Heritage Aviation Conducts Safety Stand-Down

Heritage Aviation, a leading aviation services provider located at Burlington International Airport (KBTV), recently conducted a company-wide safety stand-down aimed at creating greater customer value by placing a focus on safety.

The one-day event is relatively unique to the FBO industry and included guest speakers from the Giles Group and Aviation Business Strategies Group (ABSG). Topics covered included human factors, FAA Regulations, the true cost of an incident/accident and a sophisticated approach to building a successful internal safety culture.

"Everybody gets busy with their own responsibilities, so we thought it would be appropriate to step away for a day with the whole group, and focus on our number one value, Safety.” said Tim McCole, vice president. "Our presenters brought over one hundred years of industry experience and expertise, and the latest thinking on Safety Management Systems. The day was absolutely relevant and on target for the Employee Owners of Heritage Aviation”

According to McCole, Heritage Aviation employees are true stakeholders in the company, via an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The employees worked together to establish company values, placing emphasis on safety and customer service above all else. He said with this perspective, the employee owners understand how a strong safety culture generates and preserves greater customer loyalty while creating better business value.

As part of their safety development plan, McCole said Heritage is implementing a comprehensive aviation safety program to systematize their approach to safety management.