The Next Chapter in Bombardier Safety Standdown

Starting 2025 we are pleased to share that our new Bombardier Safety Standdown Council Chair is Christopher Sweeney, and the Vice Chair is Erika Armstrong. We look forward to continuing to spread safety insights and meaningful discussion. To learn more about Christopher and Erika they each shared their experience on the Council so far and future goals for Safety Standdown.

From Christopher:

As I enter my final year of service with Bombardier’s Safety Standdown Advisory Council, I can hardly believe that it will be as the Council Chair. I often reflect on my first Standdown experience as an attendee nearly 20 years ago and will never forget the profound impact it had on me as I experienced a wealth of relevant deep dives into the numerous topics that had just not been the focus of my previous routine technical training for our industry. Beginning the very next year, I became a passionate promoter of Safety Standdown and recruited countless new attendees over the next two decades to come see what they had been missing.

As fortunate as I felt for having found Standdown and all the expert presenters, safety resources, and industry professionals associated with the event, I always wished I had been exposed to this level of safety knowledge earlier in my career and have been searching for a way to shift the messaging to include new professionals as early as possible in their careers. In our last few years, we have made increasingly impressive strides with our Emerging Leaders program and have enjoyed wonderful success with a huge shift in the diversity among our community of attendees and followers by welcoming these professionals early in their careers to include even those still in school and training. I look forward to 2025 as we have finally achieved our longstanding goal of establishing a travel scholarship program for these new professionals which finally enables all our Standdown community members to be able to contribute to making event travel an achievable reality for these new industry professionals.

Equally exciting for 2025 is a much larger than usual group of first year Council members. We are so blessed to have found so many amazingly talented contributors in the last couple of years and our Council has become an impressive and differentiated group of energized and very capable experts fully prepared to guide and shape a new generation of Standdown.

Planning for the 2025 event is already underway and in the next month our theme, topics, and presenter list will continue to take shape with extensive collaboration at our Council’s planning summit. If you have any suggestions for great topics and presenters, let us know!

I would like to personally thank Troy Smith, Amy Grubb, Melissa Cooper, and Marty Grier for their leadership during my tenure on the Council and I am especially excited to work with the talented future Chair Erika Armstrong. I will always cherish the friendships and insights of all the Council members who have continued to support Standdown for so many years. Shelley Cox is hard at work and already making so much progress this year. Lastly, we thank Sal Vicari, Chris Milligan, and all the other Bombardier executives for their continued support and funding of this amazing free event and safety initiative.


From Erika:

I am truly honored to take on the role of Vice Chair for Bombardier's Safety Standdown. This position represents a significant personal achievement and aligns with my deep commitment to business aviation safety and excellence within our industry. 

Bombardier’s Safety Standdown is a pivotal initiative emphasizing the importance of safety culture and best practices in aviation. It serves as a platform for leaders, experts, and enthusiasts to come together and share knowledge, experiences, and strategies for enhancing safety standards. Being a part of this esteemed program allows me to contribute to the ongoing dialogue around safety and foster an environment where learning and improvement are prioritized.

No, TikTok doesn’t count. Stay ahead of the curve by continually updating your knowledge. Attend industry conferences like Bombardier’s Safety Standdown, participate in workshops, and pursue advanced certifications.

As Vice Chair, I am excited to collaborate with Chairman Christopher Sweeney and a talented team of professionals equally passionate about aviation safety. Together, we will continue to promote critical discussions on topics that affect our industry and implement actionable solutions that can make a real difference.

This role provides an opportunity to engage with a diverse audience, from seasoned pilots to emerging leaders in aviation. I am eager to share insights and gather feedback that can help us refine our approach to safety, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of our operations.

Being the Vice Chair of Bombardier's Safety Standdown is not just a title; it is a responsibility that I embrace wholeheartedly. I look forward to making meaningful contributions to our safety initiatives and helping to shape a safer future for all in the aviation community.