On 1st April 2002 the Defence Aviation Safety Centre (DASC) formed at RAF Bentley Priory. The Centre is a tri-Service policy, regulation and auditing body within MOD Central Staffs that will act as the executive arm of the Defence Aviation Safety Board (DASB) and be the MOD focus for pan-defence aviation safety issues. It will provide the Secretary of State for Defence with an appropriate level of assurance on aviation safety-related matters and ensure a common approach to Aviation Safety throughout the three Services, the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organization. The key roles of the DASC are:
- To formulate, regulate and validate Defence Aviation Safety policy as directed by the DASB
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to the Service Chiefs of Staff, Defence Procurement and Defence Logistics and also to the DASB
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to Commands, Aircraft Operating Authorities, Release to Service Authorities and Integrated Project Team Leaders
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to other Government Departments, civilian and military agencies, NATO, Foreign & Commonwealth and Partnership for Peace countries and to industry
- To act as the focus for Aviation Safety matters in the MOD
- To provide common, high-level Aviation Safety education and publicity
The DASC is headed by a one-Star Director, Air Commodore A.T. Hudson OBE Bsc FRAeS RAF, with 5 Royal Navy, 5 Army, 16 Royal Air Force and 8 civilian personnel. Seven staff branches, each headed by a Royal Navy Commander, Army Lieutenant Colonel or Royal Air Force Wing Commander and manned by appropriately experienced personnel drawn from across the 3 Services, will be: Policy, Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, Operations Support, Occurrences, Engineering and Aviation Safety Review.
The Centre has functional links to the Defence Procurement Agency's Air/Land Technology Group at Abbey Wood and Director Flying at Boscombe Down.
As the DASC formed, the Royal Air Force Inspectorate of Flight Safety was disbanded.
