Editorials written at this time of the year often are dedicated either to looking back at the year past or ahead at what’s to come. I am writing this early in the final month of 2012, but most of you won’t see it until early in 2013, so I am going to grant myself the liberty of doing both.
Looking ahead, AeroSafety World will strive to continue to deliver the in-depth safety information, data and analysis for which it is known. Some of the subjects we will tackle in 2013 include helicopter safety, unstable approaches and go-around decision-making, voluntary reporting systems, the integration of remotely piloted vehicles into civilian airspace, multi-crew pilot licensing, operations in remote regions and the safety implications of NextGen. Revisions to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Global Air Navigation Plan, further developments in the industry’s efforts to protect safety information from misuse, and Foundation-aided safety efforts in developing countries also will be covered. As always, we welcome your comments and ideas for articles.
Flight Safety Foundation COO Kevin Hiatt has details on p. 7 about some Foundation-specific developments you can expect in 2013, but there is one I particularly want to highlight. Beginning with the February issue of ASW, website access to the most current issues of the magazine will be limited to Foundation members for three months following publication. For example, once the February issue is published, it will be posted to the Foundation website, but most of the issue’s content will be accessible only by members or the employees of member organizations until early May, when it will be made available on a publicly accessible area on our website. Print distribution of the magazine, which already is limited to individual members and member organizations, will not change, although you likely will see each issue of the magazine earlier in the month (see below). Archived issues of the magazine will continue to be publicly available.
In 2013, we again will publish 11 issues of ASW, with a combined December 2013–January 2014 issue. You should, however, see the magazine earlier each month than in years past. Beginning with the February 2013 issue, we are changing the ASW publication cycle. Copies of the magazine will be mailed within the first few days of the issue month. So, your February issue should be on its way to you early in the month.
Looking back, 2012 has been a busy year. In addition to our usual array of successful seminars and safety projects, we have made some changes internally to make ASW and the Foundation run more efficiently and to better serve you, our members and the cause of aviation safety. For example, if you haven’t already taken a look, please check out the redesigned ASW landing page on the Foundation’s website. The changes made several weeks ago make the articles and information more accessible and easier to read.
On a personal note, I joined Flight Safety Foundation in April to succeed the retiring J.A. Donoghue and, as expected, Jay has proved to be a tough act to follow. The learning curve has been steep, but the subject matter is fascinating and my education has been hastened by numerous people within the Foundation and across the industry. Please accept my heartfelt thanks. Of course, I have had a great deal of help from the talented and patient AeroSafety World editorial and production staff, and for that, I want to say thank you. In addition, I want to thank the writers and photographers on whose talent and effort much of ASW’s reputation is built. With your help, we can continue to make a difference.
Happy New Year.