WASHINGTON, D.C. — Did you know that an aspiring pilot is less likely to have an accident while training than after earning a pilot certificate? Nevertheless, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board say they’ve developed an understanding of when and how training accidents are likely to occur, both through its own investigations and through industry and government research identifying risks involved in both solo and dual instructional flights.
That’s why officials are presenting a seminar highlighting the lessons learned from NTSB’s accident investigations involving instructional accidents. The goal of the July 11 seminar is to give the GA community the tools to decrease the rate of training-related accidents, NTSB officials said.
NTSB Board Member Earl Weener will be a featured presenter, and attendees will also hear from NTSB staff who have investigated these types of accidents.
This is the sixth in a series of NTSB safety seminars focused on general aviation accidents. The four-hour seminar will explore some of the causes of these accidents, the current government and industry efforts to prevent them, and the resources available to pilots and flight instructors.
The seminar, which will be held at the NTSB’s Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia, is free and open to the public. Pilots participating in the FAA’s WINGS program will receive credit for attendance.
Because space is limited, early registration is recommended. The doors will open at 8:30 a.m., and the seminar will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Attendees must have a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, to enter the building.
“This is the sixth in a series of seminars…” blah blah blah. Note that “space is limited” for this in person event located in Washington D.C. … on the other side of the world from most of the population of the US, and all but the residents of D.C., Maryland, and western Virginia.
Yet NTSB declines to do these really important meetings as webinars… Despite the nearly two decade history of this well vetted, very effective technology. Why won’t the NTSB utilize the technology which is commonly used by many other agencies???? I phoned the NTSB to ask if previous seminars could “please, use webinar technology so the information could be shared widely…”. I live in the Pacific Northwest. It’s inconvenient and damned expensive to travel from my home to D.C. (on my dime, not the Governments!) for a one hour presentation. Why is the NTSB averse to using readily available technology to spread their safety message? The excuse I heard each time I called to inquire was that their information office is stuck in the mid 20th Century. “We don’t have the capability”, I was told. “If we do a webinar, some people might not be able to sign in because it will fill to capacity”, I was told. Duh! The FAA does webinars, the Transportation Research Board does webinars, the military uses webinars, OMB has pushed Federal Agencies to reduce travel costs by using webinars… What’s the real reason that the NTSB won’t employ webinar technology? Can it be that NTSB, the Agency whose sole mission is to safe lives and prevent accidents, the agency that pushes hard for the FAA and others to require aircraft owners to equip with expensive new gadgetry in the name of safety doesn’t walk the talk?!!?! Could it be that the NTSB is really lead by technophobes who fear the medium might reach out and bite ’em? I don’t know the reason for the NTSB avoidance of modern tech. Their mouth pieces won’t say. Maybe if GA News and other news outlets asked the pointed questions the NTSB might get serious about sharing the safety message in a manner that is accessible to all 600,000 pilots, rather than just those who can fly to D.C. for a one hour presentation.