One of the FAA’s top priorities is to reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation, just as we have worked to reduce fatal accidents in commercial aviation. Similar to commercial aviation, the FAA is focused on reducing general aviation accidents by using a non-regulatory, proactive strategy to get results. Our goal is to reduce the general aviation fatal accident rate per 100,000 flight hours by 10 percent over a 10-year period (2009-2018).

Over the next five years, the FAA will work with the general aviation community to improve safety by focusing on education and outreach.  The FAA is already using critical data to identify risk in general aviation and develop safety strategies that will make a difference and help transform the safety culture.

Safety Standdown

Since 2006, the FAA Safety Team (http://www.faasafety.gov/), or “FAASTeam,” has been devoted to decreasing aircraft accidents by promoting a cultural change in the aviation community through education and training. Last year, the FAASTeam narrowed its focus to reducing general aviation accidents using teamwork, instruction in the use of safety management systems and risk management tools, and the development and distribution of educational materials.

Beginning in April, the FAA Safety Team is launching a safety standdown outreach effort to general aviation pilots and mechanics (www.FAASafety.gov/Standdown). A common practice in the military, a standdown focuses on education on a specific safety issue. More than 120 FAA staff plus approximately 3,000 volunteer safety representatives across the country will participate. The kick-off will be on April 2 in conjunction with the Sun‘n Fun Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland, Fla. FAAST team members will also hold more than 98 standdown events across the country during April. The March/April issue of the FAA Safety Briefing features the standdown
(http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/).

The four standdown topic areas are:

Positive Flight Attitude

Professionalism should characterize every action you take as a pilot. Approach every flight as if your life depends on it, because it does.

Going Beyond Preflight

A proper preflight is crucial. It’s more than using a checklist; a good preflight should test how well you know your aircraft and its systems.

En Route Cruise
Avoid complacency, stay ahead of the aircraft, plan for the unplanned, and always—always—maintain situational awareness.

Maneuvering Flight
Attention to airspeed is critical. Loss of control in maneuvering flight often results from inattention to airspeed.

The FAA Safety Team’s web site is a complete resource for pilots to help improve their skills and knowledge. The site hosts the FAA WINGS pilot proficiency program. It also contains online pilot training materials and includes courses to help a pilot avoid the pitfalls of VFR flight into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Three of them are FAA-designed courses and four are industry courses. Two of the industry courses have costs associated with them while the other five are free. Pilots can register online and receive notification about safety seminars held in their area/airport/region. Many of these cover VFR into IMC as this is well-recognized as a safety issue.