Bombardier honored Michael Ott of the international air ambulance provider Phoenix Air Group with the 2019 Bombardier Safety Standdown Award. Presented during the 23rd annual Safety Standdown held earlier this month in Fort Worth, Texas, the annual award recognizes an “aviation professional who has demonstrated exemplary dedication to improving aviation safety through the Safety Standdown principles of learn, apply, and share.” Ott was nominated for his outstanding leadership in aviation safety management over a 35-plus year career, Bombardier added.

Currently director of government contracting and lead international captain/instructor pilot for Phoenix Air Group, Ott also has spent more than a decade as a line captain on the Learjet 35/36 for the operator and steered the development and implementation of its safety management system. He is active in a range of safety initiatives, serving as a designated IS-BAO auditor, a member of the IS-BAO standards board, and the communications and events team lead for the NBAA Safety Committee.

A former Marine, Ott is an airline transport pilot in both multi-engine airplanes and helicopters with four type ratings. He has amassed more than 14,200 flight hours, half of which involved international missions that included evacuation flights out of North Korea and out of West Africa during the Ebola crisis.

Andy Nureddin, v-p of customer support for Bombardier Aviation, praised Ott “for his great passion and his exemplary leadership in promoting aviation safety and professionalism in our industry” and said the award celebrates “individuals who are role models in the field and have made a real difference day to day.”