The Air Charter Safety Foundation, a non-profit organisation which supports high safety standards for 240 business, charter and fractional operators, has promoted Russ Lawton to VP of operations and Alyssa Sleight to programmes manager. Frank Raymond has joined the ACSF as its new director of safety.

ACSF president Bryan Burns comments: “With the ACSF growing as it has been, we need the additional in-house aviation safety expertise to assist our member companies. In that regard, we're thrilled to welcome Frank Raymond to the team, and we're delighted to promote Russ and Alyssa, who've both contributed significantly to our growth.”

Raymond, Lawton and Sleight's backgrounds and experience reflect careers that have been tightly focused on aviation safety and its administration.

As the ACSF's new director of safety, Raymond is tasked with helping expand the ACSF Industry Audit Standard and Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), which the ACSF offers in conjunction with the FAA. In the coming year, Raymond will also assist ACSF members to improve their safety standards with the rollout of flight data monitoring (FDM) and the newly required safety management system (SMS) standards, per the FAA. He joins the ACSF after having worked for Seattle, Washington-based Vulcan, Inc. for 14 years. While at Vulcan, he launched its flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) programme and, in addition, redeveloped the team's emergency response plan.

Prior to Vulcan, Raymond served in various safety-related roles at Alaska Airlines, including as its ASAP manager. He attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, where he earned a BS in Aerospace Studies, and a master's in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle's worldwide campus in Seattle. Raymond also earned his Aviation Safety and Security Certificate from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

For more than 40 years, Russ Lawton has held key roles within aviation and system safety. Formerly the ACSF's director of safety and ASAP programme manager, he has been promoted to serve as its vice president of operations. In his new role, he will continue to be responsible for the ACSF's ASAP programme and its 135 participating companies. As well, he will head up revisions to the ACSF Industry Audit Standard for charter operators and fractional aircraft ownership companies. Lawton is a current member of the ASIAS general issues and analysis team team. He has also served on the FAA SMS aviation rulemaking committee and previously was responsible for developing and implementing SMS programmes for member companies of NATA.

Alyssa Sleight formerly was the ACSF's assistant director of safety, and will now serve as programmes manager for the organisation's various safety initiatives, including the ASAP programme. In particular, she will continue to organise the back-office logistics of the ASAP training and operations, such as ASAP data collection and coordinating all event review committee meetings. In her new role, she will also provide operational support for the FDM and SMS programmes.

Sleight is a licensed private pilot and holds a BS in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. She is proficient with SMS platforms that house ASAP data, including ACSF QuickBase, Argus PRISM Armor, Aviation Manuals, BaldwinSMS, FltSap, VOCUS SMS and Web-Based Analytical Technology (WBAT).

ACSF chairman Robert Rufli concludes: “For years, Bryan, Russ and Alyssa have done an exceptional job in launching and facilitating the Aviation Safety Action Program for general aviation. Now, as the Foundation's membership grows and its programmes expand, it's vital to keep the momentum going. Frank Raymond is a strategic addition to the team who can help the team meet its objectives. His in-depth aviation safety experience is the perfect complement to help the Foundation promote continuous improvement through safety-related programmes.”

PIC