Record Numbers Joined Or Renewed During The Show, Organization Says

AirVenture 2016 was 'a banner year' for SAFE, with a record number of instructors and pilots joining the organization and many members renewing.

The SAFE booth in Exhibit Hall B provided SAFE members an opportunity for input on the new FAA NPRM affecting training for Commercial and CFI certificates and IFR currency requirements when using an Aviation Training Device (ATD). Others took the survey on runway incursions sponsored by the Pegasas Project in cooperation with SAFE, chatted with staff members and volunteered at the booth.

Substituting a technologically advanced aircraft (TAA) for a complex aircraft for commercial pilot training earned approval from nearly three-quarters of the SAFE members who participated in a survey on FAA NPRM-2016-6142-0001 at the SAFE booth at AirVenture 2016.
 
SAFE sponsored the survey at AirVenture to get member input on the NPRM, which proposes substantial changes affecting flight training. SAFE will include the opinions as part of the organization's official comments to the FAA.
 
On the proposal for allowing TAA instead of complex aircraft, 71.4 percent of SAFE members agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal, while the remainder either disagreed or were neutral. SAFE members were less enthusiastic about another proposal in the NPRM which would remove the requirement for an instructor to be present when a pilot is using a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device for IFR recency; only 42.8 percent agreed or strongly agreed with that proposal.

New SAFE Chair David St. George announced at AirVenture 2016 that the organization will be expanding resources available to members on the new web site and increasing outreach by involving more SAFE members.
 
"Write a blog article, join a committee or become a SAFE Ambassador," he said. "CFI to CFI, face-to-face communication about instructional safety is the goal. SAFE members are some of the best and most experienced CFIs in the world, and keeping all that talent and expertise bottled up is no way to increase aviation instructional excellence."
 
"For instance, this month we need a SAFE Ambassador for the AOPA Fly-In event at Bremerton (WA) National Airport (KPWT) to tell the world about the resource SAFE offers instructors aspiring to excellence."

The annual membership meeting dinner on Thursday night was sold out, and attendees included top FAA and NTSB officials.

SAFE members Jack Vandeventer of Indiana, Ken Wittekiend of Texas, Parvez Dara of New Jersey and Michael Phillips of California (pictured) spent much of their time at AirVenture 2016 as volunteer instructors in the EAA Pilot Proficiency Center, helping both VFR and IFR pilots sharpen their skills on a dozen Redbird LD flight simulators, a Redbird MCX and a Crosswind simulator.
 
Tech Talks by volunteer presenters and simulator practice were available free to any pilot in the cavernous, well air-conditioned tent set up at the Four Corners at AirVenture.

Partners for this year's EAA Pilot Proficiency Center included SAFE, NAFI, Hartzell Propeller Inc., Jeppesen, Redbird Flight, AOPA, David Clark, Mindstar Aviation, PilotEdge and Plane and Pilot Magazine.

This year's  National FAA General Aviation Award winners for 2016 were honored at the SAFE member dinner on Thursday night at AirVenture. They were Rich Martindell (FAASTeam representative), Bob Hepp (CFI) and Adrian Eichhorn (aviation technician).

All winners also received embroidered shirts with the SAFE logo and a year's membership in the organization.

SAFE has been a supporter of the National FAA General Aviation Awards since the organization's founding.

(Image provided with SAFE news release)

FMI: www.safepilots.org