AOPA leads national GA safety campaign

This FAA Safety Team-supported initiative seeks to encourage all GA pilots to take 15 to 60 minutes in the next six months to sharpen their focus on flying safely by reviewing carefully curated safety videos, articles, and more.

The organizations, including the Experimental Aircraft Association, Vertical Aviation International, the National Business Aviation Association, and NATA (formerly the National Air Transportation Association), are asking their members to go to GAsafe.org to review the aviation safety content. They can choose from dozens of resources and find those best related to the type of flying they enjoy.

Despite several high-profile accidents this year, GA has never been safer thanks to improved cockpit technologies, training methods, programs and tools, regulatory frameworks, and industry collaboration.

In the past 30 years the GA fatal accident rate fell by 60 percent from 1.73 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 1994 to 0.68 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2023. Early data suggest the accident rate continued to improve in 2024.

“We envision a day with zero fatal general aviation accidents, and we have come a very long way already,” said AOPA President Darren Pleasance. “We are launching the National Pause for General Aviation Safety now so that we can draw attention to our successes and also refocus our efforts on making general aviation even safer.”

The safety resources offered at GAsafe.org have been divided into 12 categories, with one or more of these relevant to pilots operating in every facet of GA—even those who fly something unique, or whose interests are off the beaten path. Topics include mountain flying, backcountry, seaplanes, instrument flight proficiency, flight instruction, and emergencies, among others. Participants are encouraged to view any and all content that can help make them a safer pilot. They can also earn FAA Wings credit, download a digital badge to post on their social media accounts, and share the link with fellow pilots.

“At the AOPA Air Safety Institute, we believe every GA pilot has a responsibility to themselves, their loved ones, the industry, and the public to be as conscientious, disciplined, and deliberate about general aviation safety as possible,” said Mike Ginter, senior vice president of the Air Safety Institute. “Taking this pause will make all of us safer pilots.”

“We think it’s important for all pilots to take a moment to think about what safety means to them, and in the context of the operations they fly,” Pleasance added. “Whether you fly low and slow or high and fast, the National Pause for General Aviation Safety will contribute an even more powerful element to reach our goals.”

The Air Safety Institute is funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. To be a part of the solution, visit www.aopafoundation.org/donate.