FoundationFocus A Change at the Top

his month, as Bill Voss takes Flight Safety car, he earned his pilot Foundation’s reins from Stuart Matthews, license. Two years later we pause to recognize the man who has he and his friends built led FSF since 1994 and introduce the an airplane, which Stu- Tnew leader. art flew. He continued When Stuart Matthews became Flight Safety flying for a number of Foundation’s president and CEO in 1994, he had years, both as a Royal been a member of the FSF Board of Governors Air Force reservist and since 1989, and then its chairman from 1991; on his own, logging he was well-informed about the challenges that more than 5,000 flights faced him. In the aftermath of the first Gulf War as a glider instructor. the finances of the aviation industry that funds A chartered FSF were tenuous, and the Foundation faced an engineer, Stuart in uncertain future. Stuart knew that the Founda- 1953 started his first tion was well-respected by the global aviation real job at de Havil- community and realized the importance of land Aircraft, rubbing keeping it alive to help drive aviation toward shoulders with one of higher levels of safety. aviation’s great pio- Upon taking over the Foundation’s leader- neers, Sir Geoffrey de ship Stuart announced his top two priorities: Havilland, working on Matthews He would restore FSF finances and, using a the Comet, the world’s first jet . Later, statistics-driven approach, focus its resources with British Aircraft Corp., he was involved in on “the major causes of accidents today,” spe- the program from 1964 to 1967. cifically controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) Moving to the air transport world, he joined and approach and landing accidents. Recent Airways, first as a fleet plan- trends tend to confirm that programs devel- ner but ultimately becoming responsible for all oped by the Foundation in cooperation with corporate planning as that innovative carrier industry, programs such as the CFIT train- blazed a trail for new airlines. ing aid and Approach and Landing Accident Making a big jump in both focus and geog- Reduction Toolkit, have helped cut the risk of raphy, he agreed in 1974 to lead Fokker Aircraft these most deadly of all accidents. And along back to ; since the 1930s, Fokker the way, slowly but steadily, Stuart’s manage- aircraft in North America had been manufac- ment strengthened the Foundation’s finances to tured under license by industry partners. He today’s healthy status. established Fokker Aircraft U.S.A. and ran it for Few people have been as qualified for their 20 years, to the day, before retiring as chairman. jobs as Stuart, who started his aviation life while Stuart’s success was a bright spot in Fokker still in school. At age 17, before he could drive a history. “We sold a lot of aircraft,” he said, www.flightsafety.org | AviationSafetyWorld | October 2006 | 25 FoundationFocus

including the largest safety-critical aspects of international aviation single commercial system infrastructure. order for Netherlands- As director of the ANB, Bill recognized the based company at the importance of regional safety oversight orga- time. Upon his retire- nizations, a philosophy which meshes with ment from Fokker he FSF priorities. He encouraged ICAO support was knighted by the for regional organizations’ efforts to resolve Queen of the Nether- resource problems in developing nations. He lands for his services worked with donor nations and industry to to aviation. coordinate maximum regional assistance, and Stuart held the FSF pushed for development of the Global Com- posts of chairman, munication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic president and CEO Management (CNS/ATM) Plan as a blueprint until the start of 2001, for integrating plans across regions. when Carl W. Vogt Before heading the ICAO bureau, Bill served became non-executive for 23 years in the U.S. Federal Aviation Ad- chairman. ministration (FAA), where he specialized in air Voss When Stuart traffic management, and, as assumed the Foundation leadership role, he director of the FAA Terminal Business Service, promised that, following in the footsteps of FSF applying business management principles to founder Jerry Lederer, he said he would bolster providing integrated air traffic control capabili- FSF’s role as “the conscience of the industry … ties. In that capacity, he managed and directed Our role is to vigorously point the way and to 1,200 employees in 11 locations. FSF’s slightly show how to prevent accidents. Safety cannot be lower head count, about 20 employees in one lo- compromised in an industry that is changing so cation, should present fewer logistical problems. rapidly.” Earlier positions at FAA included direc- As he steps down after nearly 13 years, the tor, Office of Air Traffic System Development; Foundation today is financially strong and deputy Integrated Product Team leader; senior leading or participating in nearly every safety analyst; and, early in his career, four years as an initiative in the world. Jerry Lederer would be air traffic controller at a major U.S. airport and a pleased. stint as a charter pilot. Bill’s certificates and ratings include a wide An Introduction range of aviation specialties. They include William R. Voss — Bill to his friends — comes airline transport pilot, single- and multi-engine; to Flight Safety Foundation as its new president FAA control tower operator; airframe and pow- and CEO directly from another aviation orga- erplant mechanic; flight instructor, airplane and nization with a worldwide scope, the Interna- instrument; and ground instructor, advanced tional Civil Aviation Organization. Beginning and instrument. He has about 2,000 flight hours in January 2004, Bill was director of the ICAO in general aviation aircraft. Air Navigation Bureau (ANB). He was instru- Bill Voss will lead Flight Safety Foundation mental in developing ICAO’s standards and as a professional who knows aviation not only recommended practices, which have reinforced from the top down, but from the inside out. ●

26 | flight safety foundation | AviationSafetyWorld | October 2006