Page 29 - Index

NEWS ROUNDUP

committee to a total of 10 (details are on the ESASI website). This broadens
geographic and gender balance and allows a new distribution of duties, In Memoriam
including the preparation of a bid to host the ISASI international seminar
in 2024. The next election? At alternating ESASI annual general meetings, Ludwig Benner, an
one-third of the Charity Trustees shall retire from office or stand for reelec- ISASI member since
tion so the next ESASI election should be in autumn 2023. May 1980, died on Nov.
Looking ahead, the next ESASI major event will hopefully be in person— 15, 2021, in Oakton,
the delayed Budapest, Hungary, event of ESASI 2022 (April 6–7). The event Virginia, at the age
is planned to be at the same impressive Danube location originally of 94. He was among
scheduled for the postponed 2020 and 2021 events. The Call for Presenta- 10 members granted
tions is out, and there are more details on the ESASI website. As at the ISASI Fellow status in
ESASI seminar in Derby in May 2019, the event will be preceded by a 1993 when the Society
one-day meeting (April 5) of the European Civil Aviation Conference created the Fellow
Investigation Experts Group at the same venue. And this time, also planned membership category.
on April 5 is a half-day of the Military Air Safety Investigation Group. Benner served on the
Fellow Committee
Australian Society Announces 2021 Scholarship Recipients since May 1995 and in other ISASI positions. He
became a Life ISASI member in January 2001.
Benner was the division chief of the U.S. National
The Australian Society (ASASI), in conjunction with the Flight Safety Transportation Safety Board’s Hazardous Materi-
Foundation–Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS), awarded the Macar- als Division from 1976 to 1982. A retired registered
thur Job Scholarship 2021 to Madeline Higgins of the University of South- professional safety engineer, he served on the
ern Queensland. Her successful submission, The Impact on Aviation Safety editorial board of the Journal of Safety Research
of Pilot Currency and Recency During the COVID-19 Pandemic, will help and participated in the System Safety Society.
her to attend an ASASI or ISASI seminar of her choice in the future. He published more than 90 articles and papers
ASASI also awarded an annual ASASI membership to Tash Shayer of on safety, system safety, risk analysis, accident
Sharp Airlines of South Australia following her selection by the Australian investigation, hazardous materials, and regulation
Chapter of Women in Aviation at its awards function in December 2021. and coauthored Investigating Accidents with STEP.
ASASI looks forward to their active participation going into 2022. Open-source archives of his works can be accessed
at www.ludwigbenner.org. In 2006, the Internation-
EASA Publishes European Plan for Aviation Safety 2022–2026 al Association of Fire Chiefs’ Hazardous Materials
Committee presented him its highest award, the
In January, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released Level A Award, for his “leadership, service, and
the 11th edition of the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS), which, support to the hazardous materials response and
Curt Lewis reports in the Flight Safety Information newsletter, EASA says, training program.” Benner hosted the investigation
“sets out the strategic priorities and major risks affecting the European process research resource site (www.iprr.org), a
aviation system and defines the actions needed to mitigate them, with pro bono website with hundreds of resources for
the primary objective of improving aviation safety.” EPAS is the regional safety investigation.
ISASI President Frank Del Gandio said, “Ludi
safety plan (RASP) of EASA member states, supporting safety manage- contacted me many times over the years to seek
ment at the state level and constituting the main source of the European information and ask questions about aviation
RAPS for the International Civil Avation Organization European region. safety and accident investigations. He was always
As detailed by EASA, this edition features a focus area on the impact writing papers about safety. He knew that I was
of the pandemic on the aviation sector and how to initiate recovery from once the Federal Aviation Administration’s go-to
the crisis without severely affecting safety levels. person for hazardous materials training and an
Other salient points include 19 new research projects in technologies on-scene air accident investigator. In fact, Ludi
such as remote flight instruction, risk assessment of complex systems, called me last September with questions as he was
the use of machine learning in certification, and electric or hybrid writing yet another paper. His expertise went far
propulsion. Regarding drones, EPAS continues the line of work to foster beyond aviation safety. He helped to ensure our
the development of a drone ecosystem in Europe, taking into account investigation techniques improved and our safety
how the pandemic accelerated the use in some tasks such as the delivery efforts enhanced.”
of medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and response to emergencies and ISASI Treasurer Bob MacIntosh noted he was
disasters. The environmental aspect covers efforts to increase fuel saddened to learn of Ludi’s death, “as Ludi was a
efficiency, preparation for the use of electric and hybrid propulsion, formidable councilor to many of our colleagues,
sustainable fuels, carbon offsetting, and the development of an environ- and a warm friend and advisor to me. I will always
mental label. cherish our discussions. Ludi enriched us all.”

January-March 2022 ISASI Forum • 29