More than a dozen aviation associations joined forces to launch the National Pause for General Aviation Safety on opening day of the 2025 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.
This FAA Safety Team-supported initiative seeks to encourage all GA pilots to take 15 to 60 minutes in the next six months to sharpen their focus on flying safely by reviewing safety videos, articles, and more.
The organizations, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, Vertical Aviation International, the National Business Aviation Association, Civil Air Patrol, Flight School Association of North America, and the Seaplane Pilots Association, are asking their members to go to GAsafe.org to review the safety content. Pilots can choose from dozens of resources and find those best related to the type of flying they enjoy, AOPA officials noted.
“Despite several high-profile accidents this year, GA has never been safer thanks to improved cockpit technologies, training methods, programs and tools, regulatory frameworks, and industry collaboration,” GA officials said.
In the past 30 years the GA fatal accident rate fell by 60% from 1.73 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 1994 to 0.68 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2023. Early data suggest the accident rate continued to improve in 2024.
“We envision a day with zero fatal general aviation accidents and we have come a very long way already,” said AOPA President Darren Pleasance. “We are launching the National Pause for General Aviation Safety now so that we can draw attention to our successes and also refocus our efforts on making general aviation even safer.”
The safety resources offered at GAsafe.org have been divided into 12 categories, including mountain flying, backcountry, seaplanes, instrument flight proficiency, flight instruction, and emergencies.
Pilots are encouraged to view any of the content that can help make them a safer pilot. They can also earn FAA Wings credit, download a digital badge to post on their social media accounts, and share the link with fellow pilots, AOPA officials said.
“At the AOPA Air Safety Institute, we believe every GA pilot has a responsibility to themselves, their loved ones, the industry, and the public to be as conscientious, disciplined, and deliberate about general aviation safety as possible,” said Mike Ginter, senior vice president of the Air Safety Institute. “Taking this pause will make all of us safer pilots.”
“We think it’s important for all pilots to take a moment to think about what safety means to them, and in the context of the operations they fly,” Pleasance added. “Whether you fly low and slow or high and fast, the National Pause for General Aviation Safety will contribute an even more powerful element to reach our goals.”
For more information: GAsafe.org.
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