The FAA, working with a private contractor, is again collecting data on general aviation activity that is used to shape policy, regulatory, resource allocation, and safety decisions.
The thirty-fourth General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey can be completed online, and various aviation groups are urging all aircraft owners to participate. Responses remain anonymous.
Postcards have been sent to a randomly selected sample of owners with aircraft registered as of Dec. 31, 2011. Owners can complete the survey online, with or without an invitation. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association are among the groups encouraging participation. LAMA is eager to see a more accurate picture of light sport aircraft activity develop, with a particular eye on putting the safety record in context.
“Only by having accurate operational statistics, we can know how our safety record compares to other parts of General Aviation,” said Tom Peghiny, a LAMA director who represents the organization on the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee for Aviation Safety, in a news release.
For example, LAMA believes that LSA safety data has been skewed by the high number of takeoffs and landings per hour flown compared to business aircraft; the survey is the only tool the government has to capture an accurate picture of general aviation activity.
The survey will continue through Nov. 30.
