News

Reliability Programme Skills

How do we define reliability? The regulations give us some guidance particularly Part M and Part CAMO. Put simply, an aircraft, system or component can be described as reliable, if under a defined operating environment...

Implementing SMS into the Ground Handling environment

Ground handling is a challenging environment with the difference between a planned, choreographed, coordinated “ballet” of movements around an aircraft during a smooth, efficient turnaround often a stark contrast to reality with delays, time pressure, lack of or the wrong equipment, staff...

Strategies for calming a racing mind when trying to sleep

Helping Part 145 and 21 understand how to build in SMS requirements for business performance

Baines Simmons supporting the New Zealand Defence Force implement a contemporary aviation system

Our Services to Part 21 industry – the Safety Management Element

Part 21 industry, since 7th March 2023, is now implementing the Safety Management Element (SMe) as the latest regulation became applicable.

Dr Cristina Ruscitto, Senior Consultant, FRM, shares her experience of working in aviation

To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women of Aviation in Worldwide Week, we’ve asked Dr Cristina Ruscitto, Senior Consultant, Fatigue Risk Management, to share details of her experience of working in aviation.

Air Partner appoints Jonathan Astill as Executive Vice President of Services Division

Air Partner, a Wheels Up company, has appointed Jonathan Astill as Executive Vice President of its Services Division comprising Baines Simmons, Redline Assured Security, and Kenyon Emergency Services.

Baines Simmons wins Feefo Trusted Service Award for fourth consecutive year

Leading aviation safety specialist Baines Simmons, part of the Services Division of the aviation group, Air Partner, has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service award 4 years in a row. The Trusted Service Award recognises businesses that deliver excellent customer experiences as rated by customers.

New year, familiar faces: three consultants re-join the team as safety specialists Baines Simmons

Aviation experts Paul White and Craig Simmonds re-joined the company in October, whilst Andy Llewellyn has confirmed his return for March. Paul and Andy re-join Baines Simmons as senior consultants, and Craig has resettled into an airworthiness surveyor position.

Key takeaway from the EASA Certification Conference 2022

Consultant Jack Coleman shares his key takeaways from the EASA Certification Conference 2022, where the EASA Certification Directorate shared the latest updates on certification activities.

STEP Training

In an issue of the RAF Total Safety Magazine, Air Clues, Senior Consultant Peter Hibbert discusses how we continue to manage, on behalf of the MAA, the MOD’s Safety Training for Error Prevention (STEP) programme.

System Management into Part 21 – how are industry reacting?

The ICAO Annex 19 Safety Management System approach has been released against Part 21 legalisation. The aim of such, is to recognise the limitations of human and organisational performance.

Baines Simmons Awarded Contract with the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Baines Simmons, part of the global aviation services group, Air Partner, a Wheels Up company, has been awarded a contract with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to develop and deliver a comprehensive eLearning programme for the entire UK flying display community.

Safety Management Systems (SMS) Into Part 21 Organisations

Safety Management Systems (SMS) is ICAO’s, and subsequent aviation authorities, response to mitigate the limits of human performance in relation to aircraft safety.

A Holistic Approach to Risk

A Holistic Approach to Risk - article by Managing Director Ian Holder for IIRSM's member magazine

Tips for getting to sleep

Sleep is crucial and plays an important role in your physical and mental health. The amount of sleep you require can vary for different individuals but the amount of sleep you achieve in 24 hours can easily be affected by various factors.

Baines Simmons Responds to Surge in Demand as Aviation Industry Takes-Off

Baines Simmons, part of the Services Division of global aviation services group, Air Partner, a Wheels Up company, has seen increased demand for safety training as airlines and airports prepare for take-off this summer

World Sleep Day Feature: what is a good night’s sleep?

Good quality sleep is a key building block in maintaining and improving our physical, mental, and emotional state. It is foundational to human health.

An introduction to Baines Simmons

Having set up Baines Simmons over 20 years ago, in our new video Bob Simmons, Director and co-founder, reflects on what the motivation was to create the company.

IIRSM and Baines Simmons announce partnership

Aviation safety experts Baines Simmons and the risk management professional membership organisation IIRSM (International Institute of Risk and Safety Management) today announced a new partnership.

EMAR News and Insights from Bob Simmons

Bob Simmons, Director, shares some of the successes and ideas around ensuring you get the best value for money in your implementation.

The Benefits of Virtual Consulting

You have a functioning management system which meets all the regulatory requirements, but the move to performance based regulation will require you to demonstrate its effectiveness.

World Aviation Safety Summit (WASS 21)

How can your audit function measure the performance of your compliance monitoring management system and assure your stakeholders that compliance is being managed effectively?

