Monthly Archives: February 2015

Resource Library: SMS Collection 2

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ACRP Report I, Volume II:

The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report I, Volume II is aimed towards airport operators and others responsible for organizing any Safety Management Systems (SMS) at an airport.

It is a guidebook that expands on the information in ACRP Report I, Volume I, thoroughly detailing the components of the system and presenting all the information needed to perform all the necessary SMS tasks.

The chapters within cover the basics of Airport SMS, how to get started, implementing SMS at an airport, Safety Risk Management, and finally the continuous operation of SMS.

Though the Guidebook was published in 2009, and though the final FAA guidance has not been released and could change, it can still be a good resource for those wanting to learn more.

For more information, read the ACRP Report I, Volume 2: Guidebook. (June 2009)

Roundtable Review Nov. 2011 of Part 139 Implementation Studies:

Through Gap Analysis, a number of airports have begun adopting implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) after the original pilot studies. They began to identify what components needed to be added on top of what had already been in place.

The goal of the Implementation Studies was to determine what methods and policies were best for the adoption of Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management (SRM), Safety Assurance and Safety Promotion.

The fourteen airports that participated in this study applied the changes necessary through a few different methods, but came together and decided on changes that needed to be made before full implementation of SMS at airports.

To read the full study and their conclusions, download the Part 139 Safety Management System (SMS) Implementation Study’s November 2011 Roundtable Meeting Summary. (November 2011)

Big Data in the Aviation Industry

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Information is always flying in and out of our hands in this modern age – but to really take advantage of this flood of big data, it has to be grasped and analyzed so proper decision-making strategies can be used.

Relation to Aviation Industry:

The handling and understanding of big data is of growing importance for the aviation industry. With a growing traveller demographic, airports will have more and more information to deal with. It will be important to know everything from enplanements, revenue streams and maintenance activity to productivity analysis, security and growth drivers on a constant basis.

Understanding of big data will help predict future trends, behaviors, increase efficiency and be ahead of the curve. This knowledge is very important with global air passenger traffic increasing by 4% yearly, and freight traffic increasing by 5.1% per annum for the next 15 years, according to the Airports Council International—meaning there will be 7 billion passengers total and 170 million tons of freight by 2020.

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BIG DATA: Information gathered by Gartner Inc. as posted by the Wall Street Journal on February 10, 2015.

Challenges of “Big Data”:

With a significant growth in airline passengers, the importance of data analysis in solving problems and predicting future events is becoming more and more apparent. Sorting through the flood of information and figuring out what is actually needed is the biggest issue of the modern age.

You need all the proper skills and capabilities, the ability to integrate multiple data sources and bring together big data technology with your existing infrastructure if you want to be able to properly understand what you’re taking in.

To draw conclusions from data you’ve collected, you also need to be very aware of your biases. If you aren’t, the interpretations of the data will be skewed and incorrect – costing precious time and money.

You also need the systems and people in place to handle and interpret the mass of data that will constantly be coming in. There needs to be thought put into what you want to figure out, how and when the information was gathered, and build tools to process the information and lay it out in an understandable manner.

Don’t let important data fly through your hands at inopportune times – learn more about data analysis and figure out how to make your airport more efficient and prepare for the near future.

Resource Library: SMS Collection 1

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This is the beginning of a series of abstracts designed to help you understand important aviation industry documents in a quick and simple way. Read on to understand the Advisory Circular 150/5200-37 and the ACRP Report I, Volume I.

Advisory Circular 150/5200-37:

Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5200-37 was the first introduction of a Safety Management System (SMS) for Airport Operators. Its goal was to outline and define what an SMS is and how to begin the process to putting into effect the guidelines necessary to comply with upcoming rulings and lawmaking.

The plan was to implement the program in a way that complimented existing safety regulations in Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 139, while meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for safety.

This document outlined future goals and plans while putting the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) in charge of providing and putting out information on SMS for airport operators.

Though aimed specifically at Part 139 airports, other civil airports were encouraged to pick up the applicable material in the AC and future documents.

For more information past this abstract, read the Advisory Circular 150/5200-37. (February 2007)

ACRP Report I, Volume I:

The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report I, Volume I details what a Safety Management System (SMS) is and explains the business advantages and safety assurances it can grant. Implementing an SMS not only improves those aspects of an airport, but also encourages an overall change in safety culture.

An airport’s success with implementing a functional and compliant SMS relies on the commitment of top and senior management in order to make things transition smoothly.

This ACRP report is, at its simplest, an overview. It details all the components that make up the system, including the four main segments and the twelve parts which make up the main ideals. It also lists SMS in other industries and parts of the aviation industry, ICAO guidance for airport SMS, SMS implementation in airports outside the United States, and the future visions for airport SMS in the United States.

For more information past this abstract, read the ACRP Report I, Volume 1: Overview. (March 2007)