Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) is a medium sized flight department that operates under FAR Part 91. With a team of pilots and support personnel, safety has always been a top priority. However, for years, they managed safety using a manual, spreadsheet-based system.

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“We’ve always had a good safety culture,” said Mike Bechtel, Safety Manager for ADS. “But everything lived in OneDrive. We were tracking reports in Excel. It worked, but we had trouble analyzing the data. There was no easy way to filter it, identify trends, or even remember what we’d seen at a specific airport years ago.”

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That’s when they decided it was time for a change.

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Before RISE SMS: Challenges with Manual Processes

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Prior to implementing RISE SMS, ADS averaged 9 to 12 hazard reports annually. Although reports were being filed, the lack of an efficient way to view or analyze them meant much of the information went untapped. Audit preparation was a challenge as files were scattered across multiple folders. Furthermore, getting honest, anonymous feedback from the team was nearly impossible.

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“We were compliant,” Bechtel said. “We completed multiple IS-BAO audits with our setup. But we weren’t learning from our data. That’s what was missing.”

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Why ADS Chose RISE SMS: A Long-Term Partnership

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When ADS began evaluating safety management solutions, they sought more than just a tool; they wanted a long-term partner.

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“Some software providers make you feel like you’re not compliant unless you follow their exact process,” Bechtel said. “RISE SMS didn’t do that. They provided the tools but allowed us to implement them in the way that worked best for us. That flexibility was a game-changer.”

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They chose RISE SMS for three main reasons:

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• Comprehensive Features: RISE SMS offered a complete safety program, covering every aspect—even if they didn’t need every module immediately.
   

• Innovation: The product’s continuous improvement and focus on AI-driven safety tools was particularly appealing.
   

• Responsive, Transparent Support: ADS found RISE SMS’s customer service to be fast, reliable, and truly helpful, issues were resolved within days, unlike other providers where responses took months.
   

“RISE SMS was the perfect fit for our operation today, and it’s built to grow with us. Whether we stay with two aircraft or expand to twenty, it gives us everything we need to run a strong safety program,” Bechtel said.

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After RISE SMS: Streamlined Reporting, Enhanced Communication, and Data-Driven Insights

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The impact was immediate. With RISE SMS, ADS saw a significant increase in hazard reporting, more than double the reports were submitted by midyear from the year prior. Crews could now submit reports from their phones in under a minute, attaching photos and documentation. QR codes in the office made reporting even easier for both crew and passengers.

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“It’s not just the ease of reporting. It’s what we can do with the data now."

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"We can link mitigations to past hazards automatically. If a snowplow was on the runway in 2019, now that’s connected to the airport going forward as a resource for crews that are going to that airport. Our team has better situational awareness.” said Bechtel.

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Key improvements after implementing RISE SMS included:

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• Audit Preparation: Centralized files, making audits much easier to manage.
   

• Performance Tracking: New dashboards for safety meetings that help track progress and metrics.
   

• Communication: Anonymous surveys and safety promotions with acknowledgment tracking, improving transparency and team engagement.
   

“We’re even starting to analyze when FRATs are being submitted,” Bechtel said. “That kind of insight just wasn’t possible with Excel.”

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Looking Ahead: Building a Smarter Safety Program with AI

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ADS is particularly excited about the future of RISE SMS, which includes AI-driven tools to help set safety goals, identify recurring issues (such as ground handling problems), and surface relevant NOTAMs and hazards before flights.

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“With a department of our size, setting performance goals has always been tricky,” said Bechtel. “But with more reports coming in and AI helping surface patterns, we’ll finally have the data we need to focus our efforts.”

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A Final Word

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When asked if he would recommend RISE SMS to other operators, Bechtel answered without hesitation.

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“We didn’t even look at other systems after seeing what RISE offered. It’s been a perfect fit. Once we got started, everything began to fall into place.”

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“RISE SMS provides us with the tools to run a modern safety program. It’s easy to use, constantly improving, and it helps us focus on what really matters—making our operation safer.”

– Mike Bechtel, Safety Manager, Advanced Drainage Systems Inc.