What Is an Aviation SMS? Components & Rules
In aviation, SMS means safety management system: a structured approach to managing safety risk. See the four components, twelve elements, and who needs one.
Read the guide ↗Aviation guides and resources Plain answers for aviation teams.
Short guides to the practice behind the software: what a rule requires, how a process works, and what to check before you choose a tool. Regulatory statements cite official sources.
Safety management
SMS requirements and flight data monitoring.
What a safety management system is, which rules require one, and what a flight data monitoring programme adds.
Aviation SMS Requirements: ICAO, FAA & EASA
Aviation SMS requirements compared: ICAO Annex 19, FAA Part 5 with the May 28, 2027 Part 135 deadline, and EASA Part-ORO. See who must comply, and when.
Read the guide ↗FAA Part 135 SMS Requirements & 2027 Deadline
Part 135 operators must implement an SMS under 14 CFR Part 5 and declare compliance by May 28, 2027. See what the rule requires and how it scales.
Read the guide ↗What Is Flight Data Monitoring? FDM & FOQA
Flight data monitoring (FDM) is the routine analysis of recorded flight data to improve safety. See how it works, who must run a programme, and where FOQA fits.
Read the guide ↗Crew and operations
Crew scheduling and operations control.
How crew scheduling works from pairing to recovery, and what an operations control centre does.
Airline Crew Scheduling Explained: Pairing to Recovery
How airline crew scheduling works: pairing, rostering, publication, and day-of-operations recovery, with the FAA, EASA, and OTAR limits a roster must respect.
Read the guide ↗What Is an Airline Operations Control Centre (OCC)?
An airline operations control centre (OCC) exercises operational control over the day's flights. See what it does, who works in it, and the rules behind it.
Read the guide ↗Choosing software
Evaluate software with evidence.
Criteria and a worksheet for comparing aviation software against your current process.
Airline Operations Software Evaluation Guide
A practical airline software buyer's guide covering source authority, human approval, audit evidence, integrations, AI controls, and rollout risk.
Read the guide ↗Aviation Software Evaluation Plan & Worksheet
Plan a FlightAtom evaluation with representative inputs, a current-process baseline, product measures, deployment scope, and explicit acceptance criteria.
Read the guide ↗Reference
Terms and definitions.
Short definitions of safety, flight data, crew, and operations terms, with the official wording where a regulator defines one.
Aviation Glossary: SMS, FDM, OCC & Crew Terms
Plain definitions of aviation safety, flight data, crew scheduling, and operations terms, including SMS, FDM, FOQA, FRMS, OCC, ACARS, MEL, and OTAR.
Read the guide ↗See FlightAtom in action
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