AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022 - 8

PRESIDENT 'S POSITION
Safe skies
Safety can never take a day off
BY MARK BAKER / President and CEO
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
WI TH HOW BUSY the skies are this year, I continue to be amazed
at how safe general aviation remains. We're coming off our safest
fiscal year yet, according to NTSB data reviewed by our own
Air Safety Institute. The fatal accident rate continues to decline,
and the number of total accidents is less than half of what it was
in 1990. So far in 2022, we are seeing the numbers hold, meaning
GA pilots continue to be passionate about safety and their
personal responsibility.
But as I write this piece, I am also looking at some reports of
tragic accidents happening in a few places around the country,
including the midair collision in North Las Vegas in July. I know
that whenever there is an unfortunate GA accident, the media
is all over it. What these news reports show us is that our focus
on safety can never take a day off. We can never rest. We need a
diligent eye on safety every day, every flight. We in GA have and
need zero tolerance for accidents.
While safety is a lesson that needs to be reinforced every day,
our members are hungry for knowledge; they are looking for
every opportunity to become better and safer pilots.
Under the leadership of Senior Vice President Richard
McSpadden, the AOPA Air Safety Institute offers free educational
resources and initiatives that improve GA flight safety,
while still supporting the overall AOPA goal of growing the pilot
population. It's no coincidence that since 1950-the same year
our safety division began creating programs-the general aviation
fatal accident rate has decreased dramatically, often exceeding
reduction goals.
Many of you have used ASI's amazing tools-from awardwinning
videos, publications, and online courses to in-person
seminars and webinars, flight instructor renewal courses, accident
analysis research and reports, and much more. Everything
ASI does is created with the goal of helping all pilots fly safe.
One of the most engaging and powerful safety tools that the
ASI team has developed is the Early Analysis video series. These
practical and respectful videos provide an initial assessment of
accidents, such as the North Las Vegas midair, that generate
heavy public interest and may indicate important safety lessons
for the general aviation community. Early Analysis videos are
not designed to replace or mitigate the official findings of the
National Transportation Safety Board, which can take up to two
8
AOPA PILOT / September 2022
years to made final. Rather, the videos provide an initial assessment
and lessons that members and pilots can apply to their
proficiency and safety.
Other videos in the series include the tragic May STOL
event accident in Nebraska; a Cessna 172 emergency landing
on a bridge in Miami; a night Learjet crash in California during
a circling approach in bad weather; and a Cessna 340 that
crashed into a California neighborhood. These videos are sobering
reminders of our own vulnerability to poor decision-making
and airmanship that can result in tragedy for those on board and
on the ground.
In addition to these videos, ASI launched a vital campaign
this year called " VFR into IMC: Avoidance and Escape. " This program,
which will run through the end of 2022, addresses the most
significant cause of weather-related accidents in GA: flying visual
flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions (VFR into
IMC). According to McSpadden, VFR into IMC is among the top
five causes of fatal GA accidents, and these accidents are largely
preventable. What may be most interesting is that one-third of
these accidents involve instrument-rated pilots.
The VFR into IMC campaign has a wide range of educational
materials designed to make you a better pilot in challenging conditions
at an online resource center with links to the new Safety
Spotlight resource, videos, podcasts, articles, and webinars. The
center will be updated throughout the year as more materials and
events become available.
In addition, ASI recently updated its Focused Flight Review,
which delivers tailored flight reviews in a meaningful, fun experience
for pilots and their CFIs. I know first-hand that enhanced
flight training is enhanced safety!
You can find all these educational and safety resources on
aopa.org by clicking on the AOPA Air Safety Institute tab.
Yes, we know that GA mishaps make their way into the news.
It's good copy for some of the media outlets. What they often fail to
mention-and it's on all our shoulders to keep pounding the safety
drum-is that the passion for
GA flight is a careful one.
May you continue to find
safe blue skies.
mark@aopa.org
AOPA President MARK
BAKER is a commercial pilot
with more than 10,000 flying
hours.
http://www.aopa.org
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022

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