Professional Pilot, February 2018

Dan Wolfe ATP CFII A P Bombardier Challenger 605 Aviation General Mgr Fortune 100 Company Business aviation ethics its about doing the right thing all the time F rom the many articles I have written in past years the 1 thing you may have learned is that I always like to point out the great things that are happening within the business aviation world Many of us know the fine line that business and corporate aviation walks For every hundred things we do right we only hear about the one bad issue that takes place Todays media is thirsty for any misstep that they can report on and run with while dragging the whole industry over the coals Not to mention we have taken many of the high paying 1st class passengers out of the airlines and they continue to look for ways to get them back As an aviation leader and corporate pilot for over 30 years 1 of the items I value the most in our industry is trust the trust our companies put in our leadership professionalism and ethics that goes unquestioned Many aviation managers get the leadership and professionalism piece but ethics is the area in which I have seen a lot of ambiguity Most companies have general ethics policies and guidelines in place while other companies do not What is your ethics policy within your flight department Do you enforce the companys ethics policies or do you just not talk about them Let me tell you about a situation that I witnessed early in my career I had just come into the FBO and was at the counter waiting to pay the fuel bill There was a pilot next to me who was paying his bill too but what made it a little unusual was that he was buying leather coats numerous shirts and just about anything that wasnt tied down Before he had time to finish paying his passengers walked through the door As he saw them from the corner of this eye he grabbed everything he could carry and told the counter person to put it all on the fuel bill as a fuel expense He then dashed for the door and about 10 minutes later he came back in greeted his passengers signed the bill and left As I paid my bill the counter person said someday hes going to get caught I said I am not sure what you mean and he continued to say that the pilot felt he was underpaid and that was the way he compensated for it The FBO rep also went on to say that the pilot did the same thing every other week I couldnt stop thinking about his behavior how it was so wrong and unethical We have all seen or heard about these type of experiences Those of us who have been in the industry for many years have at some point been approached or asked to do something that we know bordered on ethical misconduct Im still amazed how much of this type of behavior continues today from charging inappropriate items on the fuel bill to not openly reporting 3rd party commissions on aircraft transactions If you dont report it or are afraid to document dollars exchanged in any transaction then it might be seen as questionable behavior If you dont follow ethical guidelines you may 16 PROFESSIONAL PILOT February 2018 Whether in the cockpit on the ramp in the FBO or interfacing with company management business aviation pilots need to be role models Any questionable practices by a single company pilot can bring an unfavorable image to all of us Each of us needs to be an exemplary proponent of good practices lose everything employment personal or company integrity or maybe even your whole career The NBAA Business Aviation Management Committee has had an open discussion on the importance of ethics within our industry and has identified a statement of best practices It should be in the NBAA management guide in the near future and should certainly be used as a reference within all flight departments and the business aviation industry The bottom line is we work in one of the best industries ever It is about each one of us coming together and doing the right thing Take time to learn your companys ethics policy and be a leader no matter what your position is As leaders we must do it right all the time If you encounter a situation that possibly presents a conflict of interest or puts you or your department in an ethical quandary reach out to the companys ethics officer and or legal department If youre a small flight department take it directly to the aircraft owner operator It will allow you to build credibility with your leadership team and will let you have a good nights sleep too And dont forget to join fellow industry leaders and rising stars for captivating sessions at the 2018 NBAA Leadership Conference in San Diego CA from Feb 26 28 See you there