Santiago, Chile – In its annual award ceremony at the International Air Safety Summit, the Flight Safety Foundation presented the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award to Robert Sheffield, formerly of Shell Aircraft, for his leadership with the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST).
Mr. Sheffield was a founding member of the IHST Executive Committee and worked for many years to gain its support from the helicopter industry. The IHST was founded in 2006 and began developing data-driven safety recommendations. His influence encouraged the spread of the principles espoused by the IHST.
“Bob Sheffield was instrumental in starting a program to enhance helicopter safety industry-wide with the creation of IHST,” stated William R. Voss, President and CEO of FSF. “With his leadership, we are seeing the influence of the IHST mitigation strategies. He’s a great aviation safety professional who has proven to be a natural leader to the benefit of the entire industry.”
The Laura Taber Barbour award is one of the Foundation’s oldest awards. It was established in 1956 by the late Clifford E. Barbour and his son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr, in memory of the elder Barbour’s wife, who perished in 1946 when a DC-struck a mountain n WV, killing all 20 on board. The family used the insurance settlement to institute this award in her memory.
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Flight Safety Foundation (www.flightsafety.org) is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community.
Contact: Emily McGee, Director of Communications, +1 703 739 6700, ext 126; mcgee@flightsafety.org