Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) now operates under a new organizational structure, meant to ensure a stronger focus on oversight with a new strategy directorate. EASA executive director Patrick Ky launched the reorganization in April. It became effective on September 1, but EASA plans to outline the new strategy and name a safety management director next week.


“In 10 years, we have finalized the harmonization of regulation at the European level,” a spokesman told AIN. Therefore, EASA’s role is evolving from mostly rulemaking to ensuring the rules get enforced in a uniform and consistent manner in the 32 member states.


A major facet of the reorganization effort involves giving the EASA more homogeneity. “We realized that some silos had formed; rulemaking, certification and standardization people did not talk a lot one to another,” the spokesman said. As a result, each directorate had pursued its own agenda.


Ky’s team thought the agency should be made more united, and in January, they created an internal task force, as opposed to resorting to external consultants, the spokesman noted. The task force interviewed a number of employees, asking for suggestions on improvements. After some discussion, leadership approved a reorganization plan in April.


All regulatory functions now integrate across the different aviation domains. For example, the general aviation department comprises rulemaking, certification and standardization experts, putting them in a better position to communicate. As a result, EASA officials believe, the agency can engage more pragmatically with the aviation industry.


The new strategy and safety management directorate defines one strategy for the agency. It is data-driven, the spokesman said, and takes care of safety and business aspects. Using the 2014-2017 European Aviation Safety plan, it identifies those areas where coordinated action can make a difference in avoiding accidents.


Meanwhile, the agency opened a notice of proposed amendment to comment for a revision of its founding regulation. Under the law-making procedure, the agency will issue an “opinion” in the first quarter of next year. The revision might result in updating the EASA’s safety remit, such as including airport handling companies. It might extend the remit beyond safety to security and an enhanced scope for environmental issues. Another goal centers on ensuring “adequate and stable” funding.


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