The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) Air Safety Institute has released a new accident case study that focuses on handling aircraft in-flight instrument failures, pilot spatial disorientation and air traffic control communications during an emergency. [Read more…]
How old is your airplane…really?
The average general aviation aircraft is more than 30 years old. However, a number of factors contribute to an aircraft’s true age, which may not be the same as its age in calendar years, according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute. Learn how to recognize the signs of aircraft aging, understand its effects, and mitigate the risks by taking the Air Safety Institute’s Aging Aircraft online course.
Air Safety Institute unveils online Public Benefit Flying Course
The AOPA Foundation’s Air Safety Institute (ASI) has released: “Public Benefit Flying: Balancing Safety and Compassion,” an online course designed to assist volunteer pilots and those interested in becoming volunteers.
A thunderstorm’s fury
Thunderstorms can pack a powerful punch, and flying anywhere in the vicinity of one can be deadly. But, how do you recognize and deal with convective weather? The Air Safety Institute has put a new webcast online, “Preempting a Thunderstorm’s Fury: Cockpit Weather, ATC, and You.” In the webcast, AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg and expert panelists discuss practical weather strategies beyond the basics: How are ASR and WARP different? What does the dBz scale mean to you? How do you interpret steep precipitation gradients?
Interactive map pinpoints common accident sites
Air Safety Institute’s interactive accident map shows that pilots keep getting caught by the same snags that have trapped others before them. The map reveals year-by-year patterns in accidents related to takeoff, landing, fuel management, VFR-into-IMC, and stall/spin accidents. Check it out here.
Are you a risk taker?
Whether you’ve logged thousands of hours or recently began learning to fly, the decision-making and risk-management process can sometimes be arduous. While airline pilots consult company guidelines, general aviation pilots are mostly left to their own judgment for go/no-go decisions. Now you can plug your profile and expected fight conditions into the ASI Flight Risk Evaluator and let the application suggest the best course of action. Of course, as pilot in command you’re still in charge of the final go/no-go decision.