Aviation safety specialist Baines Simmons wins Feefo customer service award for third consecutive year

Leading aviation safety specialist Baines Simmons, part of the Air Partner Services division, has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service award for the third consecutive year following exceptional reviews of its training services by customers.

How to change my sleep habits in order to get more sleep

Getting enough sleep (7-9 hours of sleep per 24-hour period1) is one of the best things we can do for our health, mood, and performance.

Baines Simmons launches flexible cabin crew safety training programme as airlines increase recruitment drive

Baines Simmons has launched a bespoke cabin crew safety programme service for airlines, as increased recruitment of cabin crew teams has led to significant growth in demand for operations safety training.

Introducing new Associate Consultants to the Baines Simmons team

We are delighted have welcomed new Associate Consultants to the Baines Simmons team. With decades of experience between them covering every aspect of the aviation industry.

Jetlag - how best to reduce the symptoms and adapt your body clock

Every cell in our body has a natural circadian (24-hour) rhythm, which is controlled by our body clock, located in the brain.

Baines Simmons launches Partner Plus – Training Rewards Programme

Partner Plus provides the opportunity for organisations to become loyalty members and, amongst other rewards, provides price discounts for organisations purchasing training in bulk quantities.

Managing Director, Ian Holder reflects on the highlights and demands of the past year

Managing Director, Ian Holder reflects on the highlights and demands of the past year and explains how we have been working with operators with Line Operation Safety Audits.

The benefits of sleep for sporting performance

Research has shown that athletes who are able to sleep longer than the recommended amount, e.g. ‘bank’ or extend sleep by 1-2 hours a night, for a few days ahead of a competition, can optimise their performance.

Safety expert Ian Holder, Managing Director at Baines Simmons to speak at Helitech Expo 2021

Baines Simmons is delighted to be exhibiting at the Helitech Expo (Stand 574) one of the UK’s largest events for the aviation and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) industries.

Leading aviation safety experts, Baines Simmons, helping airlines to safely ramp up operations

The recently launched ‘BE READY and STAY SAFE’ campaign from EASA, is designed to assist the aviation industry to manage the critical safety issues all businesses in this sector face during the ‘Ramp-Up’ of operations.

How sleeping more can help me to become a better team leader

Team leaders have the capacity to lift up and support their team so they can reach their full potential. If you are a team leader, getting adequate sleep is an essential way you can stay strong for your team.

How to reduce the impact of nicotine on sleep

You can add ‘sleep better’ to the very long list of reasons to quit smoking. Similar to caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant, which people use because of its alerting properties.

Air Partner to launch National Safety & Security Academy (NSSA)

The National Safety and Security Academy (NSSA) will provide Baines Simmons safety training and Redline Assured Security training for the aviation industry under one roof.

2020 IATA Fact Sheet gives an interesting insight into current levels of safety performance across Global Commercial Air Transport

The 2020 IATA Fact Sheet gives an interesting insight into current levels of safety performance across Global Commercial Air Transport

Baines Simmons pledges support to the Armed Forces Covenant

We are proud to announce that we have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, further pledging our support towards the Armed Forces community.

Revenge bedtime procrastination

The term ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’ originates from China where people can work a ‘996’ schedule, working 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. However, it’s a behaviour that many of us may recognise.

Daily routines and sleep

Over this last year, many of us have lost our usual daily routines, with no commute, lunchtimes with colleagues or clear time differences between office and home time.

World Sleep Day: How to Avoid ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’

With recent research finding that the typical UK home worker is working two hours a day more than before the coronavirus crisis began, Baines Simmons is concerned that employees are more likely to fall into the habit of ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’.

How not to lose sleep over fatigue – The importance of implementing effective fatigue risk management systems

19 March marks World Sleep Day, an annual event designed to raise awareness of the “importance of sleep for achieving an optimal quality of life and improved global health”.

Updated Course: TS01 Management Systems – Safety Responsibilities

We are delighted to announce a complete update to our popular, 1 day, TS01 Management System Course, formerly “SMS -Essentials for Aviation Professionals” now re-named “Management Systems – Safety Responsibilities”. 

Introducing new Associate Consultants to the Baines Simmons team - March 2021

We are delighted to have welcomed new Associate Consultants to the Baines Simmons team. With decades of experience between them covering every aspect of the aviation industry.

Say goodnight to fatigue risk with new virtual training course from Baines Simmons

With the Covid-19 pandemic throwing traditional working patterns and staffing levels into disarray, particularly across the aviation industry, it’s never been more vital for employers to consider the impact of fatigue on their workforce.

Say Goodnight to Fatigue Risk With New Virtual Training Course From Baines Simmons

Baines Simmons, aviation safety specialists, have developed a new training course designed to help Air Operators to gain increased understanding of Fatigue Risk Management (FRM).

