From the cockpit to the classroom
Davit Mazmishvili leads the Aviation Training Center of Safety Academia. His career has unfolded across three distinct environments: the cockpit, the boardroom, and the classroom. Each demands a different discipline, yet the core standard remains constant: precision, safety, and quality are non-negotiable.
His path began in 1991 at the aeroclub before he joined the Georgian Armed Forces a year later. Over 14 years in Army Aviation and the Air Force, he led key aviation programs and retired at the rank of Major. His training at the U.S. Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker established the baseline for his operational standard. He holds both Airplane and Helicopter Airline Transport Pilot Licences (ATPL) issued by the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency and Transport Canada Civil Aviation. Later operating mixed fleets across demanding terrain where adherence to procedure was a matter of survival, he progressed from First Officer to Captain and Base Manager, where his unit earned a dedicated Safety Award for sustained operational excellence. Securing dual flight instructor qualifications in both helicopter and airplane operations created the operational foundation for his extensive work in aviation training.
Transitioning into civil aviation shifted the objective from tactical airmanship to systemic safety design. As an ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, he assesses and builds every organizational structure to the highest standards of quality and precision. As Safety Manager and later Director of Safety, Quality, and Security at FlyGeorgia, he focused on building compliance systems that withstand commercial pressure. He rolled out the airline's Safety Management System (SMS) on schedule, introduced flight data monitoring, instituted measurable safety performance indicators across all departments, and secured regulatory approval for a comprehensive security program. His subsequent executive roles included serving as Director of Flight Operations at Flyvista, Operations Manager at QWEST Helicopters Georgia, and leading CAMEX Airlines from initial concept to certification and developing commercial network, directing the regulatory and operational mechanics of building an air carrier from the ground up.
Recognizing that operational lessons deliver little value without systematic transfer, he began lecturing at the Georgian Aviation University’s International Training Centre, teaching nine ATPL subjects. In 2015, he founded Safety Academia Vocational College to anchor those field standards into formal vocational education. Today, directing its Aviation Training Center, his mission remains focused on aligning practical field realities with institutional instruction, ensuring new aviation professionals are equipped for the demands of live flight operations.