Air Support Safety: An Airborne Public Safety Pilot’s Quest to Reduce Flight Risks

Public safety aviation has an amazing legacy. The missions of chasing bad guys, rescuing victims, finding lost people or extinguishing raging fires in the knick of time is a part of the iconic image of heroic people doing heroic work that has inspired others. Mitigating flight risks and increasing mission success is the pursuit in air support safety.

Bryan Smith is the Safety Program Manager for the Airborne Public Safety Association and writes a column in the association's magazine. Bryan is not only a full-time chief pilot/flight instructor of a law enforcement air support unit, he has provided safety training to aviators in the USA, Canada, Europe, Africa and Brazil. This book contains over 10 years worth of articles, advice and interviews in how to pursue the highest levels of aviation safety and mission effectiveness. APSA was founded in 1968 as an educational organization whose mission is "to serve, save and protect from the air" and one way to accomplish that is through its safety education and outreach.

The profession of public safety aviation has wide-ranging responsibilities; the most important is to perform the mission successfully and arrive home safe. In his quest to reduce flight risks and increase mission success among his peers, Bryan's collection of writing reminds law enforcement aviators that they can also help counter flight risks with learning, listening and training—training from the classroom, books, magazines, conversations, online resources and real-world experience. He says the best pilots have the motivation to seek out training and go beyond the minimum requirements. The best pilots are ones who don't think he or she is the best because there is still so much to learn. The best pilots, mechanics, TFOs and aircrew members are all of you who are reading this, because you want to get better.

Bryan also reminds public safety aviators to look up with pride. For a moment at least, look away from the…mud…we have been walking through and look up to see how amazing you are and what incredible work you do. Look up at the amazing views we are gifted through the cockpit windows. Look up at the incredible technology you've created to make the world a better place. Whether you fly, fix, create gear or support this industry, look up and see that you are contributing to an incredible history.