A gathering of leaders in the STOL community and GA industry safety experts will convene Thursday, July 28 at EAA AirVenture to focus on safety—and the training required to maintain that safety.
The concept to promote “Safety and Training for All Things STOL” is not new within the community. STOL is a competition but also an acronym for the type of flying this cadre of pilots does—short takeoff and landing—whether it’s in the backcountry, on- or off-airport, on pavement, grass, gravel, or a sandbar. Because this type of flying demands precision and practiced technique, it requires initial training and regular proficiency practice.
On the panel:
- Richard McSpadden, AOPA’s Air Safety Institute
- Steve Henry, world champion in STOL
- Mark Patey, STOL pilot and aviation influencer
- Milne “CC” Pocock, advanced backcountry flight trainer, STOL pilot, TV personality
- Austin Clemens, STOL pilot and aviation influencer
- Doug Jackson, National STOL series event leader
- John Young, ArkanSTOL co-founder and event leader
Moderators Kevin Quinn and Juan Browne will host the event. Quinn is the founder of the High Sierra Fly-In (featured in the Q1 2022 issue of FLYING) and a STOL Drag event leader and instructor. Browne is a Boeing 777 captain, YouTube star, and STOL pilot. They’ll pose questions to the panel in three categories: safety, training, and how to get started in STOL.
The panel takes place in the Theater in the Woods on the Oshkosh show grounds at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
