An impeccable safety record should be at the top of your criteria list when choosing a flight school. At Leading Edge Flight Academy, we rely on a company-wide safety culture that is proactive and preventative to keep our students and instructors safe.
Students, employees, and customers are encouraged to record all hazards incidents (or potential mishaps) in our Safety Management System. Our Safety Committee then analyzes each incident using proven risk management techniques. Solutions are proposed and implemented as soon as possible.
LEFA instructors and students utilize a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) to identify risks and mitigate them before each flight. In addition, our extensive in-house maintenance team gives us the ability to keep our fleet flying as much as possible and with the highest possible safety standards.
We promote a “just” safety culture, where hazard reporting is met with collaborative problem-solving. Once we receive input, we’ll work with our students, instructors, and customers to find the right solution. Because our goal is to provide the best aviation education with utmost attention to your safety, hazards are an opportunity to learn and refine our process.
Terry Riessen joined Leading Edge Flight Academy following more than 13 years of regulatory compliance and enforcement with the State of Oregon and the US Coast Guard, with specialties including occupational safety and behavioral-based safety management. He holds a master’s degree in health science and emergency and disaster management, a private pilot certificate in pursuit of an instrument rating, and a Part 107 remote pilot certificate. An active member of Bend’s local general aviation community, Terry is also a life-long model aviation enthusiast and enjoys building experimental aircraft.
