Many of the best practices Millennium has developed reflect the philosophy of “don't push the limits.” For instance, the specs on a particular aircraft might allow the nose gear to be turned more than 90 degrees when towing the plane, but Millennium policy is to always limit the angle to 45 degrees to lessen the potential for damage. There is no regulation requiring spotters when a tech moves a plane from a hangar, but Millennium requires at least one—and preferably more—to reduce the chance of accidental collisions with other planes or objects.

“Believe it or not, there are still FBOs that don't care whether there are two or more people helping get an aircraft out of a hangar,” says Andrews. “That's insane.”

Because Millennium's safety practices reflect more caution than aircraft manufacturers require, Andrews often has to overcome an attitude of resistance among employees who came from other FBOs. “It's an ongoing education process of education—getting people to understand why we do the things we do,” he says. “Sometimes we can debate a particular practice, but there are times when there is simply no room for discussion.”

Safety Management Systems

Thanks to the continued evolution of aviation technology and increasingly rigorous protocols around aircraft maintenance, flying is safer today than it has ever been. But Andrews points out that while the public understandably focuses on safety in the air, most accidents—and insurance claims—happen on the ground, from small “hangar rash” incidents to major damage to aircraft hulls and severe employee injuries.

A key development in aviation risk management—both airborne and ground-based—is the utilization of safety management systems (SMS). SMS is not a single technology, checklist, or practice: it is a data-driven, holistic approach to analyzing incidents and making improvements to avoid future accidents. According to the FAA, the four components of an aviation SMS are a defined safety policy; a process of safety risk management for identifying hazards and establishing controls; a safety assurance process that evaluates controls and analyzes data from both manual and automated safety systems; and safety promotion to train employees on procedure and establish a safety culture.

Millennium's SMS incorporates components of the National Air Transportation Association's Safety 1st program. It includes safety references, equipment manuals, guidelines and procedures from manufacturers and a risk matrix and incident evaluation process for both ground and flight operations.

While it's difficult to assign a dollar value to the benefit of the system, Andrews can point to instances where the process has had an impact. In one recent case, Millennium's SMS-based analysis of a towing incident led to the identification of a design flaw in towing equipment and the replacement of several pieces of equipment, thereby preventing similar future loss from occurring.

“Before SMS, we didn't know what root-cause analysis was. We didn't know how to investigate accidents. Today we understand the importance of creating a process and documenting the who, what, where, when and why and to use that to determine where we should go from here. And, by undergoing that process, we have avoided repeating losses, whereas in the past we might not have done so,” Andrews says.

Millennium's SMS has also help create greater awareness of loss control among employees. “Today, people are asking questions they hadn't before because we've stirred their mental pot a little bit,” he adds. “We're definitely seeing a change in mindset about safety and a recognition of the role everybody plays in it.”

And that helps Andrews sleep a little better at night, too.