NBAA Safety Committee Addresses VLJ Training Prospects

At a meeting of the NBAA Safety Committee held during the annual convention earlier this month, committee members directly addressed issues related to training pilots of very light jets. With an eye toward the nonprofessional pilots expected to be flying many of these jets, recommendations centered on ensuring VLJ pilots had sufficient basic instrument flying skills and proficiency. Also on the hot list of considerations was the subject of pilots' personal minimums (regarding weather, rest and airspace complexity) and the challenges involving expected operations using small airports surrounded by high terrain. Perhaps with an eye toward its growing involvement in owner-flown business aircraft, NBAA also proposed that elements of the VLJ pilot discussions could translate to business-specific pilots of propeller-driven personal aircraft.