Sep 24 - RAF Hosts Air Safety Visit For Ocean Village Marina Staff
Last week Flight Lieutenant Mike Jones, the Air Safety Manager at RAF Gibraltar, hosted members of the executive staff from the Ocean Village Marina for a station visit.
During the visit, the party received training on air safety, human factors and airfield layout.
This also included a capability brief, airfield tour, a visit to Air Traffic Control and a tour on-board a visiting A400M.
Through engagements, RAF Gibraltar is building and maintaining good relationships with the local community in raise air safety awareness.
A spokesperson said: "One particular objective was to improve awareness and understanding of how vessels transiting the western end of the runway can have a major impact on aircraft during the critical stages of flight.
"Air safety relies on everyone playing their part and it is essential that people are aware of the vital contribution that they can make. It’s often thought 'What have I got to do with Air Safety? Isn’t that best left to the experts?' Whilst the management and development of airfield safety is in no doubt a specialist role that is undertaken daily by highly trained personnel, the importance and relevance of the input from the public cannot be overstated. The most important thing someone can do is to report a potential safety concern to the authorities. It is surprising how often an untrained eye can recognise something that is not quite right.
"Whether it is as simple as picking up litter when crossing the runway, driving carefully on Winston Churchill Avenue or reporting something that seems to be unusual or dangerous, any and all contributions that the public can offer to airfield safety makes a big difference. Safety will always be the top priority of airfield operations and RAF Gibraltar will embrace any chance it gets to foster a culture of openness and awareness. Through future engagement, RAF Gibraltar wishes to encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with their personal contribution to Air Safety and to maintain the healthy relationship that it has with the local community."
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