A new survey has found United Kingdom general aviation pilots’ top three safety concerns to be midair collisions, weather, and skill fade.
The 2025 General Aviation Survey, conducted by experts at London-based Astral Aviation Consulting, included a broad spectrum of aviators from aircraft owners to student pilots and instructors.
The survey revealed that pilot concerns differed from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority’s statistics on the matter, which stated loss of control in flight, abnormal runway contact, and powerplant failure as top safety concerns.
Over half of the respondents now say their primary source of safety information comes from the Civil Aviation Authority and Astral Aviation Consulting (AAC), according to a news release from the consulting firm.
“This highlights the gap between perceived and actual risk,” the release stated. “The view of the survey respondents is backed up by other AAC post-workshop survey results and feedback, and in person events over the course of the 12 months.”
Astral Aviation Consulting attributed the top three pilot safety concerns to the following:
- Selective use, and lack thereof, of electronic conspicuity devices for avoiding midair collisions.
- Pilots lacking confidence in their ability to read, understand, and use various weather forecasts and meteorological products.
- Twenty-seven percent of respondents flying less than once a month or “other” promoting skill fade due to a lack of practice.
“Our survey shows that while pilots’ safety concerns may not always align with accident statistics, there are clear links between issues like skill fade, weather, and midair collision risk,” said Chris Kidd, managing director of Astral Aviation Consulting. “By focusing on accessible online training and education AAC are helping pilots stay safer in the air.”
