During opening day of the 2024 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, Redbird Flight and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) introduced a new initiative to increase the awareness, accessibility, and safety of recreational and backcountry flying.
Identifying a shortage of training materials that support pilots in developing their skills in off-airport, backcountry, and recreational flying, the organizations are creating a catalog of resources covering topics such as practical flying skills and habits, planning and preparation, basic survival and first aid, and gear recommendations and usage.
“The pilot shortage has caused many flight training providers to focus their operations primarily on recruiting and training professional pilot candidates,” said Redbird COO Charlie Gregoire. “Consequently, pilots interested in pursuing recreational flying opportunities are left with little support beyond the typical $100 hamburger run. This new initiative with the RAF will broaden exposure to the many flying activities outside of training for a new certificate or rating and arm pilots with information for how to approach them safely.”
Initial areas of focus include:
- What to pack and avoid packing for recreational flying adventures
- How to evaluate a potential landing zone
- How to read the wind without ATIS (or even a windsock)
- When to land (or not land) with a tailwind
- Non-standard traffic patterns
- Basic first aid and triage
- Leave-no-trace and good-neighbor flying
Over the next 18 months, Redbird will release the materials in written and video formats at no cost to pilots or training providers. Additionally, the organizations are collaborating on training scenarios for Redbird’s subscription-based personalized proficiency training app, Redbird Pro.
“This partnership with Redbird is exciting and yet one more piece in the aviation puzzle,” said RAF Chairman John McKenna. “We hope this excites a few more folks about aviation and perhaps the joy of recreational flying.”
Redbird manufactured a special edition of its MX2 aviation training device with a custom RAF livery to raise awareness of the initiative. The organizations are showcasing it in the Redbird booth at SUN ‘n FUN and in July at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Pilots and prospective pilots are welcome to demo the device and try their hand at flying a series of recreational flying scenarios, Redbird officials said.
For more information: RedbirdFlight.com, TheRAF.org