Several years ago, the Idaho Division of Aeronautics made a commitment to boost the department’s safety culture, along with a pledge to decrease aviation accidents and fatalities by half.
A cornerstone to that strategy was statewide training for pilots, called a safety standdown.
Now in its fourth year, the latest rendition of the event was held Oct. 28, 2017, in Boise for 110 general aviation pilots from around the state.
“The 2017 Standdown was the best yet,” said Aeronautics Administrator Mike Pape. “Our nationally recognized presenters thoroughly entertained and challenged our audience of general aviation pilots.”
“Best yet, we were able to announce a 46% reduction in accidents and 60% reduction in fatalities since our state aviation safety initiative was introduced in 2013,” he added.
Aviation fatalities have been cut from seven in 2014, the first year of the standdown, to just two so far in 2017. In that same timeframe, general aviation accidents in Idaho dropped from 31 to 24.
This year’s event also featured a first: A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Roundtable the night before the main event where attendees interacted with invited guest speakers and prominent local aviation authorities.
This year’s featured speakers included Jason Miller of “The Finer Points of Flying,” and John and Martha King of King Schools.
Miller is a CFI with more than 20 years of aviation experience and thousands of hours of instruction under his belt. He is a member of the FAA’s safety team, a speaker for AOPA’s Air Safety Institute, and was nominated by the FAA for the 2009 Flight Instructor of the Year Award.
“I am passionate about developing systems that help pilots become safer and more efficient,” said Miller.
Using his background as a performer, and experience on the flight line, Miller created “The Finer Points – Aviation” podcast.
The Kings’s use of technology and clear, simple, and fun teaching have made aviation knowledge more accessible to pilots throughout the world.
In the early 1970s, John and Martha King began teaching flying to mark time while looking for a “serious business.” After teaching live seminars for more than a decade, they put their courses on video and began to revolutionize the flight-training industry.
Through video instruction, John and Martha King have taught more pilots than anyone in the history of aviation — for many years teaching more than half the pilots in the United States. It’s no surprise that pilots throughout the world regard John and Martha as their personal aviation mentors.