Bombardier recognizes outstanding commitment to aviation safety at the 21st edition of its Safety Standdown award gala

Bombardier is proud to announce that Mr. Mark Chaffinch, Chief Pilot for Norfolk Southern Corporation, is the winner of the 2017 Safety Standdown Award. The award was presented at the 21st annual Safety Standdown seminar, held from October 31 to November 2, 2017, in Wichita, KS.

“Mark has a passion for learning in general and a special interest in safety related topics,” said Brian Miller, Captain for Norfolk Southern Corporation. “He is consistently a role model for safety and professionalism in our department and also represents us well outside the department. We all know that Mark is always looking for a way to do our job in a safer way and he is respected and appreciated for his efforts.”

Nominated by his peers for his outstanding commitment to aviation safety, Mark Chaffinch has been in the aviation business and flying for more than 30 years, including 21 years as a corporate pilot for Norfolk Southern Corporation. Throughout his career, he has worked in various fields in the industry, including fueling, medevac support, airline services, customer service and international charter dispatch. Prior to becoming Chief Pilot for Norfolk Southern Corporation, Mr. Chaffinch progressed from Captain to the flight department’s Safety Officer. He developed and implemented an in-house Safety Management System (SMS), which helped the company successfully attain all three stages of IS-BAO certification. Norfolk Southern Corporation values safety above all else. It permeates through every department, from running trains to flying airplanes. Mark is the catalyst that launched the company’s Flight Department to new heights in the safety arena. In addition, Mark is an Adjunct Professor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and teaches various courses in their Corporate Aviation Management Program.

This year’s seminar was a great success with approximately 500 aviation professionals attending the workshops and general sessions, demonstrating the growing interest within the industry to empower and inspire a community of aviation professionals to continuously seek knowledge, integrate new information in everyday practice, and share new aviation safety findings with others in the industry.

“With more than 10,000 total attendees benefiting from Safety Standdown’s knowledge-based training since 1996, live and through the webcast, attendees can expect once more to leave the seminar with effective new tools to reduce aviation safety risks, improve procedures and processes and share explicit methods for improving personal situational awareness and judgment,” said Andy Nureddin, Vice President, Customer Response & Training, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

Next year’s Safety Standdown seminar will be held from October 30 to November 1, 2018, in Wichita, Kansas.