The Air Charter Safety Foundation has welcomed the newly formed aviation safety consultancy, Aviation Safety Compliance of St. Petersburg, Florida, as its newest affiliate member. The firm has also become an ACSF-accredited auditor for the Industry Audit Standard (IAS).

The ACSF Industry Audit Standard is an all-encompassing aviation audit for Part 135 and Part 91 aircraft operators. As its name implies, the IAS is the most comprehensive of its kind in the business aviation industry. It is designed for operators hyper-focused on safety, with the goal of going above and beyond minimum safety requirements.

By the same token, the IAS also gives aircraft owners and passengers peace of mind. When they see the ACSF audit-registered seal, they can rest assured that they're flying on a safe aircraft with a highly qualified crew that lives and works within a ‘just culture’.

The ACSF's president, Bryan Burns, notes that, with its newly earned auditor status, ASC is now another third-party expert that can help ACSF members successfully prepare for an aviation safety audit. “It's a real achievement,” Burns says. “Auditor status requires a thorough process of reviewing and updating itself on the most current standards.”

In order to maintain its accreditation status, ASC must train biannually on the Industry Audit Standard.

John Cox, CEO and co-founder of Aviation Safety Compliance, said he was extremely gratified that his company has achieved auditor status in such a rigorous standard as the ACSF's IAS. “We simply found that the ACSF's IAS meets the needs of a lot of operators better than other audits do. It offers more flexibility, and it's constantly being reviewed and updated to reflect the changing needs and demands of the aviation industry. I feel very confident that our ASC auditors are up to the task; they're expertly trained, highly experienced and well-positioned to offer the exact auditing assistance operators need to operate with the highest safety standards achievable today.”