I recall standing on the ramp at Sacramento Executive Airport more than 30 years ago, knees shaking, as the FAA designated examiner filled out some sort of paperwork. Had my private pilot checkride ended in failure or success? When would he tell me? He finally acknowledged that I even existed, with words many of us have heard: "Congratulations! You are a private pilot and now have a license to learn!"
How true that phrase is for many of us. Yet, other than flight instruction to add higher ratings or certificates, where does that additional learning come from? Business travel recently took me to the New England area. The flight up and back, coupled with gossip from the meeting that I attended, brought to mind the continuing learning curve that faces all of us who are pilots.
It was one of those summer-becoming-fall weather patterns, when the same trip had the threat of thunderstorms on one leg and icing on the return trip. In addition, really gusty winds meant a difficult landing at my destination. Once on the ground, I heard about a student and flight instructor's running out of fuel on a dual cross-country training flight — how could such a thing happen? Finally arriving back at our headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, we found that a rarely used runway was the active one, and I was coming in totally opposite the normal traffic pattern. What pattern entry should I use?
Mulling over all these events in my mind, I recalled one source that provides the pilot with education applying to each scenario, and information about many more subjects. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) is a sister organization to AOPA and provides needed — and important — safety education for all pilots, whether they are AOPA members or not. Founded in 1950, the foundation is building on nearly half a century of programs to improve safety in the general aviation community. While the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and AOPA share the same board of trustees, the ASF has also assembled a distinguished board of visitors, chaired by former FAA Administrator David Hinson. This group of almost two dozen industry leaders and GA pilots meets twice a year to set tactics and provide guidance and support to the foundation.
Perhaps you are one of the more than 30,000 pilots who annually attend Air Safety Foundation safety seminars, conducted in cooperation with the FAA. Each year, more than 300 of these valuable programs are presented throughout the United States. The topics for these seminars are taken directly from the general aviation accident record. When the ASF sees a particular category of operation causing more accidents, it develops a program to bring greater awareness of the problem. This year and next, a two-program Weather Strategies and Tactics series features an interactive, multimedia way to address the crucial questions in flight planning, preparation, and flying in various weather situations.
Unless you are a flight instructor, you may not realize that ASF is a leader in conducting some 125 Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRCs) each year. A past course for pilots included a hands-on GPS training seminar that assisted attendees in getting through the tough learning curve of handling satellite-based instrument approaches. Currently, ASF instructors are in the field with our 35-year-old Pinch-Hitter course that has proved so popular for frequent flying companions. The ASF has just started an instrument refresher ground school that offers practical applications and solid advice on how to fly when the weather is marginal or in-flight hazards exist.
Air Safety Foundation publications, now available both in print and on the Internet, have been a key to wide communication of various safety themes. Recent examples of Safety Advisors include an excellent treatment of operations at nontowered airports, following the runway incursion accident at Quincy, Illinois, in November 1996. GPS, icing, single-pilot IFR, understanding automated weather systems, and towered airport operations all are single topics covered by individual eight- to 16-page booklets that are widely distributed to pilots.
Annually, the foundation publishes The Nall Report, the definitive report on light fixed-wing aircraft accidents. Fortunately, the trend for GA accidents has been downward for some time — due in part, perhaps, to the work of the ASF.
For several years the best-kept secret to aircraft owners has been ASF type-specific Safety Reviews on the most popular aircraft models. These in-depth publications analyze the accident record of the aircraft against similar types, and even provide a training syllabus that can be used to address these problems. Also, an in-depth review of weather-related accidents was produced with financial support from the Flying Physicians Association.
Which brings up the subject of funding. Many pilots are not aware that less than 10 percent of the ASF's operating budget comes from the $1 voluntary contribution that is paid with AOPA dues. The majority of its funding comes from individual pilots, along with some income from corporate grants, contracts, and course tuition. Last year, for instance, an owner/pilot and his wife provided more than $500,000 as a personal gift, which allowed the foundation to endow the General Aviation Safety Fund. It's the tax-deductible individual contributions from you as members that allow the ASF to conduct safety research, education, and training activities. It's almost the end of the year, and many of you will be making charitable giving decisions. Perhaps you will see fit to acknowledge the fine work that the Air Safety Foundation does to assist in the never-ending pilot learning process.
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