Michael Benton, founder and managing director of VyClimb Consulting, was honored with the Jim Charlson Aviation Safety Award at the recent Association of Air Medical Services Air Medical Transport Conference in Atlanta.
Presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to promoting aviation safety within the air medical transport community, Benton has more than 22 years of aviation industry management and operations experience. A former armed reconnaissance helicopter instructor pilot and member of the Directorate of Evaluation & Standardization with the U.S. Army, he has served as a helicopter emergency medical services pilot, check airman, accident investigator, regional aviation director, and a director of aviation compliance before launching his own consultancy in 2015.
During that time, he has steered organizations through a range of safety initiatives, including the FAA’s Safety Management System Voluntary Program and Aviation Safety Action Program, as well as advised on the development of operational control management, tracking, and hazard alerting systems for the aviation industry. A frequent lecturer at global HEMS conferences, Benton has served as a Helicopter Association International committee chair and an instructor at the NTSB Training Academy.