Dr. Robert Baron is the President and Chief Consultant of The Aviation Consulting Group. He learned how to fly in 1988 at Long Island's Islip MacArthur Airport and realized that aviation was his career calling. He quickly earned his flight ratings to become a Commercial pilot and Certified Flight Instructor for Airplane Single and Multi-Engine Land and Instrument. In 1989 he started a flight school and air charter company called BaronAire which was based at Brookhaven Airport in Shirley, New York. Due to challenging economic times he decided to cease operations of BaronAire in 1992. During the BaronAire tenure he built considerable flight time by flying charters and flight instructing. He also earned his ATP Rating for Airplane Multi-Engine Land. 

     In 1992 Dr. Baron decided to move to Fort Lauderdale, Florida since "the weather was fantastic and there was tons of aviation there." Upon arriving in Fort Lauderdale he immediately began working as a freelance flight instructor. In 1996 he decided to invest in type ratings for Learjets (LR-JET series) and Citations (CE-500 series). Once typed in the Citation he was hired as a First Officer on a brand new Citation 560 Ultra for a Part 135 operator. In 1998, just after upgrading to Learjet Captain, he decided to become a professional contract pilot and flew various model Learjets for both Part 135 and Part 91 operators (some contract flying in the Citation as well). In 1999, as he continued to fly as a contract pilot, he was hired to teach the Lear 35A as a simulator, flight and ground instructor at a major Part 142 training academy. He was also hired as a company check airman in the Lear 20/30 series for a Part 135 operator in Fort Lauderdale. In 2000 he launched The Aviation Consulting Group, an aviation safety training and consulting company with worldwide clientele. He continued to work as a safety consultant and fly Lears and Citations out of the Fort Lauderdale area until 2006. At that point Dr. Baron decided he wanted to pursue his aviation safety consulting career with full-time dedication. In 2006 he relocated TACG's corporate office to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina while continuing to maintain a satellite office in Fort Lauderdale to serve clients in the South Florida and Caribbean/South America regions.    

     Today The Aviation Consulting Group is a respected global leader in aviation safety training and consulting. TACG works with domestic and international airlines, business and corporate aviation operators, Part 135 charter operators, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities, flight schools, manufacturers and more.

     In addition to the above, Dr. Baron also has experience assisting companies in obtaining the coveted Part 135 certification as well as providing aviation expert witness testimony and research for law firms around the country. He is also a consulting editor for the FAA's International Journal of Applied Aviation Studies (IJAAS) and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Airport Management (JAM).

Areas of Specialization

Aviation Safety Consulting Projects

     Dr. Baron performs extensive work in his core domains of Human Factors (HF), Safety Management Systems (SMS), Crew Resource Management (CRM), and Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA). He consults with, and provides training to, hundreds of aviation organizations on a worldwide basis. Client projects range from short training courses all the way up to, and including, full safety program implementation (term-based) at some of the largest airlines and aircraft manufacturers in the world. He also works with various civil aviation authorities and accident investigation bureaus to improve safety at the very highest levels of the aviation system. Due to his extensive global experience, exposure and knowledge of various cultures, and practical work in the aviation environment, Dr. Baron is often called upon to assist organizations in developing countries where safety improvements are much needed. Additionally

Project Examples/Capabilities

Manufacturers

     Dr. Baron was responsible for developing and implementing Cessna Aircraft's in-house human factors training program for 2300+ employees. This was a 6 month project that was conducted on a highly collaborative basis. It included development of customized training media, train-the-trainer courses and assessment methods. He received excellent feedback on this major project and Cessna Aircraft has been cited as having a world class human factors training program for its employees (cited in Aviation Maintenance Magazine, January, 2009).

Airlines

     Since 2008, Dr. Baron has been working with a Caribbean airline (150 employees) as its primary safety instructor and consultant. Responsible for teaching CRM courses to the airline's pilots and flight attendants as well as human factors courses to its maintenance engineers. Also assisted in the implementation of a functional Safety Management System and continue to provide training in SMS for all company employees. Currently in the process of implementing a flight LOSA program as well as providing training for LOSA observers.  

