NBAA Board Member Receives Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award

Doug Schwartz, a longtime member of NBAA’s board of directors, today received the Flight Safety Foundation’s (FSF’s) annual Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding service and contributions to business aviation safety.

Schwartz formally received the prestigious award from Jon Beatty, foundation president and CEO, at the 61st annual Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) in Austin, TX. BASS is organized by FSF in partnership with NBAA.

FSF said it is recognizing Schwartz “for his more than 40 years of commitment and contributions to aviation safety, and for his tireless efforts to advance safety and save lives within the operations of his employers and beyond.”

The foundation noted that Schwartz pioneered the development of crew resource management (CRM) training, and was instrumental in introducing the first CRM programs designed specifically for business aviation. CRM teaches pilots how to improve communication and decision-making in the cockpit.

Schwartz also has worked to ensure realistic flight scenarios in training simulators, increase safety in offshore helicopter operations, and support the Corporate Angel Network, which uses empty seats on business aircraft to fly cancer patients to treatment centers nationwide, the foundation said.

Schwartz, an NBAA board member since 2004, is manager of global aviation services at ConocoPhillips, where he oversees executive flight operations, corporate shuttle operations, global charter flight support and aviation facilities management. Before joining ConocoPhillips, he was vice president of flight operations and standards at TAG Aviation, and aviation director at AT&T. Before that, he worked for 25 years for FlightSafety International, the world's largest commercial aviation training company.

Schwartz is a past chairman of the NBAA Safety Committee and the NBAA Security Council and currently serves on FSF’s board of governors. He is a past recipient of the Aviation Week & Space Technology Laurels Award for flight operations and training, as well as the FSF-Airbus Human Factors in Aviation Safety Award. He is a founder and past chairman of the board of the Morristown Aviation Association.