The Executive Department of Safety, Environment and Merit at the Ministry of Defense organized the Emirates Merit and Safety Conference, on the sidelines of the “Dubai Airshow 2021”, to discuss the challenges facing safety in the aviation sector, amid a large participation of experts and specialized officials. Major General Pilot Saeed Ali Al Ali, Commander of the Joint Aviation at the Ministry of Defense, said in his opening speech that holding the Emirates Merit and Safety Conference comes with the aim of reviewing the latest challenges facing aviation safety; Especially since aviation is at the forefront of a continuous development sector since the first attempt to fly by the Wright brothers in 1903.
He added, “The development processes in the aviation sector are currently accelerating more than in previous periods, explaining that the development is not only limited to the acceleration of the pace of modern technology, but also the aspirations of individuals in what they expect from aviation experiences, which has led to a huge increase in pressure on aviation professionals to improve how we manage safety in flight operations, the airworthiness and efficiency of aircraft, and, in particular, our culture of safety.”
He continued: “The challenges facing us in the sector in general are the same in civil and military aviation alike, and we must learn quickly to anticipate any new risks that may arise in our constantly changing world, in order to help us rise to global levels in aviation safety management, and this is the desired purpose of Conference”.
The Conference Sessions:
The sessions of the Emirates Merit and Safety Conference began with five lectures, delivered by Engineer Ismail Muhammad Al Balushi, Assistant Director-General for Aviation Safety Affairs at the General Civil Aviation Authority, entitled “Air Operations during the Corona Pandemic” in which he discussed the diversity of measures taken by countries during the pandemic through The closing and opening of borders, while the second lecture was given by Colonel Lawrence Nixon, Vice President of the US Air Force Safety Center, entitled “Human Factors Related to Aviation Accidents”, during which he highlighted the effectiveness of monitoring systems, data analysis and periodic recommendations in a purely proactive manner.
The third lecture discussed “Air Safety Management System and its Links to Merit on Apache General Fighter Aircraft”, delivered by Robert Fraser, Chief Engineer Supervising Apache in collaboration with Boeing. The fourth and fifth lectures focused on how to strike a balance between new technology and safety. Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Al Hosani from the Ministry of the Interior gave the lecture entitled “How the Ministry of Interior in the UAE succeeded in controlling the spread of civilian drones”, while the Colonel gave the first obsession with a lecture entitled “The British Method for Adopting Military Drones”.
