Bombardier Aerospace announced today that actor William Shatner will join the team in celebrating Safety Standdown’s 15^th anniversary. The 2011 U.S. edition will take place from October 24-27, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Wichita, Kansas.

“We are thrilled to have William Shatner join us to celebrate this milestone 15^th anniversary as a guest speaker at this year’s dinner banquet,” said Puja Mahajan, Director, Flight Operations, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Safety Standdown has evolved tremendously since its beginnings as a Learjet Demo Team safety initiative. Now an expanding global force for aviation professionalism and safety education, the Safety Standdown curriculum is offered to over 800 aviation professionals annually in four countries. This year, we have an excellent line up of expert presenters and are gearing up for another successful event.”

The Bombardier Safety Standdown’s pioneering approach to safety training provides pilots, aircrew and flight departments with insight into the events that precipitate errors in judgment and highlights ways to mitigate them. Focusing on the human factors behind safety in the aircraft, the seminar format combines knowledge-based and skill-based training with a line up of internationally recognized speakers and presenters. Safety Standdown enjoys support from the world’s highest regulatory authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, and is offered each year in partnership with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).

Opening remarks will be delivered by Doug Carr, Vice President, Safety and Regulation, National Business Aviation Association; the Honourable Christopher Hart, Vice Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); and Hélène V. Gagnon, Vice President,
Public Affairs, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, Bombardier Aerospace. Amongst the speakers at the general sessions are the Honourable Robert Sumwalt, Member, NTSB; Dr. Tony Kern, Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner, Convergent Performance; and Rick Rowe, Captain, Bombardier Flight Operations.

“Bombardier is committed to Safety Standdown,” said Ms. Gagnon. “Each year, we open our doors to the entire community so we can work together and learn how to make aviation even safer than it already is.”

For the first time this year, the Safety Standdown format will combine the general sessions with workshops on a variety of safety-related topics. Participants will be able to choose from

15 optional workshops, including Safety Management System and Safety Culture; presented by the Honourable Robert Sumwalt; and Aircraft Evacuation Procedures, Land and In-flight Fire Fighting, presented by AirCare FACTS Training.

Returning presenters include Captain Gene Cernan, United States Navy (ret.) and Commander Apollo 17; the Honorable Dr. Mark Rosekind, Member, NTSB; Colonel Steve Nagel, NASA (ret.); and Dr. Jerry Berlin, Ph.D, Aviation Psychologist.

Bombardier press release