Diversity in Aviation

Post-pandemic, the business aviation industry’s long term future casts considerable unpredictability, and we ask ourselves: as the business aviation sector is recovering, could it possibly surpass previous growth? How can the next generation of aviation professionals help propel the recovery of business aviation? In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Jessica Graham, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Business Aviation Association Inc. (ABAA). Together, they discuss the current state of the aviation workforce, corporate responsibility, workplace diversity, and how the ABAA advocates with regulators and acts as a collective voice for business aviation operators.

Training reduces the risk of incidents occurring, and is a crucial building block to develop robust safety cultures. In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Dr. Oleksandra Molloy, Lecturer in Aviation and Aviation Program Coordinator at the University of New South Wales. Together, they discuss the definition of cognitive-based training, evidence-based approaches to tackle high-risk behaviour, use of technology such as eye-tracking, and more. 

Just culture is a topic that is frequently raised in the aviation industry, but quite often misconstrued. In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Jerry Allen, Senior Advisor at The Just Culture Company, LLC. Together, they discuss the just culture model, the concept of no blame culture, how just culture fits in with an organization’s safety culture, and more.

Nowadays, the aviation industry is grappling with ways to increase inclusion and diversity. In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Natalee Johnston, Director of Assimilated Safety and Skilful Decisions. Together, they discuss how risk management has evolved over time, why diversity in the workplace is important and beneficial to safety, and lastly, Women in Aviation International: a support network and mentoring platform for all individuals interested in aviation. 

Safety leadership exists throughout all organisational levels and across all industries, not just aviation. In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Aaron Jones, a Senior Safety Consultant from JVAT. Together, they discuss what pragmatic safety means, groupthink and alignment of attitude, and a call to action for current and future safety leaders in the industry.

How are astronauts assembled to ensure that the best team is sent into space? In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Sally Tindall, an astronaut candidate from AdvancingX. Together, they discuss a new paradigm in developing teams, called the Organizational Team Index (OTI), resulting in optimized performance for future aerospace applications.

No matter what industry you are involved in, recognizing mental health and its impact is crucial. In this episode, Grenville Hudson speaks with Lawrence Harvey from Headspace to discuss what mental health means, how the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled mental health acknowledgement, and the steps that organisations can take to ensure that workers get the support that they need. 

The subject of sleep can at times be misinterpreted. In this episode, we will delve into the science behind sleep and how it affects pilots. One of the key issues pilots face is managing fatigue. Rosemary Clancy from LetSleepHappen joins us to talk about the physiology and psychology of sleep, long haul and night operations, and how alcohol and prescription medication can affect sleep.

This week, we are joined by Simon Hooper, the Head of Underwriting and Head of Product at Precision Autonomy to talk about drone operations and the risks involved, Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) operations, the future of drone activity, and more. 

This week, we are joined by Sue Keating, an emergency and critical incident management expert, to discuss how Covid-19 changed emergency response and business continuity planning, the importance of emergency exercises, and more.The Aviation Safety Community podcast will continue to feature a series of conversations with field experts to share insight about aviation safety and the newest trends in the industry.Be sure to rate, review and subscribe so you don’t miss out on our latest episodes.