Civil Aviation Authorities

     Dr. Baron worked with the Mongolia Civil Aviation Authority in the development of its human factors training program. The program is now used to train aviation operators throughout the country of Mongolia.

Caribbean Aviation Safety

     Dr. Baron is the Lead Coordinator for the Caribbean Aviation Safety Association (CASA). The purpose of CASA is to bring together aviation operators in the Caribbean region with the primary objective of increasing aviation safety (this also includes Central and South America and Mexico). Dr. Baron has a vast amount of experience in the Caribbean as both a pilot and as an aviation safety consultant. He works extensively with airlines and maintenance operators in the Caribbean and is very conversant with the specific issues that affect safety in this region.

Top-Down Systemic Work With Entire Countries  

     Dr. Baron has been very busy working with aviation organizations in Nigeria to help further improve aviation safety throughout the country. Systemically, he has been very influential in improving safety in the country; a country that has recently achieved a Category I Safety Rating by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration which is no small task. When speaking of "systemically" what is being referring to is touching literally all hierarchies of the Nigerian aviation system. This includes the Regulator, the Accident Investigation Bureau, the Air Force and various air operators throughout the country. This work is ongoing and Dr. Baron is often in Nigeria collaborating on various aviation safety projects.

University Professor/Educator

     Dr. Baron is an online and onsite (Fort Lauderdale campus) adjunct professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He started with ERAU in 2009 and teaches the following courses:

Media Consultation/Correspondence/Interviews

Professional Affiliations

Professional Speaker

     Dr. Baron is a recognized speaker on aviation safety issues and on a recurring basis he is requested to make aviation safety presentations at various venues worldwide. These venues include safety conferences, symposia, safety events, and much more.   

Left: Presenting on Human Factors at NASA's annual safety conference

Center: Presenting on SMS at the South Carolina Aviation Association conference

Right: Presenting on CRM at the AIB aviation safety conference in Lagos, Nigeria

Authored Work (Papers/Presentations/Research)  

The Toxic Captain: Remediate or Terminate?

Airplane Crashes and Media Spin: This Just Needs to Stop.

Cabin Safety: Is Complacency and Carelessness the new Norm?

The End of an Error. Appeared in the November 2011 issue of Flying Magazine.

Some Truths About SMS (Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Just the Messenger). Appeared as an exclusive online article (06/13/2011) on Aviation Maintenance Technology's website.

Quantifying CRM Behavioral Markers in the Practical Cockpit Environment.

To Land or not to Land? A Cognitive Roadmap to Approach and Landing Accidents.

Shaping Professionalism and Integrity in Aircraft Maintenance. Appeared in the February 2011 issue of AeroSafety World, a publication of the Flight Safety Foundation.

The Human Factors Funnel Model (HFFM): Another Window on Error Causation.

Introducing the Human Factors Funnel Model (HFFM). Presented at the FAASTeam Regional Safety Seminar on January 26, 2011, Myrtle Beach, SC.

Contributing Factors in Current-Day Aircraft Accidents and Incidents. Presented at the Nigeria AIB Annual Safety Conference on October 18-20, 2010, Lagos, Nigeria.

Managing the "Final Four" With Effective Crew Resource Management. Presented at the Nigeria AIB Annual Safety Conference on October 18-20, 2010, Lagos, Nigeria.

Making Human Factors Training More Than Just Lip Service. Presented at the Nigeria AIB Annual Safety Conference on October 18-20, 2010, Lagos, Nigeria.

Writing Tips for Theses and Dissertations. Academic distribution.

Rethinking Human Error Statistics in Aircraft Accidents. Appeared in the April 2010 issue of Director of Maintenance Magazine.

