The gyroplane and unoccupied parked airplane. [Courtesy: NTSB]
Key Takeaways:
A fatal midair collision at last year's EAA AirVenture, caused by a gyroplane pilot violating Fun Fly Zone (FFZ) procedures, has prompted new safety rules.
The EAA has implemented a strict "one strike and you're out" policy for procedural violations in the FFZ.
Other changes include standardized briefings, traffic patterns, and aircraft spotter locations for FFZ operations, along with a designated sterile corridor.
One strike and you’re out. This rule is among the procedural changes for EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in response to a deadly midair collision between a helicopter and gyrocopter last year.
The aircraft were flying in the pattern of the Fun Fly Zone (FFZ), which is located in the Ultralight area.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
