Benjamin J. Goodheart, Ph.D. oodheart is an aviation professional with ars of experience in the field. His diverse n in aviation line service and has expanded aviation safety and loss control, training, onal flying. He has worked in and with a aviation organizations, including flight anizations, business and general aviation and major airlines, and his varied labor (let’s say our fictitious company spends $53,913,600 a year across its 22 locations and 960 employees) and using our one percent estimate as a benefit. In this case, we’d add $539,136 into the expected benefits of our ROI formula and our results would increase to a 224 percent return. In practice, being conservative with estimates is often best, but being cognizant of the residual benefits of safety and organizational improvement is important to capture. Something we hear regularly from the industry is that “a lot of businesses struggle with investing in safety, because they want to know, ‘Does this help me sell another gallon of fuel?’; and that question is driven by operators who, instead of asking about safety, are far more concerned with the price of fuel and the look of the facilities.” That commercial pressure is a very real part of our lives in aviation, and all the more reason we should approach safety investments systematically. Safety doesn’t sell our products, and that isn’t its purpose. Instead, investing in safety—and in the concepts that support it, like leader- ship, learning, trust and transparency—can help reduce profits lost to organizational friction, while they help us build companies more resilient to the changes of a fickle market. Of course, those things ultimately interface with and affect sales as well. Taking a businesslike approach to safety—as SMS suggests we should—means we can make better informed decisions, select more effective performance measures and make the most of our limited resources, all with enabling our teams’ successes in mind. So, while you may not sell an additional gallon of fuel, focusing on safety ensures you can be effective at your core functions and keep more of what your organization earns; and that’s a more sustainable approach to business. Dr. Benjamin Goodheart is the Managing Director of Versant, an international safety and risk manage- ment firm based in Colorado. Benjamin has exten- sive experience in aviation safety management, planning, and accident investigation. He is an ATP-rated pilot and flight instructor, and he holds a Ph.D. with a research focus on general aviation safety and organizational performance. To learn more about how Versant can help you manage risk, call 833-VERSANT or visit Versant on the web at versantrisk.com. affords him a wide variety of opportunities within his passion. Benjamin is an active researcher focused on novel applications within aviation safety management ational climate and culture. He holds an undergraduate degree in Aeronautical The Voice of Aviation Business See What 2017 Aviation Business Conference Attendees Had to Say: I had no idea what to expect going in but found there was a great balance of different topics and speakers that pertained to me. Good mix of attendees with plenty of opportunities to engage one another. Spending time with peers is invaluable to processing the industry and visioning for one’s own business. NATA continues to provide valuable resources to their members on behalf of general aviation. Master of Science in Safety Science, and a Ph.D. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical with a specialization in applied aviation safety. Dr. Goodheart also holds several aviation certifications, as well as Airline Transport Pilot and flight instructor Benjamin manages aviation claims and safety programs for an international This is my first NATA event and I was very impressed with the high-level decision makers that attended the event, as well as the relevant content that was discussed. It’s nice knowing there is an advocacy group focused on the needs of private aviation to debunk the myths so often charged against private jets. For more information or to register, please visit www.nata.aero/abc. nt base at AirSure Limited, and he serves as President of an aviation nonprofit , Mercy Wings Network. In 2014, Dr. Goodheart was named one of Aviation Week Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2018 41 I find the NATA Aviation Business Conference to be an excellent opportunity to network with industry peers and to get updated on the latest industry initiatives. The NATA Aviation Business Conference provides a diverse series of relevant and timely topics for everyone. It is a great forum for sharing ideas, learning and further gaining insight on key issues, and building relationships with peers and experts. Time well spent to gain valuable perspectives. It’s the Who’s Who event of the year for our industry. 2018 ANNUAL MEETING & AVIATION BUSINESS CONFERENCE JUNE 12–14 | GRAND HYATT WASHINGTON, DC
