RAFFCA Safety Management System - RAFFCASMS

RAFFCA Safety Management System (RAFFCASMS) document - Version 3

Introduction

Aviation safety has come along way since the early days. Whilst modern aircraft and aircraft systems are extremely reliable, there remains a need for all aviators and aviation organisations to create and maintain an active culture of safety in every facet of their operations. This includes the operations and members of the Service flying clubs overseen by the Royal Air Force Flying Clubs’ Association (RAFFCA).

The RAFFCA Safety Management System (RAFFCASMS – pronounced as “raff-chasms”) is designed to promote and maintain a positivesafety culture in all areas of RAFFCA operations. The SMS is not a crew-room coffee table document that belongs to the President, Chairman and executive committee of RAFFCA. The SMS belongs to all RAFFCA Members without which, and their complicit support, the safety goals and objectives of this system cannot be realised.

What is a SMS?

An SMS is an integrated set of work practices, beliefs and procedures for monitoring and enhancing the safety of all aspects of the organization – it is the bedrock to a good “Safety Culture”. An SMS will not stop mistakes. However, it will recognise that human error is inevitable and attempts to put defences in place for these inevitable errors before they occur. Where the SMS does not prevent an incident or accident, the SMS will capture the lessons learnt from that event and improve itself. As such, an SMS is a dynamic system.

Why has this been introduced?

Following the loss of Nimrod XV230, Mr Haddon-Cave QC recommended that military operators took an enhanced responsibility for the safety and airworthiness of their aircraft and flying operations. Under a “Duty Holder” construct, the newly formed Military Aviation Authority (MAA) placed responsibility upon the Station Commander, the Air Officer Commanding and the Chief of the Air Staff for risk management and assurance of flight safety. Whilst, your Station Commander will not have Duty Holder responsibility for your Flying Club’s aircraft, they do have a responsibility to ensure that you are safe to operate from Crown Property. This is why the RAFFCA Safety Management System (RAFFCASMS) has been developed; in order to assure your Station Commander that a suitable system is in place and that you have an auditable framework to manage your risks.

Can I have a copy of the policy document?

There is a link at the top of this page that will download the RAFFCASMS framework document in Adobe PDF.