If there was any doubt that hundreds of safety-minded aviation professionals were in attendance during the second day of the 56th Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (Cass) on April 21, that doubt was dispelled when the fire alarm sounded. Quick-thinking flight attendant Amy Nelson, at the podium delivering a presentation on cabin safety, reacted with professional flair. “This is not a drill,” she announced. And with that, the room cleared and the attendees–from flight departments, airline and charter operators, safety consultancies and more–stepped outside into the ocean-fresh San Diego air until the all clear allowed everyone back inside. After resuming her presentation, Nelson assured the attendees, “That wasn’t planned.”
Nelson, chair of the NBAA flight attendant safety and training subcommittee, now works with the ConocoPhillips flight department in Anchorage, Alaska. Her Cass presentation outlined cabin safety issues aircraft owners and passengers face, especially after a new aircraft purchase. “There’s always pressure to get going on the first flight after purchase,” she said. And she expressed the concern that in Part 91 non-commercial operations, the owner’s attitude–“My airplane, my rules, this is the way I want it”–encourages crew who are worried about keeping their jobs to set aside regulations.
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