Airport Business - 44

RISK MITIGATION
AUTHOR Heath Barnett

AMERICAN AERO'S JOURNEY TO

The FBO in Fort Worth, Texas, became the
world's first to attain the top-tier certification
following extensive evaluation and improvement
to its ground handling safety practices.
FBO customers may take safety
for granted, but as ground handling
professionals, we know safety should
never be assumed.
According to a recently released
report, the International Business
Aviation Council (IBAC) has documented
more than 440 ground handling-related
accidents worldwide over the last 18
months, with damages estimated at $6.8
million. More than half of those incidents
occurred when an aircraft was parked at
an FBO or under its control.
At American Aero, an FBO serving
Meacham International Airport in Fort
Worth, Texas, safety has always been an
integral part of our culture, and that is
ref lected in our daily operations. It's a
commitment to customers that comes
from the very top of the organization.
That's why, when IBAC introduced
the International Standard for Business
Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) in 2014,
American Aero founder Robert M. Bass
and the management team were quick

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HEATH BARNETT

Heath Barnett is safety officer at
American Aero FTW, Fort Worth Meacham
International Airport. He ensures all safety
aspects at the FBO and has led American
Aero's IS-BAH certification efforts
since 2016. Barnett holds a commercial
multi-engine airplane rating and flies as
co-pilot in the Learjet 45. He has served
the aviation industry, in the air and on
the ground, for nearly 20 years. He can be
reached at info@americanaero.com.

to get on board. They understood that
establishing a new level of safety aligned
well with our commitment to world-class
customer service.
Since then, American Aero has led
the industry in ground handling safety.
In 2015, we became the first FBO in the
Western Hemisphere to the earn IS-BAH
Stage I registration. In 2017, we were one
of the first to be awarded Stage II. In 2018,
American Aero became the first FBO in
the world to become Stage III certified.
We don't just adhere to best practices; we
are setting the pace for the industry.
To date, out of an estimated 6,400
FBOs worldwide, only 160 have pursued
IS-BAH at any level. It's a rigorous and
challenging process, even for an FBO
committed to safety. But it is also a
natural extension of the safety standards
that private aviation travelers adhere
to and demand in the sky. It offers our
customers peace of mind to know that
we make their safety and the safety of
their assets a top priority and there is
a significant cost savings to be had by
avoiding accidents - both for an FBO
and for its customers.

The IS-BAH Process
IS-BAH is a global, voluntary code of
best practices for the FBO and business
aviation handling agent (BAHA)
communities, created for the industry,
by the industry. It incorporates the safety
management system (SMS) concept in all
aspects of FBO/BAHA operations and

44 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / MAY 2019

AMERICAN AERO FTW

IS-BAH Stage III

is complementary with the International
Standard for Business Aircraft Operations
(IS-BAO) used by their operator clients.
IS-BAH Stage I confirms that an
FBO has an SMS infrastructure in place
and that safety management activities
are appropriately targeted. The next
level, Stage II, ensures that safety risks
are being effectively managed. Stage
III is about demonstrating continuous
improvement in evaluating safety
performance indicators, verifying that
safety management activities are fully
integrated into an FBO's business and
demonstrating that a positive safety
culture is being sustained.

Making the Leap
American Aero actively undertook the
IS-BAH registration process because
it demonstrates our commitment to
unparalleled safety and service. We are
Airport Business

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