An easier way to get your WINGS

Why don’t all pilots participate in the FAA WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program?

Because it can be such a hassle to navigate the FAA’s website and to request credit for activities, whether it’s a flight review, taking a course, or attending a safety seminar.

And many CFIs find that it’s just “too arduous” to give their clients credit for completed flight reviews, says Paul Burger, one of the founders of the WINGS Industry Network.

That’s all about to change, however, with the launch of E-Z WINGS.

With E-Z WINGS, it will take CFIs and DPEs just a few clicks to give their clients credit — something they can do immediately after a flight review or checkride at the airport.

Introduced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022, E-Z WINGS is available at EZWINGS.net.

Using the site, which looks like a lot of apps on our smartphones, pilots can log into their FAA WINGS profiles, request credit, and have their CFIs give them credit.

“E-Z WINGS takes you right to the screen in WINGs to request or give credit,” says John Teipen, owner of Aeronautical Proficiency Training who designed and built E-Z WINGS and one of the Wings Industry Network’s directors.

He notes the problem in the past has been difficulty in finding the correct place to go on the FAA’s website. Often frustrated, CFIs would just give up and the pilot wouldn’t get credit.

“As soon as a CFI gives credit on E-Z WINGS, you receive notification that you’ve gotten the credit,” he says. “It’s just that quick.”

While it acts like an app, E-Z WINGS won’t be available in the Apple App store or GooglePlay.

“It doesn’t need to be,” Teipen notes.

Instead, pilots, CFIs, Designated Pilot Examiners, and others are encouraged to navigate to EZWINGS.net and create a short-cut on their phones or tablets.

While pilots are encouraged to use E-Z WINGS, the target audience is CFIs and DPEs who are central to making the WINGS program fulfill its mission of increasing pilot safety, Teipen notes.

Launched in 1996 and last revamped in 2007, the WINGS program encourages general aviation pilots to continue training and maintain proficiency — all in an effort to prevent aircraft accidents.

Each phase of the program contains two portions: The knowledge portion and the flight portion. You must complete both in 12 months to complete a WINGS phase.
The FAA is currently revamping the program again, with input from the flight training community. 

But even now, the WINGS program offers a lot to pilots seeking to improve their skills. What it lacks, it seems, is a good marketing program.

And that’s where the WINGS Industry Network comes in.

“We can do what the FAA can’t,” Teipen notes. “We can ask for contributions from our industry members to build the app and so much more. We can bring in the fixes and the solutions the aviation community wants to see. There’s much more to come — this is just version 1.0.”

E-Z WINGS is just one part of the WINGS Industry Network program. There’s also the annual $50,000 sweepstakes that provides cash incentives for participating in the WINGS program, both for CFIs and pilots.

There’s also WIN Insights, on-demand pilot education classes, which can be viewed live or in an archive on the network’s website.

All the network’s programs and efforts are designed to help fulfill its mission: To reduce the general aviation accident rate through participation in the FAA Safety Team WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program.

That’s why the WINGS Industry Network added two additional features in the first version of E-Z WINGS: WINGS Phases for students and links to organizations such as the Civil Air Patrol.

“Use of the WINGS program for students should be a part of every flight training curriculum,” Teipen says. “This feature is long overdue and we are so happy to bring it to the community.”

Access by organizations like the Civil Air Patrol will help encourage continuous education for all of their volunteer pilots as well, he notes.

“We hope this will get more people interested in the program,” Teipen says. “And that it will help them understand the value of the WINGS program.”

The launch of E-Z Wings during AirVenture is just the beginning of the effort. More is in the works for the new venture, with officials spending some time in Oshkosh asking pilots and CFIs for feedback on the app and getting information on what the aviation community wants to see on E-Z WINGS, according to Teipen.

But for now, E-Z WINGS is up and running — and ready to make it easier than ever for you to participate in the WINGS program and become a safer pilot.