EAA Participates in FAA Aviation Safety Summit

EAA participated in an Aviation Safety Summit called by the Department of Transportation and FAA on Wednesday in McLean, Virginia. EAA Vice President of Advocacy and Safety Sean Elliott represented the association in the opening plenary session as well as the general aviation operations portion of the summit, which also had sessions on commercial operations, the air traffic system, and airport and ground operations.

Elliott partnered with Richard McSpadden, AOPA Air Safety Institute senior vice president, to highlight the work done by the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee over the past decade and the many safety enhancements that have been a result of that collaborative effort. Additionally, Elliott reviewed a number of EAA-created safety programs that have significantly contributed to a reduction in fatal accidents over the past 13 years. He noted that in more than a decade of safety improvement, there have been very few new regulatory restrictions on general aviation. Education and flexible policy have carried GA safety forward.

Elliott also discussed how the FAA’s Safety Management System (SMS) could be beneficial to vintage aircraft air tours, including those under the Living History Flight Experience exemption, as well as highlighted the most recent addition to task-based flight testing and how EAA will leverage the change to benefit the homebuilt aircraft second owner community. Finally, he supported statements made about the current designated pilot examiner shortage and the systemic issues in the training and checking pipeline that create challenges for many prospective pilots.

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce led the GA breakout session during Wednesday's summit.