Take Advantage Of The Audit Governing The Part 135 Industry

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) continues to see a groundswell of momentum from the Part 135 industry supporting its Industry Audit Standard. The ACSF Industry Audit Standard (IAS) is the only revolutionary audit program on the market today that comprehensively evaluates both an operator's Safety Management System (SMS) and its Part 135 regulatory compliance. The IAS consists of a rigorous review of an operator's processes and procedures and regulatory compliance, as well as the business' implementation of, and adherence to, an SMS.

In 2009, 24 audits were completed and another 30 audits are expected to be conducted in 2010. The ACSF will soon be announcing a series of new operators that have successfully completed their audits and made the ACSF IAS registry.

"The early and continued success of the foundation's IAS is an acknowledgement from the Part 135 community that they indeed wanted one audit standard," ACSF President James K. Coyne said. "The foundation has responded by assembling the most robust, comprehensive standard for the Part 135 community in the market place today."

"To achieve ACSF registration required much hard work and coordination among our management team and employees," said Ken Gray, Director of Operations for ACSF-registered operator Executive Fliteways, Inc. "The end result has been gratifying as we have realized greater efficiency and quality in the services we provide our clients. Most importantly, meeting the ACSF standard has provided a means to evaluate and mitigate any safety risks that may be encountered in every aspect of our operation."  

The ACSF IAS requires every operator to complete an internal pre-audit prior to scheduling an on-site audit. Doing so enables operators to gauge, before any payment is tendered, how well they will perform during the audit. This system allows an operator to determine in advance of any payment they are not yet ready to proceed to audit. Operators completing the pre-audit won't be unprepared and will not waste their money paying for an unsuccessful audit.

With the deployment of the ACSF Industry Audit Standard, the charter consumer can be assured that audited and registered operators are compliant with the highest standards of safety and compliance. Customers should look for the ACSF IAS-registered logo and encourage their preferred charter provider to participate in the program. 

ACSF makes its operator registry and key company details available at no charge so verification of IAS registration is quick and easy. Charter consumers can view the registry at www.acsf.aero/registry.