Civil Municipal - May 2024

NBAA, International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) and others provide many resources for operators to learn more. Operators will also benefit from seeking training for individuals who will be responsible for managing the implementation of their SMS. NBAA’s Safety Manager Certificate Program, for example, provides participants with knowledge and skills to effectively manage their organization’s safety management efforts. Ferraro suggests reaching out to others in the industry who have effectively implemented SMS to learn from their experiences. And although some companies specialize in assisting operators in SMS implementation, Ferraro says not to overly rely on these companies. Not only does an SMS need to be an internal program with commitment to safety at SMS MANDATE PUBLISHED; OPERATORS ENCOURAGED TO PLAN IMPLEMENTATION OPENING L INES Source - https://nbaa.org/ , Business Aviation Insider Editor, First Published May/June Publication, 2024 Part 135 operators, certain Part 91 air tour operators and Part 21 organizations should begin preparing now to meet the expanded SMS mandates.NBAA will continue to advocate for business aviation operators while providing educational resources to help members comply with the new mandate. The FAA recently published its final rule mandating safety management systems (SMS) for all Part 135 operators, certain Part 21 certificate holders and §91.147 air tour operators. The new rule, the result of a 2023 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, expands the existing Part 5 SMS requirements and adds new mandates to Part 5. An SMS mandate for these organizations has been on the horizon since SMS was mandated for Part 121 operators and airports. While many Part 135 operators have voluntarily adopted SMS, this rule requires SMS implementation for all remaining Part 135 operators and establishes FAA oversight of existing and new SMS programs. NBAA supports implementation of SMS in a scalable, flexiblemanner in order to alloweffective compliance for small operators. The association submitted its concerns to the FAA, including ensuring a scalable means of compliance, reasonable implementation timeline and sufficient FAA resources to approve and oversee thousands of new SMS programs. The FAA responded to industry concerns by extending the proposed 24-month compliance deadline to 36 months and reducing requirements for single-pilot operations. Despite the extended compliance timeline, experts suggest operators start preparing now. Complying earlier in the mandated time frame might prove beneficial, as FAA resources could be limited if operators wait until the deadlines are near. “Operators need to start getting educated now,” said Amanda Ferraro, chief executive officer at Aviation Safety Solutions. “You can’t put an effective SMS together without education.” 13 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 05