Any driver who has ever tried to navigate in an unfamiliar city knows exactly how a pilot feels when landing at an airport for the first time. There can be plenty of challenges as you try to get from Point A to Point B. Not meeting the challenges can have deadly consequences. That’s why the AOPA Air Safety Foundation has completely redesigned its Runway Safety online course.
“A flight begins not at takeoff, but when the engine is started, and ends at shutdown,” said Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. “There’s a tendency to focus on the airborne portion of the flight and ignore ground operations. The statistics show that to be a poor strategy.”
Funded with a grant from the FAA’s Office of Runway Safety, the Runway Safety course provides an in-depth guide to moving safely around an airport. The course uses computer generated recreations of accidents and near-accidents. In several cases, actual air traffic control transmissions provide examples of what complacency and confusion can lead to.
Using numerous interactive exercises, Runway Safety demonstrates best practices at towered and non-towered airports, including valuable tips from the air traffic controllers.
“With large pieces of metal moving at high speeds, runways are dangerous places,” concluded Landsberg. “Mom was right – pay attention, look both ways, and always, always, always know what’s going on around you. It could save your life.”
For more information: AOPA.org/ASF
