The FAA has posted a new video to its YouTube channel focusing on flying proficiency for GA pilots.
“Pilots participating in regular proficiency training are much less likely to experience accidents,” FAA officials say. “The FAA’s WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program combines continuing education through courses and seminars with periodic flight training with a flight instructor.”
I need detailed information on Flight Pilot training.
I enjoy the WINGS program. Perhaps it does not seem too onerous to me because of my Navy background, where we always had a lot of safety training. I think that any time people are suggesting simplification or offering constructive criticism that the documentation procedures should be streamlined, that the suggestions warrant serious consideration. There is always room for improvement. Anything that can be done to return aviation to being an affordable hobby for working class Americans should aggressively pursued.
Just an aside to this: The wings designed as part of the WINGS program are an abomination. Something more graphically clean that would make one proud to wear it on hats shirts and other logo-wear should be adopted. I am thinking a cross between the Air Force and Navy wings, perhaps with the federal shield in the middle.
I agree the WINGS program has never been ‘marketed’ very well. It appears complicated and that intimidates/discourages a lot of folks, including CFIs, from even attempting it. The FAASafety Team website itself is way too busy and not very user-friendly.
But there is a lot more flexibility built in to what you can do to earn WINGS credit than some comments would indicate. Working on “the specific needs of the individual” is always an option. It just takes some effort to sort out the details. Straight from the WINGS User Guide:
Advanced WINGS: This level is designed for those pilots who want to design a program that will take them a step above the Basic Level. It affords the pilot an opportunity, in concert with his/her instructor, to tailor a portion of the training to fit more specific needs of the individual while maintaining the requirement to demonstrate proficiency.
Master WINGS: This level is designed to give even more flexibility to a pilot’s need for specialized training. While most often this phase will require the use of higher PTS standards, it will also allow for the addition of specialized equipment and flight environment training scenarios.
The comment at the end about pilots participating in seminars and courses but not flights with CFI’s is true for me. I do fly with CFI’s annually but the current wings flight options focus on basic ACS task (where a lack of skill and judgement) has caused accidents. When I fly with a CFI, I want to be challenged more than the current available wings flight options. As an example, when I fly with a CFI, I want more challenging scenarios like upset recovery, spins, inverted spins, emergency procedures, and other options beyond basic proficiency skills. For the pilots that value proficiency training, I think they want to increase capabilities. My view is that the current Wings flights options focus on overall pilot population proficiency needs, but that the pilots that need it most, do not participate in Wings. Still, Wings is a good program with a flight review and increased safety payoff.
I don’t do the Wings program because I have enough to keep up with as it is. That is just one more thing to keep me bogged down with that I don’t have the extra time for. The whole Wings program needs to either be scrapped or they need to come up with something better.
Wings seems to be complicated and more expensive then completing a flight review by the regulation FAR 61.56
The FAA expects the flight instructor to complete a few hours of paper work via the computer over three sessions and not increase the cost to the pilot? Lie I said it is too complicated IMO…..