ASI News

As pilot in command you are responsible for your passengers’ safety. And one key safety item is a thorough passenger briefing. The regulations require that all passengers are secured with safety belts (and shoulder harnesses, if installed) before moving the aircraft—your briefing should include instructions on how to fasten/unfasten these.

But don’t stop there. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to discuss what might happen in the unlikely event of an emergency landing? A little information can sometimes make a big difference. The Air Safety Institute’s new video, Critical Information: The Passenger Safety Briefing covers often-overlooked items that should be part of every preflight passenger briefing. You’ll also get helpful survival tips from NTSB and Civil Air Patrol experts, and learn the single best way to increase your odds of rescue.

AOPA Foundation names Hat in the Ring award winners
Four people honored at AOPA Aviation Summit

THE AOPA FOUNDATION has recognized four members of the general aviation com- munity for their efforts to promote and grow general aviation. The award winners were chosen by AOPA Foundation Hat in the Ring members—those who commit to donating $1,000 a year to support AOPA Foundation initiatives to improve safety, preserve airports, grow the pilot population, and support charitable work being done through general aviation. The awards were presented at the foundation’s annual A Night for Flight fundraising gala before a sold-out crowd in Palm Springs, California, during AOPA Summit 2012.

JOHN BLACK, executive director of the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority, was chosen for the Achievement in Airport Stewardship award for his efforts to connect the local community to the airport through regular airport presentations to civic groups and other airport groups.

WELLES MURPHEY JR., a generous supporter of the AOPA Foundation and a member of the AOPA President’s Council and the Ambassadors Society, is the recipient of the Achievement in Public Service Award. He has flown hundreds of missions for Angel Flights and other humanitarian organizations. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating for single- and multiengine land.

DANA SIEWERT, director of Aviation Safety at the University of North Dakota, has been honored with the Achievement in Aviation Safety Award. He is a des- ignated FAA pilot examiner for private through airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates and was on the FAA’s designated pilot examiner “Honor Roll” three times. With more than 11,000 accident-free flight hours, he is the holder of an airline transport pilot certificate in both single- and multiengine aircraft and commercial privileges in single-engine sea and helicopters.

JERRY GREGOIRE, founder and chairman of Redbird Flight Simulations Inc., has won the Achievement in Aviation Education Award. He has turned Redbird into the world’s largest manufacturer of full- motion flight simulators for universities and flight schools (see “Big Idea,” page 22). He holds an airline transport pilot certificate for airplanes and helicopters and a single-pilot type rating for Cessna Citation 525 jets. The AOPA Foundation relies on donations to preserve the freedom to fly. Donate today.