NBAA salutes former director Doug Schwartz with Winant Award for Continuing Safety Leadership

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced it will bestow its John H. Winant Award to former NBAA board member and industry safety champion Doug Schwartz at the 2022 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, FL.

Schwartz served nearly 14 years on NBAA’s Board of Directors prior to his retirement in 2016. He is a past chairman of NBAA’s Safety Committee, whose indelible contributions include the advancement of thinking about business aviation safety around data-based initiatives that surface and prevent root causes for accidents. He was key to the integration of safety and security considerations and best practices as the chair of the NBAA Security Council, formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Schwartz’s body of knowledge in these arenas stems in part from his service as manager of global aviation services at ConocoPhillips, overseeing executive flight operations, corporate shuttle operations, global charter flight support and aviation facilities management. He also held aviation leadership roles at TAG Aviation and AT&T, and is a founder and past chairman of the board of the Morristown Aviation Association.

Schwartz put his on-the-ground experience to work at FlightSafety International (FSI), where he worked for 25 years, driving the development of crew resource management (CRM) training and the introduction of CRM safety programs geared specifically toward business aviation operators, as well as real-world flight simulation scenarios that have enhanced the safety of business aviation, especially for helicopter operations.

“Doug Schwartz was an early visionary in forming the programs that today provide a data-based approach to the causes of accidents, and how the chain of those accidents can be broken in the future,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “His continued, tireless work to advance business aviation safety has extended well beyond his service with NBAA’s Board of Directors, in the best tradition set by John Winant. We are honored to recognize Doug’s continued leadership with this award.”

In 2016, Schwartz received the Flight Safety Foundation’s (FSF’s) Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award. He also is a past recipient of the Aviation Week & Space Technology Laurels Award, recognizing advances in flight operations and training, and the FSF-Airbus Human Factors in Aviation Safety Award.