Newsroom

AOPA Foundation’s Air Safety Institute Releases Latest Online Course: Aging Gracefully, Flying Safely

Frederick, MD – The AOPA Foundation’s Air Safety Institute has released a new interactive online course entitled “Aging Gracefully, Flying Safely.”

While no one has a choice about getting older, choices can be made on how to deal with it. The new course focuses on giving pilots practical advice on the effects of aging, the possible impact on pilot performance, and ways to keep flying safely when growing older.

The course addresses questions including: can we maintain present levels of safety as we grow older; what effects does aging have on piloting performance; how can we adjust for them; and how do we know when to say “when”? It discusses physical and mental changes among older pilots, and offers advice for adjusting for these changes in the cockpit. It also covers suggestions for avoiding common aircraft insurance issues and offers a positive, but honest, discussion of slowing down and/or stopping.

“The reality with aging pilots is that there is no denominator by which to judge exposure,” said AOPA Foundation president Bruce Landsberg. “Obvious incidents of incapacitation remain rare, but subtle deterioration and subsequent accident involvement is not easily ferreted out. Safety – both their own and that of their passengers and people on the ground below – is paramount to pilots.”

The AOPA Foundation’s Air Safety Institute is dedicated exclusively to providing continuing pilot education and safety programs for general aviation. It is funded by donations from individual pilots and organizations, which support the cause of improved general aviation safety.

- Air Safety Institute -

11-4-009

December 14, 2011