Aims To Be The First U.S. Fractional Company To Accomplish This Goal

NetJets has announced that it will be the first fractional aircraft operator in the United States to implement a Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) program for all of its Signature Series aircraft, including the new jets that entered the fleet over the last several years. The company recently reached agreement with its pilots’ labor union, NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), to implement FOQA and enhance its record as the leader in private aviation safety.

“Our top priority is the safety of our customers and our crewmembers,” said NetJets Chief Operating Officer Bill Noe. “We have already reached the highest level of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Safety Management System (SMS), and implementing FOQA now takes our commitment to safety to the highest level possible.”

FOQA is an FAA-approved voluntary program designed to improve safety by using data from the flight recorder, which records the operation of an aircraft in flight. The data is downloaded and analyzed in an effort to enhance safety. The results are used to enrich training programs, improve maintenance, and create greater efficiency and operating procedures. FOQA works by examining trends and analyzing raw data.

“A good example of the value of FOQA is analyzing the risks associated with runway overrun on landing,” said Noe. “The way to reduce that risk is to ensure the aircraft touches down at the right speed and at the right point on the runway. FOQA captures this data, which is then aggregated. The information is shared with our pilots, both through periodic communication to show changes in trends and also targeted focus in training events in a simulator. Over time, the emphasis increases consistent aircraft landings to improve safe operations.”

FMI: www.netjets.com