The Experience and Benefits of Virtual Consulting

When running a diagnostic, we pride ourselves on really getting under the skin of an organisation, to fully understand how an organisation works and to gain insight into its quirks and culture.

Platinum Standard – Aviation Safety Specialist Baines Simmons Wins Highest Feefo Award for Second Year Running

The Platinum Trusted Service award is the highest level of distinction that Feefo bestows, awarded only to businesses that have achieved the Gold standard award for three consecutive years.

Understanding the consequences of alcohol on sleep

Alcohol will make you sleepy, but you won’t sleep well for about an hour after your first alcoholic drink, your brain is stimulated to release dopamine, the so-called “happy hormone”.

Extended hours

In order to maintain a high level of alertness and performance, we are best suited to being awake for no more than about 16 hours following 8 hours of good quality sleep, although these values can differ slightly among individuals.

Baines Simmons Partners With New Zealand Defence Force to Provide Bespoke Virtual Training Programme

Baines Simmons, specialist in aviation regulations, compliance and safety management, has partnered with the New Zealand Defence Force to provide a bespoke virtual training programme, covering topics including airworthiness standards and international regulation standards.

Managing driver sleepiness

Sleepiness contributes to approximately 1 in 5 fatal and serious road accidents. When we are feeling sleepy, for example after a night shift, driving is one of the most dangerous things we can do.

Press Release – Air Partner and RealHelp Doncaster Partner to Support those living through Homelessness

“We encourage staff to take two ‘volunteer days’ per year to work with charities and organisations to support their local community," explains CEO Mark Briffa.

Sleep, wellbeing and the pandemic

Discussion of fatigue in aviation incidents is often focused on pilots and cabin crew, with less attention provided to maintenance engineers responsible for round-the-clock planned and reactive maintenance of aircraft.

Dying for a break? Human factors and fatigue management in the MRO sector

Discussion of fatigue in aviation incidents is often focused on pilots and cabin crew, with less attention provided to maintenance engineers responsible for round-the-clock planned and reactive maintenance of aircraft.

Certifying Skills Staff Training Blog – Continuing Airworthiness Consultant John Elkin

In these difficult times living with COVID has been a daily challenge for us all which we’ve had to address both at work and at home.

Press Release – Air Partner Safety & Security Division Reveals Top Virtual and e-Learning Courses in 2020

The Safety & Security division has now trained over 10,000 delegates since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and over 70% of surveyed Baines Simmons clients expressed an interest in virtual training solutions as part of a long-term blended solution, post-pandemic as well.

Expert advice on adapting body clocks, as daylight savings end

Our natural body clocks mean some people are naturally ‘morning types’ whereas others prefer evenings. For many people, the way their natural internal body clock is inclined can make the demands and schedules of work and lifestyles especially challenging.

What is social jetlag?

This holiday period may see fewer of us taking to the skies and therefore not experiencing the jetlag that comes with long-haul travel. However, there is another type of jetlag, social jetlag, which you can experience even if holidaying closer to home.

The continuing adoption/adaption of EMARs within the Military Aviation Environment

Despite the devastating impact of Covid 19 on humanity and the impact it continues to cause, some organisations have prospered whilst others have struggled to function.

Wildlife Hazard Management fleet upgraded

William Bell, General Manager of our Wildlife Hazard Management division, talks about the process of improving the 37-strong fleet and why, for our wildlife hazard operators, it’s more than just a vehicle.

Principal Consultant, Steve Hough, shares behind the scenes insight into how we’ve adapted our training to the virtual environment.

Adapting the course involved a lot of work but it was definitely time well spent. The course was enjoyable to deliver and, as always, the interaction and sharing of delegate experiences is what really makes it.

Implementing Safety Training in Part 21 organisations

These changes are aimed at improving the safety of aircraft operations and impact not just the operators but those organisations who contribute to the safety of the operator and currently the public.

How to promote creativity and wellbeing through dreams

During a typical night’s sleep, everyone dreams but while some people easily and often remember their dreams, other people can’t recall their dreams.

Helping the C-Suite to Manage Fatigue in Challenging Times

Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on businesses globally, with top C-suite executives having to make decisions that they might have never thought to have considered.

Consultant John Elkin explains the success of Virtual Training in 2020

Virtual training has been an incredibly important component of the training calendar this year due to the COVID pandemic and has enabled us to continue delivering training throughout both lockdown and tier restrictions.

Post-Covid 19: Enhancing Business Performance Through Effective Safety Management

All service providers, from Air Operators to manufacturers and designers, are grappling with what it means to manage aviation safety whilst balancing the commercial needs of their respective businesses.