Press Release

Issued by Bombardier Aviation.

April 8, 2013

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Safety Standdown Asia will return to Shanghai, China for its third edition, in conjunction with the annual Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE). The highly acclaimed seminar will take place on April 15, 2013 at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao.

The pioneering approach to safety training provides pilots, aircrew and flight departments with insight into the factors that precipitate errors in judgment and highlights ways to mitigate them. Focusing on the human factors behind safety in the aircraft, the seminar format combines knowledge-based and skill-based training with a line-up of internationally recognized speakers and presenters.

“As the business aviation market continues to grow in Asia, ABACE provides us with the perfect venue to share and strengthen the principles of Safety Standdown with a wide audience of professional aviators,” said Puja Mahajan, director, flight operations, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “With safety being a top priority for business aviation, we're confident that this unique and essential knowledge-based training will offer some of the most relevant and timely safety information available today to a growing audience in China.”

This year's Asia edition of Safety Standdown will feature internationally esteemed presenters including: Honorable Robert Sumwalt, Member of the National Transportation Safety Board on safety culture; Mr. Kent Jackson, Jackson & Wade, LLC, on criminalization in aviation; Mr. Pat Daily, Executive Vice President, Convergent Performance, LLC, on fatigue and health; Dr. Dan Boedigheimer, Consultant, Convergent Performance, LLC, on Safety Management Systems integration; Kate Kung-McIntyre, Assistant Dean of Business School, Wichita State University, on application of knowledge and Captain Jason Karadimas, Bombardier Flight Operations, on human factors in aviation.

Safety Standdown is not only the first program of its kind that is developed primarily for professionals in the aviation industry, but also the only safety event held in Asia that has an exclusive focus on this industry. The world-class conference provides an unprecedented insight into the human factors that cause errors and the latest training approaches, beyond the regulatory skill-based training, in order to avoid them. This initiative can benefit all operators – irrespective of the type of aircraft they fly or its manufacturer – as they can discover first-hand how they can apply the latest safety intelligence and expertise to their operations.

Bombardier pioneering safety worldwide 
Originally conceived in 1996 as a safety-training event for the Learjet flight demonstration team, the conference quickly garnered a reputation for excellence beyond Bombardier's customer base. In 1999, Bombardier opened the seminar to all pilots – corporate, commercial or military – in response to growing interest. Bombardier has elected to offer this training free-of-charge to all participants, in order to further endorse the program.

Safety Standdown has been endorsed by top aeronautical training institutions for the quality and depth of its content. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) offer continuing education credits to all attendees. As of October 2012, more than 6,300 pilots, crew members, safety specialists and industry officials have graduated from Safety Standdown.