Beyond the Initial Human Factors Course: A Little Science…A Little Anecdote. Appeared in the April 2010 issue of AeroSafety World, a publication of the Flight Safety Foundation.

Northwest Flight 188: When Pilots Become Passengers.

Landing in Extreme Weather: When Getting it on the Ground can Prove Fatal.

Failure to Follow Procedures: Deviations are a Significant Factor in Maintenance Errors. Appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Director of Maintenance Magazine.

Fatigue Risk Management in Aircraft Maintenance: An Update on a Complex Issue. Appeared in the May 2009 issue of Aviation Maintenance Magazine.

An Exploration of Deviations in Aircraft Maintenance Procedures. Appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of the International Journal of Applied Aviation Studies (IJAAS), a publication of the FAA Academy.

Development of the Safety Culture Assessment Tool (SCAT).

Using an Eight-Factor Model to Measure Error Attitudes at a Regional Airline. Appeared in the October 2009 issue of AeroSafety World, a publication of the Flight Safety Foundation.

The Human Factors Ladder Still Needs to Extend Higher. Appeared in the March 2009 issue of Aviation Maintenance Magazine.

Error Prevention Strategies for the Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Presented at the Minnesota Aviation Maintenance Technician's 40th Annual Conference on March 17, 2009, Minneapolis, MN.

Measuring Safety Climate at an Aircraft Maintenance Facility: Can Training Change Attitudes? Doctoral dissertation completed July 2008.

Transformational Leadership in Aviation Operations.

What the Media Should Know About Aircraft Accidents.

SOS for Your SMS: A Brief Look at Airport Safety Management Systems. Presented at the South Carolina Aviation Association's 31st Annual Aviation Conference on February 12, 2009, Myrtle Beach, SC.

The Challenges of an Error Reporting System. Appeared in the March/April 2008 issue of Aviation Maintenance Technology Magazine.

Is the Climate Right for a Major Air Disaster?

Understanding Human Factors in High-Risk Industries. Presented at Wood Group Power Operation's Annual Health and Safety Conference on September 26, 2007, Alpharetta, GA.

Current Trends in Aviation Human Factors. Presented at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on January 23, 2007, Edwards Air Force Base, CA.

Aircraft Accident Investigations: Have we Lost Touch With the Behavioral Approach? Appeared in the April-June 2007 issue of ISASI Forum, the journal of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators.

What Ever Happened to Cockpit Discipline? A Dissection of Corporate Airlines Flight 5966. Appeared in the December 2007 issue of AeroSafety World, a publication of the Flight Safety Foundation.

Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance: A Look at the Fundamental Concepts.

Understanding the Role of Safety Culture in the Aviation Environment.

Why are Routine Flight Operations Killing Pilots and Their Passengers? Presented at the Human Performance, Situation Awareness, and Automation Conference (HPSAA), March 24, 2004, Daytona Beach, FL.

Human Performance Limitations in Medicine: A Cognitive Focus.

Drinking and Flying: The Effects of Blood Alcohol Levels on a Pilot's Cognitive and Motor Functioning Skills.

Pilots and Memory: A Study of a Fallible Human System.

Safety Culture and Profit: Aviation's Continuing Organizational Dilemma.

Monovision Contact Lens use and the Crash of Delta Airlines Flight 554 at LaGuardia Airport, October 1996.

Why On-Demand Jet Charter Needs CRM...Now!

Conflict in the Cockpit: Can't we all Just get Along?

A Review of the Literature Pertaining to Decision Making in Aviation. Presented at the State Bar of Georgia (Aviation Law Section) Meeting on January 06, 2006, Atlanta, GA.

CRM From the Instructor/Facilitator Viewpoint: Observations we can all Learn From.

The Cockpit, the Cabin, and Social Psychology.

Barriers to Effective Communication: Implications for the Cockpit.

Runway Incursions: Where are we?

Aviation Training: Methods and Anecdotes to Help Understand how we Learn.