College of Aviation

Buster in Plane

Safety

At the College of Aviation, safety is not just a rhetorical exercise. Safety is a practical exercise in risk identification, measurement, and mitigation. The focus on safety is broad and extends from the classroom, to the laboratory, to the flight line, to the skies above them all. The culture of safety impacts everyone at the college. Safety is at the core of what we do. The equipment and training tools used by the college, and the manner that individuals utilize the equipment, demonstrates the College of Aviation’s commitment to safety.
Submit a Safety Report Informational Videos

About our Safety Reporting System

A key element of the safety program is the software that enables any member of the college: faculty, student, or staff, to conveniently report safety-related concerns, incidents, or events. The web-based system is based on methodologies employed by government agencies, major airlines, and other flight operations, and automatically generates e-mail messages to appropriate personnel throughout the process. Protocols have been established to determine event causation and, where appropriate, remediation without retribution. Appropriate actions will be taken throughout the process to continually ensure a safe educational and operational environment. Finally, the data that is collected is retained, in identified and unidentified forms, to access easy trend analyses leading to risk identification and mitigation. Should you have questions regarding the reporting system, please contact any of the Safety Committee members below. 

College of Aviation
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5461 USA
(269) 964-6375

  • Scott Austin, Director of Aircraft Maintenance
  • Rob Bunday, Chief Instructor
  • Aleks Copeland, Operations/Facilities Tech
  • Jason DeGeorge, Faculty Chair
  • Kelly Golda, Coordinator of Student Flight Services
  • Jonathan Gray, WMU Peer Advocate, Flight Instructor
  • Tom Grossman, Executive Director of Flight Operations
  • Nate Lisak, Faculty
  • Braeden Lueder,  Aviation Flight Science and Aviation Management
  • Tom McLaughlin, Chief Instructor
  • Sam Mills, WMU Peer Advocate, Flight Instructor
  • Jarrett Natrop, WMU Peer Advocate, Flight Instructor
  • Chuck Orr, BTL Airport Operations Manager
  • Selim Ozyurek, Faculty
  • Matt Rendell, WMU Peer Advocate, Flight Instructor
  • Gail Rouscher, Faculty
  • Nicholas Rowe, Faculty
  • Dave Schrader, Director of Safety
  • Ray Thompson, Dean
  • Scott Vredevoogd, BTL Air Traffic Controller
  • Miles Weaver, BTL Assistant Director of Aviation
  • Mark Weiss. WMU Director of Environmental Health and Safety
  • Garrett Williams, WMU Peer Advocate, Flight Instructor