With great sadness, that the community shares the news of the passing of former Philadelphia FAA Inspector Ernie Scardecchio. Ernie was Instrumental in the creation of the PAMA First State Chapter - PAMA Maintenance Symposium many years ago. He helped grow the Symposium into one of the largest maintenance training events in the country.  Without his continued support, it would not have evolved into the event it is today. 

Ernest Philip Scardecchio, 74, of East Greenville passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 with his family by his side. He was the beloved husband of Jeanne Scardecchio.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of the late Ernest and Rose Scardecchio. He served our country honorably in the Air Force, and continued his service with the Air National Guard. Ernest was employed by the F.A.A. for 25 years as a Flight Instructor and a Flight Safety Inspector. Along with his wife, he is survived by his sons: Ernest James and his wife Laura of Reading and Jason Robert of Bally; grandchildren: Tyler and Aaron; and a sister: Patricia, wife of Raymond Warner who resides in Georgia.

A Celebration of his Life will be held at a later date. The Falk Funeral Homes & Crematory, Pennsburg are in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to East Greenville Boy Scout Troop 108, 435 Main St, East Greenville, PA 18041. To offer condolences, visit their "Book of Memories" at falkfuneralhomes.com.

The FAA’s role in flight safety has evolved over the years. This episode covers the Safety Management System (SMS), the potential expansion into charter aviation, and the value of building a safety culture in all types of aviation. Aspects of FAA operations – past, present and future – are discussed.

The episode continues a conversation with John Allen, Manager at Allen and Associates Consulting, LLC. His expertise includes the military, airline industry and FAA.

Allen reflects on his time at JetBlue and the focused effort to implement SMS there. The culture changes brought with that process made it a better organization for safety, operational discipline, and risk management.

“Just culture,” a concept that emphasizes that mistakes are not solely brought about by the person or persons directly involved, also gets a look. In a just culture, after an incident, the question asked is, “What went wrong?” rather than “Who caused the problem?” A just culture is the opposite of a blame culture, which has been especially prevalent in aircraft maintenance operations.
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Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount.

The FAA has taken a hit following high-profile crashes of the 737 Max. Investigators and congressional hearings have laid the blame on the FAA aircraft certification process and its too-close relationship with Boeing. Will the agency be able to restore its reputation?

Guest is John Allen, Manager at Allen and Associates Consulting, LLC. His resume includes service in
the US military as well as leadership roles at the FAA and JetBlue.

The discussion takes a candid look at the issues. They also explore the FAA’s leadership in many areas of aviation safety.
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This episode offers an insider look at the internal workings of the FAA as well as the challenges of balancing safety and economics. They also explain the role of regulatory authorities around the globe.

​Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!

Last fall, the FAA officially convened the Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force. Appointees have since been collecting information regarding experiences with youth engagement, career development, workforce needs and industry readiness.
 
To assist in that work, the task force requests assistance gathering input from students in AMTS and any other aviation-specific training programs about the experiences with youth interest in aviation careers.
 
Please share the following invitation with students in your programs, encouraging feedback that will help turn their decision to develop aviation skills into better industry-wide effort to recruit and develop new talent:
 
The United States – and world – need more people to pursue careers in aviation. Since you’re on the path already, your experience is invaluable to the industry as it improves recruitment and retention efforts. Please share that experience by completing the following questionnaire, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force. Anything you share will be confidential and will not be seen by your school or instructors. To complete the survey, access the Google Form at https://forms.gle/x38aRMXxUA6qUEqc7.

The deadline to submit a response is Feb. 28.

​Is complacency seeping into all areas of aviation safety? From pilots doing casual preflights to the NTSB’s continued refusal to do on-site investigations for most aviation accidents, John and Greg have safety concerns at all levels.

The safety culture of aviation is stagnating. The findings of the Rand Report – written more than 20 years ago – have not been implemented. It outlines issues with the NTSB organizational culture that persist today. The result is a decrease in the board’s role as stated in the report: “The NTSB must be an open and impartial agent pursuing the cause of aviation.”

It is a tragedy that the NTSB is not going to the scene of general aviation accidents to collect information. Safety insights are being lost as investigators resort to superficial probable case statements.

This episode also looks at issues caused by COVID-19 disruptions, from the complexities of bringing planes back to service to people losing skills from inactivity. Was COVID a factor in the recent 737 crash in Indonesia?

Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!

Light Sport Aircraft are the focus of this discussion. Changes to FAA rules and regulations now under review could result in a major loosening of safety rules for affected planes.
The FAA is proposing to change the rules and regulations related to LSAs, allowing aircraft in the category to be larger and more complex. John, Greg and expert Jason Lukasik explore implications for flight safety.
While every maintenance bulletin must be followed on LSAs, the use of consensus standards can make the work more challenging.
Listener questions are answered related to the Piper PA28 Airworthiness Directive (Episode 50) and propeller safety (Episode 46). The discussion also covers recent general aviation accidents with fatalities.

The NTSB investigation of the tragic 2006 crash of a single-engine Cessna 206 was attributed to pilot error. Although evidence has surfaced that questions that conclusion, the findings have not been changed and appeals have been denied.
Guests for this episode are Yatish Joshi, pilot Georgina Joshi’s father and an experienced pilot, and his wife Joan. They tell the story of their journey to find the truth.
The lack of NTSB resources devoted to general aviation accidents is a disturbing safety trend illustrated by this crash. Pilot error is the attributed cause in more than 85% of cases, potentially missing the true lessons that can be learned from thorough accident investigation.
Invisible Sky is a documentary created about this accident. John and Greg believe the film is important for everyone in the GA community to see, as well as anyone who is interested in aviation safety.

​More than 430 lives have been saved by the BRS Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute System. John and Greg get all the details about the system from  BRS Managing Director and President Enrique Dillon.

BRS invented the Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute System in 1980. Since then, the system has been installed on more than 35,000 aircraft. It is a safety option that can be installed on virtually any general aviation plane.

The discussion covers details of proper installation and maintenance. They offer tips for pilots to make this safety system part of safe operations.

Listen for other aviation news and Greg and John’s take on the best leadership for the FAA.

Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!

Experienced pilot Bob Jenkins joins Greg and John for this look at piloting challenges in business and charter aviation. COVID-19 is leading to increased interest in these flight options as a way to avoid the crowds of commercial aviation.

Pilots face demands of both aircraft and flight readiness. Pilots must be prepared to make flight safety decisions, even when they are unpopular with the employer on board.

Jenkins discusses the dangers of automation dependence, handling missed approaches, the importance of good relationships with maintenance crews and more. The value of professionalism is highlighted.

Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!