Flight Safety Foundation

Flight Safety Foundation is an international non-profit group that works on aviation safety. It says it has done this work since 1945. Its stated purpose is to give impartial, independent and expert safety guidance to the aviation and aerospace industry. The foundation says its work helps protect everyone who benefits from air travel.

The foundation finds global safety issues and sets priorities. It then works on them through data collection, information sharing, education, advocacy and communication. It says it can bring together groups that differ in culture, business interests and politics, all in the shared cause of safety.

Membership includes more than 1,000 organizations and individuals in 150 countries. The foundation is based in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. It also has a regional office in Melbourne, Australia. The site marks its 80th anniversary this year.

The site highlights several programs and projects. Two global action plans aim to prevent runway incursions and runway excursions. A runway incursion is when something is on a runway that should not be. A runway excursion is when an aircraft leaves the runway surface. The Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety is another foundation initiative.

The foundation runs the BARS program. It gives organizations that hire contracted aircraft operators a standard to follow. It also runs the Aviation Safety Network, a database of information on airline accidents. These tools help operators and buyers check and improve safety.

The foundation publishes AeroSafety World, its journal. The journal carries in depth analysis of safety issues and timely news. The foundation says its safety journalism goes back more than 50 years. Archives of this and earlier publications are available for safety professionals.

Recent news on the site covers a warning about mixed use airspace near busy airports and an annual safety report on gaps in safety compliance. It also mentions seven principles of aviation safety leadership and an upcoming Safety Summit with a keynote from the ICAO Secretary General. The website lists resources, events and ways to join.