Overview

Key Lime Air, operating both Part 135 cargo operations and Part 121 passenger service under the Denver Air Connection brand, along with supporting maintenance and line support operations, embarked on an ambitious effort to elevate its safety culture, streamline reporting, and modernize SMS administration. Facing mounting challenges with its legacy SMS system, including low reporting participation, cumbersome workflows, and limited back‑end processing capabilities, the company sought a solution that matched the scale and complexity of its multi‑department enterprise.

Within the first full year of implementing VOCUS SMS, Key Lime Air achieved a 3.5× increase in safety reporting, implemented over 300 new risk controls, expanded SMS competency across the organization, and saw its internal safety culture rating rise from 3–4/10 to 8–9/10. This case study explores how the transformation occurred, what changed operationally, and how VOCUS became an enabling platform for a proactive safety ecosystem.

Challenges Before VOCUS SMS

1. Reporting System Complexity Was Discouraging Participation

Using the legacy SMS system, employees, particularly pilots, struggled to submit reports due to overly complex workflows and poor mobile experience.

• Reporting was time‑consuming.
• Mobile use was difficult, especially for pilots relying on iPads in the field.
• Ground operations and dispatch had better participation, but pilot reporting lagged significantly.

This complexity had an immediate operational consequence: employees simply weren’t reporting problems, near‑misses, hazards, or suggestions.

2. Lack of Back‑End Workflow and Insight Generation

The legacy SMS system also provided minimal structure for issue processing:

• Reports entered the system with no clear investigative workflow.
• Safety leadership lacked tools to analyze trends, assign tasks, or track controls.
• Documentation and follow‑up were inconsistent or labor‑intensive.

As Director of Operations Jacob Fahlstedt states the legacy report process, “It was really just a blank slate… Here it is—and good luck.”

3. Organizational Growth and Increasing Audit Demands

Key Lime Air was preparing to expand its internal audit program and needed:

• A more capable assurance module
• Data organization and accessibility
• Stronger cross‑department engagement

The existing system lacked the flexibility to scale alongside Key Lime’s growing SMS maturity.

Why Key Lime Air Chose VOCUS

Mobile App Simplicity for Line Personnel

The VOCUS mobile app immediately addressed pilot reporting barriers.

Pilots received the VOCUS app directly on their EFBs, giving them seamless access even while on the line.

A Unified Platform for All SMS Components

Key Lime moved all SMS activities, reporting, investigations, audits, risk controls, policies, and internal evaluations into VOCUS. This created:

• One consolidated data environment
• Consistent workflows
• Improved transparency and traceability
• Better cross‑functional collaboration

Responsive, High‑Quality Support

Key Lime repeatedly emphasized the critical value of the Polaris Aero Support team. Early interactions, such as a ‘15‑minute response time’ from VOCUS staff, set the tone for ongoing trust and adoption.

Implementation & Adoption

Rapid Employee Uptake

• Pilots adopted the app instantly.
• Ground and maintenance personnel using personal phones, also onboarded with minimal friction.
• Training from VOCUS made the learning curve manageable for safety leadership.

Distributed Safety Expertise

Before VOCUS, only one person could conduct Safety Risk Assessments (SRAs).
After adoption:

• 20 personnel were empowered to conduct SRAs.
• Workload was distributed across departments.
• The program no longer depended on one or two individuals.

This decentralization became essential when Fahlstedt prepared to transition into a new operational leadership role.

Impact: Reporting Culture Transformation

3.5× Increase in Reporting Volume

DoD auditors told Key Lime Air that 400 reports per year is indicative of a strong reporting culture for a 400‑employee organization.  With 430 employees and 1,100 reports, auditors were “blown away.”

Transparency + Engagement = Cultural Shift

With VOCUS, Key Lime began giving employees read access (when appropriate) to issue investigations:

• Root cause analysis
• Proposed risk controls
• Follow‑up activities

Employees saw real progress following their submissions. This visibility:

• Built trust
• Increased participation
• Encouraged peer‑to‑peer (bottom‑up) promotion of reporting
• Fostered constructive coworker accountability

As Fahlstedt noted, “We’re bringing people more into the investigation and actual risk management portion of it. It's empowered people to submit more reports.”

Operational Improvements

1. Significant Increase in Risk Controls

Key Lime implemented ~300 new risk controls in 2025 alone, nearly all resulting directly from reports captured in VOCUS.

2. Workload Remained Manageable

Despite the quadrupled reporting volume:

• No additional staffing was required
• Issue processing remained organized and efficient
• Automation and streamlined workflows prevented backlogs

3. Enhanced External Collaboration

Using VOCUS’s built-in QR codes and web links, Key Lime received reports from:

• Fuel vendors
• Contracted ramp agents
• Occasional passengers (e.g., injuries)

This improved relationships at key airports, where above‑ and below‑wing duties are split between internal and contracted teams.

4. Trend Tracking and Movement Toward Predictive Safety

Key Lime is leveraging VOCUS for:

• Hazard trend analysis
• Movement from reactive to proactive safety tasking
• Foundations for predictive risk identification

The company plans to expand its use of VOCUS FlightRisk (a next generation FRAT) when their scheduling integration is enabled.

Safety Culture: From 3–4 to 8–9

Fahlstedt emphasized the transformation in Key Lime’s safety culture, “We were probably at about a 3 to 4… I would say we're at an 8 or 9 now.” Key drivers included:

• Ease of reporting
• Rapid follow‑up by the Key Lime Safety team and distributed Investigators
• Transparent investigations
• Peer‑driven promotion of safety behaviors
• Distributed SMS responsibilities

For Fahlstedt personally, the health of the SMS was strong enough that he felt confident transitioning to a new leadership role, something he said would not have been possible without the improvements achieved through VOCUS.

Looking Ahead

Key Lime plans to:

• Strengthen proactive and predictive safety measures
• Expand flight‑risk automation by implementing scheduling system integration
• Continue developing internal audits using VOCUS’s shared checklists and community resources

The company views VOCUS as the platform enabling this next stage of SMS maturity.

Conclusion

Key Lime Air’s transformation demonstrates how the right SMS platform can reshape reporting participation, risk management efficiency, and organizational culture. VOCUS provided the usability, workflow structure, and support necessary to unlock deeper engagement across the enterprise, from pilots to ramp agents to vendors.

Key Results:

• 3.5× increase in reporting
• 300 new risk controls implemented
• 20 personnel trained to conduct SRAs
• Top‑tier DoD audit response

• Safety culture elevated from 3–4 to 8–9

   

Key Lime Air’s experience highlights a crucial truth in aviation safety: Technology alone doesn’t create a strong safety culture, but the right technology empowers people to build one.