Air Show Performers: Safety, Risk Management, and Psychological Factors

Air shows are high-risk activities that must be conducted with careful thought towards the general public, spectators, and flying and nonflying participants to ensure that the activity is as safe as reasonably possible. The impromptu, ad hoc, unrehearsed or unplanned must never be attempted. This book offers a holistic overview of the state of safety, including safety cultural variables, safety risk parameters, and human performance factors, in the international air show community.

This book aims to close the knowledge gap on safety management in air shows. It imparts to the aviation sector and other high-risk and high-performance industries the experience and knowledge that airshow performers have gained regarding risk assessment, psychological aspects, and mindfulness techniques used for safe and effective performances. The book highlights how resilient safety culture can change the air show community’s mentality to deliver safer and more spectacular air show events and promotes the culture of excellence that the air show community is wedded to. The reader will obtain a thorough understanding of safety issues in air shows.

Air Show Performers: Safety, Risk Management, and Psychological Factors is a critical read for professionals within the international air show community including nonflying participants. Its appeal extends to practitioners in aviation, health and safety and events management.

＂[...] For sure, this book will become a reference and a source of inspiration for future generations of Display Pilots.＂

Jacques Bothelin, French Aerobatic Jet Team Leader, Honorary Board Member European Airshow Council

Manolis Karachalios was the Hellenic Air Force’s F-16 Demo Team ＂ZEUS＂ Display Pilot for the 2010-2012 display seasons. Dr. Karachalios holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Aviation Management from Coventry University, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Aerospace Sciences from the University of North Dakota focusing on air show safety and development.

Daniel Kwasi Adjekum has over 25 years of experience in aviation as a former Ghana Air Force squadron commander, command pilot, and air display safety director. He was also an airline pilot and is currently an aviation safety consultant and professor of aviation. He is an Internationally recognized aviation safety subject-matter expert and an International Air Transport Association (IATA) certified Safety Management Systems (SMS) implementation and control expert.

Manolis Karachalios was the Hellenic Air Force’s F-16 Demo Team ＂ZEUS＂ Display Pilot for the 2010 to 2012 display seasons. He joined the Hellenic Air Force Academy in 1996 and graduated with honors in 2000. Since 2014, Manolis has been a civilian instructor pilot, and in 2018 he took over as the Flying Display Director of the Athens Flying Week International Airshow (AFW). He is a member of the European Airshow Council (EAC) and the International Air Show Safety Team (IASST), as well as the moderator of the annual fast jet solo display pilot safety workshop.

Daniel Kwasi Adjekum is Assistant Professor in the Aviation Department at the University of North Dakota, teaching courses in crew resource management, safety management systems, and human factors. He has over 24 years of experience as a former Ghana Airforce squadron commander (Presidential Fleet), aircraft commander, and aviation safety consultant. He is an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) designated subject-matter expert in-flight safety and an International Air Transport Association (IATA) certified Safety Management Systems (SMS) implementation and control expert.