Safety in numbers

If you’ve read my column before, you’ll recognize a common refrain. I firmly believe in the safety value of participating in a type club or owners and pilots association, and I encourage every pilot to join one. I also practice what I preach.

In early February, I attended the thirtieth National Warbird Operators Conference (NWOC) in Virginia Beach. This event has been held almost every winter since 1993 and hosts more than 300 warbird pilots, mechanics, insurance companies, and product vendors. The warbird operators cover the spectrum from Piper L–4 Grasshopper owners (World War II version of the J–3 Cub) to large fleets of airworthy World War II fighters and bombers, like the Commemorative Air Force. Some pilots attend NWOC to reconnect with the community before they represent their aircraft on static display at airshows. Others attend to get the latest on maintenance updates for their type. Warbird pilots understand they are merely stewards of a living piece of history, and this conference helps them educate and inspire spectators at airshows.

I have attended this conference almost every year since 2006 and believe it is the best pre-season safety stand-down available for warbird pilots. The highlight is the type-specific breakout sessions. The very best instructors, mechanics, and airshow pilots host three-hour sessions for fighters (North American P–51, P–40, and so on), T–6s, L-Birds, T–28s, Douglas C–47s, bombers, and others. This annual event focuses my mind on the task of climbing back into a warbird cockpit.

Warbirds are not the only group knocking off the winter rust before flying season returns. In early March, the Idaho Transportation Department hosted its annual Aviation Safety Stand Down in Boise which drew in more than 250 pilots. Type clubs and owners and pilots associations all over the country have completed or are about to host their annual conventions. Pilots from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska will gather the first weekend in May for the annual Great Alaska Aviation Gathering near Anchorage. Lake and river ice is breaking up in early May, so this is when pilots are swapping their skis for floats or wheels—a perfect time for the various Alaska safety and airmen associations to host their annual meetings. There is safety in numbers—and a large number of pilots will benefit this year from attending their type-club gathering.

There is also safety in the numbers, and I am referring to the increasing use of data and technology to improve safety. The AOPA Air Safety Institute enthusiastically collaborates with type club leaders throughout the year, and we have seen a growing number of groups considering or implementing data-driven safety initiatives. We’ve seen groups that encourage pilots to equip their aircraft with data modems to automatically off-board engine and flight data for post-flight analysis. We’ve seen groups that have written their own algorithms and acquired de-identified ADS-B data to study fleet trends in flight, specifically on final approach. We’ve seen the rapid adoption by competition aerobatic pilots to install the Acrowrx data hub in their aircraft, which allows pilots to conduct in-depth and hyper-accurate post-flight analysis of their routines. And we’ve seen aerial applicators install systems like Satloc or TracMap in their aircraft to automate flight paths, control flow rates, and reduce chemical waste. This data-based approach is bringing deeper insights into how we fly and where we can improve.

I have been impressed with the leaders of Citation Jet Pilots, TBM Owners and Pilots Association, Piper M-Class Owners and Pilots Association, Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, American Bonanza Society, and The Twin Cessna Flyer for their pursuit of data-driven safety initiatives. As with many new technologies, there is a growing number of early adopters and a hopefully shrinking number of naysayers. These leaders are tackling tough challenges and are inspiring their members to consider a new way of measuring their performance to improve safety.

We all have a responsibility to fly safely, and an essential ingredient in a strong personal safety culture is the commitment to continual learning. In today’s digital world, excellent safety content is literally at our fingertips. Start your safety journey by staying involved in your type club. Stay focused and stay safe!

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