Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Pilots must remain vigilant against biases that come into play when they encounter stressful flight situations, warned Bob Agostino, credited as father of the business aviation safety standdown concept. The keynote speaker at the 10th annual Greater Washington Business Aviation Association Safety Standdown, Agostino told attendees that even well trained professional pilots harbor biases that will affect their decision-making in critical situations.

 


One such bias is the “confirmation bias,” which causes people to process information in ways they already believe to be true and reject ideas to the contrary, he said. This becomes more entrenched the more emotionally charged the situation, affecting decision-making. Further, he explained, “normalcy bias” comes into play when people face disaster. With normalcy bias, he said, a pilot could underestimate the possibility of disaster and fail to prepare adequately. The result is an inability to cope during critical times, he said.

 


“The brain can take up to 10 seconds to process information when it is calm. Stress slows that process,” he warned. But a pilot may have only a few seconds to react. Agostino added that when the brain cannot find an acceptable response it will fixate on a single default that “may or may not be correct.” He emphasized the importance of preparation, both in training and before every flight, to overcome biases. “Anything that has to do with aviation is an intellectual exercise,” he stressed. “It’s not just hand-eye coordination.” That makes preparation all the more important.

 


Agostino also listed a number of steps pilots must take in handling emergencies, including the issuance of clear directives, clearly understanding at what stage contingency plans will be necessary, and recovering and returning to normal after the event.

 


<h2>Pilot Professionalism</h2>

 


Agostino, the former Bombardier executive who is director of flight operations of Group Holdings Aviation, spoke at GWBAA as Bombardier’s Safety Standdown approaches its 20th anniversary. Bombardier’s own standdown began in 1996 with six people Agostino assembled to discuss safety before an accident happens rather than afterward. At the time, safety actions had been far more reactive.

 


The standdown has become deep rooted: <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-10-18/bombardier-safety-standdown-2015">Bombardier’s last event</a> drew 500 people, but 12,500 more logged on afterward to listen to recorded broadcasts of the sessions.

 


The Bombardier standdown has spawned numerous others, such as GWBAA’s annual event and other regional efforts around the U.S. and elsewhere. Agostino expressed a belief that such standdowns have helped changed the dialog about safety to a more proactive, data-driven approach and elevated professionalism. The dialog also shifted to new but critical forms of training such as upset recovery and high-altitude training.

 


Agostino told AIN that his primary concern now is that the people who attend are a self-selected group of the most proactive about safety. He stressed the importance of reaching a broader audience.

 


GWBAA’s safety standdown drew about 75 leaders from the Washington, D.C. region. The event also featured Jason Karadimas, Bombardier Business Aircraft safety officer, who speaks at Bombardier’s Safety Standdown. Noting that human factors play a role in about 80 percent of business and corporate jet accidents, Karadimas discussed the importance of building safety culture and stressed that “safety is never finished.” Safety is dynamic and there is always something new to be learned. He endorsed the concept of “just culture” but advised that it should not be a “get out of jail free” ticket. The culture, however, should encourage reporting; the more the reports, the more information that can be extrapolated to improve safety, Karadimas added.

 


Honeywell’s Jeff Holt provided an overview of new avionics requirements both in the U.S. and elsewhere. He outlined the major mandates for ADS-B and datalink requirements of Fans 1/A and ATN B1 in Europe. Holt further discussed the growing attention on cold-weather restriction airports.

 


Jesse Moyer from the Potomac Tracon, meanwhile, underscored the importance of effective communication between the pilot and controller and advised pilots to question any communication that is not clear.

 


&nbsp;Also on the slate of speakers was Mark Larsen, NBAA’s senior manager for safety and flight operations, who provided an overview of the association’s top safety concerns: the single-pilot accident rate, loss of control in flight (LOC-I), runway excursions and airport ground collisions. 
 
	 
 
	&nbsp;

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

Agostino Headlines GWBAA Safety Standdown

Agostino warns of inherent biases that come into play during stressful flight events.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Altitude and course deviation, traffic proximity remain top categories

ACSF Data Shows Stable Bizav Risk Amid 2026 Pressures

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Aircraft remained within separation guidance but neared each other after the presidential helicopter was unable to alert ATC

Faulty Comms Preceded Marine One/Envoy Close Call

Graham leaving agency within months of confirmation to another term

NTSB Vice Chair Michael Graham To Retire October 2

Stuart “Kipp” Lau

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

UK CAA concerned over rise in unstable approaches continuing to land

AINsight: Go-arounds Are a Normal and Expected Outcome

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Helicopters more than twice as vulnerable to loss of visual reference accidents than airplanes

TSB: Rotorcraft More Prone To Loss-of-visual-reference Accidents

Charlotte Bailey

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

More In Safety

ACSF Data Shows Stable Bizav Risk Amid 2026 Pressures

Altitude and course deviation, traffic proximity remain top categories

Faulty Comms Preceded Marine One/Envoy Close Call

Aircraft remained within separation guidance but neared each other after the presidential helicopter was unable to alert ATC

NTSB Vice Chair Michael Graham To Retire October 2

Graham leaving agency within months of confirmation to another term

AINsight: Go-arounds Are a Normal and Expected Outcome

UK CAA concerned over rise in unstable approaches continuing to land

TSB: Rotorcraft More Prone To Loss-of-visual-reference Accidents

Helicopters more than twice as vulnerable to loss of visual reference accidents than airplanes

EASA: Atmospheric Icing Insufficiently Understood

European air safety agency calls for more comprehensive studies into phenomenon

Embry-Riddle Introduces ‘Safer Skies’ Video Podcasts

First episode features three-time space shuttle veteranJanet Kavandi

Li-ion Thermal Runaways on the Rise in Aircraft Cabins

Numbers are rising and the risk of a serious incident is increasing

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN