Special Air Safety Foundation seminar scheduled for Northern California

Special Air Safety Foundation seminar scheduled for Northern California
Maneuvering flight risk a challenge for all pilots

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has scheduled a special presentation of its safety seminar, "Maneuvering Flight - Hazardous to Your Health?" for Sacramento-area pilots this week.

"In the wake of this accident, we chose to add this seminar to our regular nationwide schedule," said Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. "This maneuvering flight program had national distribution in 2004 with more than 150 showings, 13 in California alone with one in Sacramento. As an organization dedicated to general aviation safety, it is our mission to provide critical safety information to pilots."

Maneuvering flight is not just about buzzing or aerobatics like those enjoyed at airshows nationwide. Every single flight taken includes maneuvering flight.

It includes takeoffs, engine failures after takeoff, normal flight in airport traffic patterns, and landing. Proper aircraft handling is essential under these flight conditions.

More fatal accidents happen during maneuvering flight than any other phase of flight. The seminar provides information to help pilots avoid the pitfalls that can lead to an accident.

The Roseville accident involved the crash of a Glasair II experimental aircraft into a house, killing both occupants of the aircraft and a teenager alone in the house.

General aviation accidents that cause fatalities to bystanders on the ground are extremely rare, typically less than two fatal accidents a year.

For the special Sacramento presentation, each attendee will receive a Maneuvering Flight Safety Advisor, and 20 attendees will be chosen to receive a copy of the Maneuvering Flight DVD that forms the core of the seminar.

The seminar will be February 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. Admission is free, and all are welcome. For more information, view the AOPA Air Safety Foundation Web site.

Updated: February 20, 2006, 2:02 p.m. EST