Working Week - Gretchen Burrett

US Air Force Academy graduate Gretchen Burrett flew T-37s, managed Minuteman launch systems engineering, advised NATO and the RAF and worked at NATS before becoming the UK CAA's group director, safety regulation

As an ATC safety director, pilot and human factors engineering expert you would seem to be a natural for this job, but what in your background and characteristics do you expect to draw on most?

People skills - the UK Civil Aviation Authority has world-leading experts in safety and my job is to help them achieve their full potential and take us on the next step on the journey of continuous safety improvement. We can only do this in partnership with the aviation community, so our ability to communicate effectively with national and international stakeholders is key to driving safety forwards.

© UK Civil Aviation Authority Burrett: looking for continuous safety improvement

What are your main priorities for your first year?

Asking the basic questions like what will make the greatest difference to safety? What gets in your way? Who should we be working with to do things even better? In this way I hope to further focus the organisation on those actions that will most deliver tangible outcomes for aviation safety.

What key challenges do you expect to face in addressing them?

Change can seem like a threat rather than an opportunity; good, consistent communication can help to overcome this.

What contacts with the European Aviation Safety Agency do you expect to have in your job, and what benefits (if any) do you think can come out of working with a centralised pan-European agency?

I expect to work closely with EASA towards our common aim of improved safety and improved safety regulation. With the Single European Sky and SESAR on the horizon, I think there are real benefits in a more consistent approach to safety standards and the UK will be one of the lead countries working with EASA and the European Commission on these developments.

Does security and counter-terrorism come into your safety remit? If so how?

No, this is the remit of the Department for Transport, but we work closely alongside the DfT to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure safety and security.

Randy Babbitt at the US Federal Aviation Administration is worried that high levels of automation are causing the loss of traditional pilot skills, and believes pilot training should be reviewed to take this into account. Do you have views on this?

Firstly, the design of automated systems needs to take into account how to best support effective human performance. Secondly, training needs to ensure appropriate skills are maintained. Training has evolved with technology developments and of course it must continue to keep pace.

When you move on from the CAA, what legacy would you like to leave?

I would like people to clearly see the value of each activity we do and be confident that we have used our expertise to focus on those things that make the greatest difference to aviation safety.

Source: Flight International