Aviation Safety concerns are the most relevant in all aviation sectors. The fact that a considerable number of human lives are always at stake makes it worth all the right reasons to improve on it. Additionally, in the Civil Commercial Aviation sector (especially in the aerial remote-sensing community), the economic effect of an accident or regulatory violation can be a disaster regarding staying in business.
One of the primary reasons accidents & violations happen is due to human error. The fuel that usually feeds human error is a lack of professionalism, airmanship skills and not having a positive safety mindset at different levels and within the many different career fields that make up the aviation community.
So…What do I mean by “There’s a Gap in Aviation Safety!”
The gap that I’m talking about is the civil Airborne Sensor Operator (ASO) career field. This profession is a global group of highly skilled technical individuals. Since the beginning of man flight ASOs have directly participated as crew members in civil commercial aerial remote sensing operations every day and in every corner of the world (both Manned and Unmanned). However, ASOs lack the global aviation standards to professionalize, train and develop a safety mindset equal to Pilots, Flight Dispatchers, and Flight Attendants. Search the internet and you’ll find very little regarding specific civil aviation regulations or associations promoting best aviation/remote-sensing practices & standards for this profession. What you will find are many job postings for Airborne Sensor Operators, Payload Operators, Aerial Survey Operators, Aerial Photographer, etc. (Manned & Unmanned). What this says is that the aviation community has an “Orphan among its Tribe.”
One could argue that there is no safety gap because the Airborne Sensor Operator is just a:
- “Passenger.”
- The “Guy in Back” (GIB)
- “Self-Loading Luggage”
- Some person who babysits a sensor on a tethered Zeppelin
- The “Dude” standing next to me operating the camera on my drone
Additionally, others would argue, individual civil ASOs should be self-discipline to self-interpret pilot & remote pilot standards and best practices to meet critical safety & task expectations of the job if they want to make some money. Or, hire from the various militaries around the world for well-trained ASOs rather than bother the established civil aviation community with another area of improvement.
The counter argument to this is the true intent of Civil Aviation Safety and Risk Mitigation. The baseline of aviation safety is to mitigate risk. The means of mitigating this risk is to identify the areas of improvement and apply the appropriate actions or efforts in a rigorous & standardized manner. In this case (“Orphan among its Tribe”), the civil aviation community can probably shave off a few accident percentages, ASOs will improve their career choice, and commercial firms will protect their bottom-line by:
- Recognizing and establishing basic operating standards of the career field in Civil Aviation regulations around the world (ICAO, CAA, FAA, etc.). Rationale: By Civil governmental aviation organizations establishing a baseline of standards for this career field, it will provide an authoritative framework for other non-government organizations to refine & improve regarding their specific non-pilot/flight crew safety requirements…ie…Professionalize with a safety mindset.
- Establish training programs focused on airmanship and remote-sensing applications. Rationale: By non-governmental organizations (Flight Schools, Associations, etc.) developing and offering focused courses for non-pilot flight crewmembers, it will start to formally educate a group of active flying participants who in the past lacked recognition as a civil aviation crewmember (i.e., Flight Engineers, Flight Attendants, etc.). This approach will help with accountability and make the ASO part of the safety community in general.
- Establish professional Certifications to formally validate an individual ASO’s level of knowledge and experience. Rationale: Like with other aviation professions (i.e.,…Flight Attendants: “Flight Attendants Certification of Demonstrated Proficiency”), establishing a global certification system will enhance the professionalism of the ASO/Crewmember career field while providing commercial & non-commercial entities the means to mitigate risk by hiring quickly & correctly.
Again, It appears the aviation community has a gap in its safety perspective. The gap is related to a particular highly skilled aviation group, in this case, the Airborne Sensor Operator but lacks the recognition & formalization to guide participants to the next level of professionalism & a safety mindset equal to other critical aviation career fields. By incrementally formalizing this profession, the aviation community as a whole can improve its safety margins a bit more! Like you hear in the London underground…”Mind the Gap!”
If you have any information on a particular country’s government aviation standards for ASOs or specific Associations or Societies that promote standards for ASOs, please share. It would be great to start a global baseline!
