SAFETY THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

While I have been a helicopter pilot for over 40 years; I believe my contribution to our industry may be maximized outside the cockpit through education and outreach. So I stepped down as Chief Pilot for Airbus Helicopters, Inc. after 16 years in that position to begin my role as Director of Aviation Education for Airbus.

Safety is much more than engineering and manufacturing advanced aircraft. To make a significant improvement in aviation safety we must develop a thorough understanding of the human element.

I seek to determine and understand the true underlying cause of accidents and incidents, and then educate aviation professionals within our industry to improve safety. My belief is that "root cause analysis' must delve more deeply to become useful in mitigating or eliminating accidents and incidents. We must better understand human behavior, but not necessarily to change the behavior, but to place impediments in the path of undesirable actions/responses.