Evolution of Business Flight Risk Assessment
Flight risk assessment tools (FRATs) have shown their value, and indications are that further refinement of the assessment process will provide even better results, according to a study conducted by the VanAllen Group and presented at the 2012 Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar.1
This was no academic exercise. “The goal of the study was to accelerate the evolution of FRATs,” the author’s paper says. It describes a second generation of FRATs that is available in the marketplace: “They are the software evolution of the first generation hard-copy models [paper forms] that were integral elements of the initial safety management systems protocols and resources.”
Ten major non-commercial aviation departments participated, representing “high end” operations, most operating both domestically and internationally. Turbojets were the only type of business aircraft involved. Twenty percent of the FRATs were created by…
