Safety management systems: You can do this By Mark Huber Small operators can be understandably daunted by the prospect of implementing a safety management system (SMS). But they don’t need to be, according to Kristen McDaniel, director of safety at Air Center Helicopters. McDaniel, part of an expert panel, spoke to the topic at this morning’s SMS Workshop at VERTICON 2025. “The effort will be worth it,” she said. The workshop provided operators with insights and strategies on implementing a SMS, a task made essential for many with the FAA mandating SMS compliance for all US Part 135 operators and some air tour operators by May 2027. That rule also applies to aircraft manufacturers. McDaniel’s first encounter with SMS came before she joined Air Center, while working at a small, six-aircraft operation a decade ago. “The first time I heard the term ‘SMS,’ I thought, ‘OK, there’s another buzzword.’” Tasked with developing an SMS on a very limited budget and not knowing where to go, she turned first to Google and then to VAI (formerly Helicopter Association International). It wasn’t long before the pieces began to fall into place. McDaniel gleaned what she could from some training and adapted elements of SMS developed for larger organizations. She also leaned heavily on her director of operations, who recommended using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to develop a simple form for reporting events that were unusual or otherwise out of policy. The forms were updated over time to provide more targeted data. It wasn’t long before management, pilots, and technicians began buying into the process as they saw operational benefits. When McDaniel’s hazard reports about a recurring engine chip light warning on a particular aircraft helped to uncover an underlying maintenance issue, her colleagues began to see the value of their SMS. “You’re going to move the needle. It just might be a little slower than you anticipate,” McDaniel counseled. VAI and its industry partners can provide differing levels of support, ranging from a free SMS evaluation to turnkey programs, for operators who need to form an SMS. More information is available at verticalavi.org/safety. Mark Huber is an aviation journalist with more than two decades of experience in the vertical flight industry.
