Since 2013 United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) has offered an experience return programme to incentivise safety best-practices among its business aviation policyholders. This individual GER programme returns five per cent of premium to business aviation operators for each of three best-practice safety and loss control criteria they employ, allowing operators that employ all three to recoup a combined 15 per cent of their premium after a no-loss year.

One PV PLUS criteria focuses on a company being IS-BAO registered in order to prove standardised procedures and integration of safety management principles. Now this can also be done instead by fulfilling the requirements of BASC full-service membership. Accordingly, business aviation policyholders can now qualify for a five per cent PV PLUS good experience return by being IS-BAO registered or by meeting Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) full-service member organisation requirements.

“The PV PLUS component to 'achieve or maintain IS-BAO registry' was established because the process of meeting the IS-BAO standard and passing external IS-BAO audits strengthens the standardisation and safety practices of a flight operation and serves to validate the presence and effectiveness of managerial safety functions,” explains USAIG director of aviation safety programmes Paul Ratté. “IS-BAO registration continues to function in that way as a hallmark of organisational commitment to safety principles. Over the last few years, BASC has grown steadily and established itself as an effective alternative resource that spurs and helps business aviation organisations to optimise the effectiveness of their safety management and standardisation practices.”

BASC founder and president Rick Malczynski believes that full service BASC membership is a sensible solution, "conceptualised directly through input from operators". Member organisations participate in a progressive and continuing external and internal audit programme, quarterly continuing education sessions presented by industry experts, nationwide safety roundtables that are webcasted and archived, and a data sharing programme that focuses on the questions and areas most commonly queried by operators. Malczynski adds: “Every BASC standardisation board member is a current operator who advocates for, and answers to, all members regarding timely and important issues within the industry. There are no vendors or non-operational dignitaries. Our vision is unique in its advocacy for total collusion. BASC and the entire membership form a partnership to ensure and maintain the highest levels of safety, excellence, and continuous improvement.”

Other safety standards that qualify USAIG insured business aviation operators for PV PLUS five per cent premium returns when they maintain favourable loss experience are twice-yearly pilot simulation-based training in make and model flown; fleet use of approved FOQA/FDM programme. Qualified business aviation operators who meet all three criteria can earn a total GER of 15 per cent and an expanded package of Performance Vector safety programmes.

“USAIG continually evaluates its PV PLUS criteria and considers the views and experience of its policyholder organisations as important indicators,” says president and CEO John Brogan. “BASC's collaborative structure, coupled with the strong support it has earned from participating business flight organisations, indicates it is finding a strong cultural fit with many flight departments to inspire and activate positive safety impacts. That makes BASC membership a worthy loss-control measure for us to incentivise.”