Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST)
Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST)
Description
The Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) is a public-private initiative launched in 2021 to enhance flight operations safety in all segments of the vertical flight industry.
Vision and Mission
According to the organisation’s charter, its vision “is a worldwide vertical flight community with zero fatal accidents achieved through cooperation and collaboration.”
VAST’s mission is to continuously improve the worldwide vertical flight community’s safety culture and operational performance through collaboration, harmonization, coordination, and implementation of global safety information, resources, and programs while supporting regional safety team data that promote vertical flight’s societal contributions.
History
VAST is the latest iteration of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). Modeled after the U.S. Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST), the IHST was created in 2005 to reduce the helicopter accident rate. In 2019, the IHST transitioned to the International Helicopter Safety Foundation (IHSF). Two years later, in 2021, IHSF was rebranded as VAST to expand it’s public-private efforts and enhance worldwide flight operational safety in all segments of the vertical flight industry.
Goals
VAST has five goals:
- Establish the organization as the world’s most trusted source for vertical flight safety information and resources
- Establish working groups to represent key segments and issues relevant to the global VTOL industry
- Formalize leadership positions, working groups, and advisory roles for participating organizations and individuals
- Identify, collect, harmonize, and deliver centralized access to safety information and resources from participating stakeholder entities
- Provide and coordinate a forum where regional safety teams, safety authorities, and other industry stakeholders can work together on vertical flight safety issues
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