We in the general aviation (GA) community are fond of poking fun occasionally at the FAA. Most of the time, its to highlight a perceived and sometimes real tension between the community and the agency. Frequently, this takes the form of tired clichs such as, “Im from the FAA and Im here to help you,” or another mythical phrase such as, “Were not happy until youre not happy.” When I was FAAs lead 288
Have FAA/Industry Safety Efforts Worked?
We in the general aviation (GA) community are fond of poking fun occasionally at the FAA. Most of the time, its to highlight a perceived and sometimes real tension between the community and the agency. Frequently, this takes the form of tired clichs such as, "Im from the FAA and Im here to help you," or another mythical phrase such as, "Were not happy until youre not happy." When I was FAAs lead GA executive in the early 2000s, my favorite became, "Weve just upped our standards, now up yours."
Key Takeaways:
- Despite significant success in reducing fatal accident rates in commercial aviation through collaborative efforts (CAST), general aviation's fatal accident rate has remained stubbornly high and unimproved for over a decade.
- Existing general aviation safety programs, such as FAAST, are criticized for primarily reaching already safety-conscious pilots rather than effectively addressing the root causes of accidents or those most at risk.
- The FAA and industry recognize the need for a new strategy, emphasizing a fundamental shift in GA safety culture, improved pilot training, and better data-driven root-cause analysis to achieve meaningful accident rate reductions.
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