The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has conducted its IS-BAO standards board meeting virtually, announcing new members joining in 2021. In addition, IBAC acknowledged the valuable contributions of David Nigri, Textron Aviation, who served 16 years on the board, including three terms as chairman.

The new members joining the IS-BAO standards board are Jad Donaldson of Harley Davidson, nominated by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and Randy Horsley, a private operator, nominated by the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA). Board members Dan Boedigheimer of Advanced Aircrew Academy; Mike Ott of Phoenix Air Group; and Juergen Wiese of BMW Flight Service, were re-elected to additional terms. James Viola, president and CEO, Helicopter Association International (HAI), joined as a standing member for the rotorcraft community.

Bennet Walsh, IS-BAO programme director, says: “This year we are excited to welcome James from HAI as well as Jad and Randy, and look forward to their contribution to the IS-BAO community. On the other hand, we will certainly miss David Nigri for his tremendous insight and expertise, and thank him for his 16 years on the IS-BAO standards board. We wish him well in his future endeavours.

“This standards board consists of a wide range of active professionals in business aviation operations, large and small, from around the world. They are committed to safety, excellence, and industry-driven standards.”

The board voted to leave the IS-BAO standard unchanged this year and launched the IBAC advanced air mobility (AAM) working group. The working group, headed by standards board member Joanne Wong of Uber Elevate, will configure both the IS-BAO and the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) for leading risk reduction in the AAM sector. AAM includes urban air mobility (UAM) passenger operations and small special-use UAS operations.