The Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award, also known as the Safety "S", is awarded annually to

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

aviation units operating under Navy chains of command.

Selection

One squadron from each type of aircraft (e.g.

E-2 Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft ...

, FA-18 Hornet,

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. It is based on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner by Lockheed; it is e ...

, etc.) from each coast (i.e. East and West) is chosen. For example, one

SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

squadron from

NAS Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ha ...

, Virginia and one SH-60 squadron from

NAS North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado ...

, California is chosen each year. Marine squadrons that deploy with Navy units are also eligible. Selected squadrons receive engraved plaques and citations for permanent display, and are also entitled to paint a prominent "S" on their aircraft until the next year's selections are made.

Criteria

Selection of winners is based on aircraft flight mishap rates, ground mishaps, currency of safety programs, and flight exposure (aircraft-days embarked aboard ship (if appropriate), aircraft-days deployed away from home base (if applicable), etc.). Subjective criteria are also used; these include quality contributions to the Naval Aviation Safety Program, such as timely reporting of hazards, recommendations for corrective action, safety articles for publication, suggestions for improvement in equipment (survival, aircraft, ground support, etc.) facilities, maintenance practices, and other matters considered appropriate.

References

Naval aviation Aviation awards {{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award

Selection

Criteria

See also

References