A team of military veterans and auditors has launched the non-profit SEBA Council to provide an alternative audit standard for business aviation that includes safety management systems (SMS) and incorporates best practices from NATO armed forces. The Texas-based SEBA Council will work to bring business aircraft operators worldwide—whether a flight department or charter operation—into compliance with the ICAO Annex 6 mandate, Part II on SMS, as well as help improve best practices.

Michael Petridis, the managing director who helped found SEBA Council, said the group was formed based on feedback from operators who desired additional options for validating their SMS programs. “We believe we offer a better choice for validating and auditing business jet SMS compliance,” said Petridis, who is managing partner of VIP Jets and has audit experience, as well as being a former test pilot for Gulfstream. “Both current operators and auditors desire an alternative compliance option to current methods in place as evidenced by a growing perception of unpleasant SMS audit execution and client experiences.”

SEBA Council has streamlined its approach to improve the process for clients, the organization said. The team has established an advisory board with deep military leadership experience to help craft the standard. This is important because military forces have long incorporated SMS practices, Petridis said.

Along with Petridis, who was a former fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, the board includes former military generals and those who have been involved in inspector general and NATO TAC EVAL operational audits. Also among the advisors is the former director of safety and standards for Air Force One, Lt. Col. (ret.) Dan Brunskole.

Petridis expects the standard will continue to evolve over time as mandates change and new best practices surface. The organization described the SEBA Audit Standard as a “user-friendly checklist, based upon ICAO Doc. 9859, ‘Safety Management Manual,’ which can be used to ascertain a flight department's compliance with the SMS mandate.” SEBA Council added that it will recognize work of previous audits.

But Petridis stressed the importance that operations incorporate SMS, even while the FAA has sought exemptions for the ICAO mandate. He noted that Europe’s third-country operator requires SMS, making it a de facto requirement for U.S. operators traveling to Europe.

SEBA Council has reached out to numerous international registries to ensure that the standard would be acceptable and has already trained its first tranche of auditors for its standard. The organization said it can provide service in 35 countries on five continents, and that it has already served more than 50 operators.