A proven and powerful safety tool that has been used for decades by airlines worldwide, FOQA involves the collection and analysis of data recorded during flight operations to detect unsafe practices or conditions outside of designed operating procedures early enough to allow timely intervention to avoid accidents and incidents.

“FOQA brings previously unknown problems to light before they can cause accidents or incidents, and it helps operators confirm and quantify problems that they had only suspected,” said Bob Vandel, FSF executive vice president. “Tremendous savings — in maintenance and fuel costs, for instance — also are achieved through the use of FOQA.”

A three-year demonstration project showed that C-FOQA works and shows great promise for improving corporate aviation’s already-excellent safety record. Corporate aviation departments that have implemented C-FOQA have reported numerous operational enhancements.

The Foundation recognizes that, compared with the airlines, corporate aviation departments have relatively few airplanes and more widely mixed fleets; thus, an individual department’s ability to identify trends is limited. To meet this challenge, the Foundation aggregates the data collected under the C-FOQA program to identify trends involving such factors as ineffective or improper training, inadequate standard operating procedures, noncompliance with SOPs, inappropriate published procedures, and unstable or rushed approaches. Strict procedures are in place to ensure the security and confidentiality of the data.

Participation in the program requires installation of quick access recorders in aircraft and acquisition of software to convert the QAR data to a format suitable for downloading. As administrator of the program, the Foundation provides guidance in implementing C-FOQA and secures legal agreements between corporate aircraft operators and data-processing vendors that specify the vendors’ responsibilities and prohibit the operators from using the data for punitive purposes.

For more information about C-FOQA, contact:

Ted Mendenhall
C-FOQA Program Coordinator
Flight Safety Foundation
601 Madison St., Suite 300
Alexandria VA 22314-1756
Telephone: +1 936.449.5875
E-mail: mendenhe@consolidated.net

Jim Burin
Director of Technical Programs
Telephone: +1 703.739.6700, ext. 106
E-mail: burin@flightsafety.org

Bob Vandel
Executive Vice President
Telephone: +1 703.739.6700, ext. 110
E-mail: vandel@flightsafety.org