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:
- While FAA and industry cooperation (e.g., Commercial Aviation Safety Team - CAST) has achieved an unprecedented 74% reduction in airline fatal accident rates, the General Aviation (GA) sector has seen no significant improvement.
- The GA fatal accident rate has remained stagnant for over a decade, stubbornly hovering around 1.20-1.30 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, which is 100 times worse than the airline rate.
- The existing GA safety programs like FAAST are criticized for only reaching already safety-conscious individuals and not effectively targeting core accident causes.
- A new approach is needed for GA, focusing on comprehensive data analysis, significant changes in GA safety culture, and fundamental reforms in pilot training to achieve a targeted 50% reduction in fatal accidents.
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