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Mark Grady

Humorist, Aviation Safety,
Master of Ceremonies

   Mark Grady, writer, commercial pilot and professional speaker pokes fun at his height (or lack of it!). In Flyin’ Friendly Mark shares with you the perils of being a ‘vertically-challenged’ pilot. How do you get the FAA to STC a phone book as a “pilot height extension device”? Combining broadcasting with his love of flying, he worked 10 years as a traffic watch pilot reporting for three radio stations.

Programs
Master of Ceremonies
Flyin' Friendly (Humor)
The Color Code System (Human Factors, Judgment, Decision Making) 
 

He is familiar to North Carolinians, as a radio talkshow host, TV telethon host and television commercial personality. What Mark lacks in height, he makes up for in heart—and he tickles our funny bone. His relaxed friendly way of speaking is reflected in his writing for various publications including the Southern Aviator, Weekend Flyer, Wilmington Star-News and Jacksonville Daily News. Mark’s presentations include Why Did I do That?, Real World GPS, You’re on The Air, U.S. Aviation & Space Accomplishments, and Flyin’ Friendly.

 

   Cut through the legalese of accident investigations and you usually find the one common thread--human factors. There are several factors that contribute to man and machine integrating unsuccessfully including distraction, complacency and proficiency training. One system can significantly reduce human factor accidents by training individuals how to stay engaged throughout their entire flight, from preflight to tie-down. That system is The Color Code. Originally created by a Marine Corps Colonel and taken to a higher level by the late Chas Harral, Aviation Safety Instructor Mark Grady now presents The Color Code System, a live presentation that integrates video, real examples and engaging storytelling to create a lasting impression that will change your perspective about your flying and how you can reduce the chance of an accident attributed to pilot error. The Color Code System places one of the first things we learn as a child, colors, and attaches four colors to different levels of human awareness. By using these colors, you will be able to stay engaged during even the most mundane part of flying or your work. It will help you understand how an unusual flight situation or emergency will affect you and how to safely navigate through the problem, increasing your chances of successfully handling anything that threatens the safety of your flight, your work or your life. This program is excellent for pilots and ground crew. These concepts are most important in safety-critical situations however they are important to use any time you leave the comfort of your home. Because of the vivid associations provided you will remember these tools for life.

"Outstanding presentation. Mark Grady's words are sage safety advice to every aviator whether civilian or military, full-time or part-time." Brig Gen Norman R. Seip, 4 FW Commander. 

"Great briefing Mark presented at our safety stand-up day. The commander reiterated that the material he presented seamlessly supported our earlier mishap brief and follow-on crew resource management training." LTJG Chris J. Tamburello, USCG Air Station Savannah. 

"Mark did a great job as our humorous banquet speaker." Terry Connorton, Spartanburg Pilots Association

"Everyone LOVED Mark’s presentation. Hands down the most relative and pertinent to the growing trends of mishaps, where we have witnessed our culture shifting towards. It’s always a challenge to be thrown in at the end of a long day of briefs. It was a definite success with the amount of consistent comments from the units and more evident by the laughter that came from the exhausted crowd. He did an excellent job in keeping the folks entertained, not to mention bringing a very relative outlook to what our focus was on and how we can bring it to our current trends of mishaps. Mark was an absolute pleasure and hope to utilize him in the future!"  T. B. Perry, State Aviation Training Officer INARNG

"Grand Slam! Wonderful mix of common sense, facts, perspectives, wit, heart and humor. Everyone totally enjoyed it." Ed Nagle, Quiet Birdman (QBs) Somerville Hangar

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