Former Fighter Pilot Said Public Perception of Air Safety Is Reality

'Fig' Newton Warns Charter Operators Not To Duck Safety Issues

Noting recent events, "Fig" Newton stressed during ACSF's Safety Symposium that if a problem exists anywhere in aviation, it exists everywhere in aviation.

Retired U.S. Air Force General Lloyd "Fig" Newton told the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Safety Symposium that the industry has no room for complacency. (Photo: Kerry Lynch/AIN)

By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine

March 22, 2023

Pointing to the recent spate of near collisions between aircraft and other mishaps that have captured headlines this year, Gen (Ret.) Lloyd “Fig” Newton told attendees at the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Safety Symposium on Tuesday that operators need to focus on safety issues.

“There are probably some folks in our community that would say, 'That’s not us. That’s those other guys. They’re the one that’s having a problem out there,'” Newton told the audience of primarily charter providers, corporate operators, and safety specialists. But the former commander of the U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command cautioned, “That’s not the way it works in our world and the world of aviation. Because I can assure you, if there’s a problem anywhere in aviation, there’s a problem everywhere in aviation. We can’t duck this. You’re just kidding yourself if you try that.”

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