An aviation auditor monitors a company for compliance with aviation regulations. This ensures that the firm operates within the law, and that it does so both safely and functionally. Reviews of operations can include subjects ranging from checking repairs to reviewing financial documentation associated with aircraft and airlines. Certifying organizations offer specific qualifications to people interested in pursuing careers in this field, which can provide them with more job opportunities.
Some aviation auditors work within a company and provide internal auditing services. Their job is to keep an eye on the company at all times, developing periodic reports to discuss specific safety issues and concerns. If there is a problem, the aviation auditor can provide suggestions for resolutions, such as improving training, overhauling a policy, or suspending personnel who are not fit for duty. Some of this work can involve assistance with more general internal reports to show how the company is using personnel and funds.
Third party aviation auditors are called in for an independent assessment of a firm. This may be performed as part of a routine safety program used by an airline, cargo carrier, or other flight services company to improve the quality of service. It can also be ordered in response to a specific complaint or concern. The aviation auditor reviews practices at the firm and may also look at any internal audits to determine whether problems were missed or deliberately omitted from the company’s own reports.
Checks for regulatory compliance can include watching personnel at work, reading manuals, and overseeing training procedures. The aviation auditor has free run of records and personnel in order to collect information, and searches for a wide variety of data that might provide insight into the company’s operations. Of special concern is any information that looks suspect, such as records on safety and maintenance checks that appear falsified, which may indicate that workers never performed the checks or are not managing their paperwork effectively.
In the event of minor problems, an aviation auditor may work with the company on a resolution. Significant safety concerns may require immediate attention, including a temporary halt of operations until the problem is fixed. If a company fails to respond to an audit report, the investigator may be legally or ethically obligated to report the issue to a regulatory agency which can compel the company to act on the audit findings to correct the situation.
