2. Doug Stewart Chair - Society of Aviation and Flight Educators

3. Robert Wright Chair - SAFE Symposium Committee

4. Pilot Training Reform – The Key to General Aviation Safety and Industry Growth Society of Aviation and Flight Educators Pilot Training Reform Symposium Atlanta, Georgia May 4-5, 2011 4

5. Welcome! Your opportunity to shape the future pilot training system Major changes in the pilot training philosophy are few and far between Pilot training a key driver for – Safety Student pilot starts and retention 5

6. Our Opportunity We can determine how pilot training reform can change the outcomes We should take stock of where we stand today on the major issues of safety and growth First, the bad news - 6

7. General Aviation Health Indicators (Thirty year trends 1979-2009) Student pilot starts – Down 60 percent Private pilot certificates issued (original) – Down 75 percent General aviation hours flown – Down 42 percent 7

8. Long Term Causes Economic – Aviation product price increases exceed inflation Demographic – An older America Political – General aviation under the spotlight 8

9. Long Term Causes Societal trends and preferences – New priorities for discretionary income Alternatives to general aviation travel – Airlines – Technology (i.e. “non-travel”) 9

10. Long Term Causes Safety! – Airlines historically safer than general aviation – Airline safety improving as general aviation record stagnates – Current general aviation safety record a deterrent to the “latent” market 10

11. Latent Market Those who have thought of learning to fly but never began the process, or those who have not thought about it but are in the right economic and demographic group 11

12. General Aviation Safety Trends- Historical improvements stopped 1939-1969 (30 years) – Fatal accident rate down 76 per cent 1969-1999 (30 years) – Fatal accident rate down 55 per cent 1999-2009 (10 years) – Fatal accident rate up 15 percent! 12

13. The Level of Safety Achievable may not depend on FAA Regulations Major determinants of safety results include- – Equipment flown (including avionics) – Type of training received – Procedures used 13

14. Most Important Safety Determinants Safety culture presence Risk management approach employed Hazards identified Risk assessed Mitigation implemented 14

15. The Proof AirlinesCorporate General Aviation All General Aviation Operating rulePart 121Part 91 2007 Fatal accident rate per 100,000 hours.005 240 times safer than GA.034 (Went to.000 in 2008!) 1.20 15

16. Reduction in Fatal Accident Rates 1997-2009 Airlines – Achieved 80% reduction by combined FAA/industry program (CAST) with no new regulations (technology, training, procedures, etc.) Corporate – Achieved 43% reduction through comparable means (better record than airlines in some years) General Aviation – Achieved only a 2% reduction despite major regulatory change in 1997 16

17. Comparative Safety Efforts (Continued) Airlines took control of their safety issues, using non-regulatory means (Commercial Aviation Safety Team - CAST) Corporate aviation used a similar approach General aviation community less successful at collectively managing safety outcomes 17

18. The Safety Story Behind the Statistics Root causes of most general aviation fatal accidents lies beneath the official NTSB cause Example: “Loss of control” accident – Did pilot lose control because of inability to fly partial panel? OR – Did pilot lose control because of continued flight into instrument conditions with known equipment failure? 18

19. Fatal Accident Root Causes Many of these accidents might actually be risk management accidents Risk management failures – – Pilot failed to identify risk – Pilot failed to assess risk, and/or – Pilot failed to mitigate risk 19

20. Back to the Factors Inhibiting Industry Growth The pilot training system has a huge influence in attracting and retaining participants For example, – Economics: Why aren’t we using less costly training tools, including simulation and the web? 20

21. Growth Inhibitors (continued) Demographic: Why isn’t pilot training attractive to women, minorities, and people in their prime earning years (age 40-60)? Political: Why can’t general aviation conclusively demonstrate its value to communities? 21

22. Growth Inhibitors (continued) – Societal trends and preferences: Why can’t the training system adapt to customer’s time and other preferences, rather than the other way around? – Alternatives to general aviation travel: Why can’t the training system show customers how to actually use general aviation airplanes rather than to solely emphasize the “coolness” factor? 22

23. Some Thoughts to Consider, as the Symposium Begins Pilot training system fundamentally unchanged in seventy years – Civilian Pilot Training Program (1939-1941) Training system may be a cause of – reduced general aviation growth – stagnant fatal accident rates 23

24. What we hope to accomplish Stimulate a dialog on the importance of pilot training reform Surface recommendations for reform from the best and brightest in the pilot training community Catalyze industry and FAA action to begin the reform process 24

25. What you will hear today Two panels on factors driving training reform – Safety issues – Growth issues Four panels on training reform components – Doctrine – Standards – Curricula – Instructors Luncheon speaker – Mel Cintron, FAA 25

26. What we need from you tomorrow morning Participate in breakout groups and provide your best thinking on training reform solutions Think “outside the box” Create realistic, practical recommendations 26

27. Tomorrow Afternoon Listen to luncheon speaker Will Dirks from Cessna Listen to Breakout Group Report-outs Listen to Industry Leadership Panel 27

28. Tomorrow Afternoon Listen to FAA Administrator Randy Babbit deliver the Symposium key note address, “Meeting the Training Challenges of the Second Century of Flight” 28

29. IMPROVING GENERAL AVIATION SAFETYGENERAL AVIATION SAFETY AND AND FOSTERING INDUSTRY GROWTHFOSTERING INDUSTRY GROWTH