At the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium held April 7-9, 2025, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., and virtually worldwide, over 150 safety professionals came together to engage in thoughtful dialogue on the future of aviation safety.
One of the most energizing sessions was the ACSF Safety Working Group Panel, where participants shared ideas, asked bold questions, and explored what it truly means to go beyond compliance.
Participants aligned around a shared mission: to elevate safety beyond regulatory requirements and pursue cultural change that is both intentional and sustainable. Two exciting concepts emerged:
- Quantum Safety: Imagining bold, breakthrough safety strategies not yet attempted.
- Safety Think Tank: Creating an open space for innovative, unconventional problem-solving.
This isn’t about doing more of the same… It’s about transforming how safety is approached, designed, and embedded across every department.
The group wasn’t afraid to ask hard questions:
- Are our current safety solutions sustainable?
- Are we unintentionally normalizing mediocrity?
- Are we focused on true safety impact, or just checking boxes?
These questions are designed to challenge assumptions and inspire meaningful reflection across all levels of an operation.
The panel concluded with a clear call to action:
- Form small working groups to explore recurring issues.
- Share lessons learned industry-wide, not just internally.
- Champion intentional implementation, not just compliance.
- Promote mentorship and instill shared ownership of safety across teams.
Takeaway Principles:
- Safety must be shared, modeled, and reinforced at every level.
- We are interconnected—when one operator struggles, the whole industry feels it.
- Leadership must come from within, with an eye on the industry, as a whole.
- A culture of collaboration is essential to elevating safety for everyone.
“There are about 2,000 registered air charter certificates in the United States, and of those, 100+ are with the Air Charter Safety Foundation. That means a vast number are not necessarily participating in safety programs. As was said, one accident by anyone is an accident on all of us. So, reaching out and bringing more operators into the fold helps raise the bar of safety for our entire industry,” said Jeff Baum, President of Wisconsin Aviation, Inc., who was one of the panelists at the safety symposium.
For more information about the ACSF Industry Audit Standard and membership, visit www.acsf.aero.