport Canada’s planned pursuit delusionary or visionary?

Quality. An inescapable part of the aviation vocabulary but often misunderstood.

On July 1, 2017, draft amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) regarding pilot hours of work and rest periods were published. And according to Transport Canada (TC), the rationale for the new regulations is to ensure that they are based on the latest science regarding fatigue, to comply with ICAO standards, which require that regulations be based on scientific principles, and to bring Canada in line with the United States and Europe.

Canada boasts one of the safest regulatory operating environments in the world but there is plenty of room for improvement – and changes are necessary to ensure it remains safe and secure in the months and years ahead.

Having concluded my first full calendar year as a lawyer within the aviation industry, one point stands vividly clear: the technical competency regulator of Canada’s aviation industry lacks the efficiency and responsiveness warranted by our country’s advanced state of civil aviation.

In the March/April issue of Wings, Transportation Safety Board chair Kathy Fox painted a compelling argument for the importance of recorders of all forms – voice, video and data – in accident investigation.

With more reports of reckless drone use around airports and aircraft, the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) today commended minister of transport Marc Garneau on the immediate introduction of new interim drone rules.

Neil Wilson has some big shoes to fill but he certainly has the right attitude and perspective to meet the challenge.

Canada has a pay as you go business model for air transport. The merits of the model versus the United States, where aviation infrastructure is subsidized, can be heavily debated, most recently in a 2012 Senate report, The Future of Canadian Air Travel: Toll Booth or Spark Plug, which recommended abolishing airport rent.

When most people think about the role of Transport Canada (TC) in Canadian aviation their minds go to the oversight aspect.

The appointment of Lisa Raitt as minister of transport last July was a plus for the aviation industry, according to Harvey Friesen, president of Bearskin Airlines and past chairman of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC).

On May 25, 2012, a commercially operated de Havilland Beaver floatplane crashed into Lillabelle Lake in northern Ontario.