Day 2 was another great day in Oshkosh. But you’ve probably figured out that for me every day in Oshkosh is a great day. Actually there was the night in
Photo: Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell
2005 when a storm swept through about 9PM. I came back to my campsite and everything was gone. No tent, no cot or sleeping bag, nothing. I started asking around and people talked about watching a tent blow up the side of an RV and then over the top of it. Apparently it was quite a sight–I wish I’d seen it. After searching about a half hour I found my tent about a quarter of mile away in a ditch along side of a road. A passerby helped load the tent in the back of their pickup truck and drove it back to my campsite. By 11PM I was snug in my tent and smiling again. It’s hard to be upset for long when you’re settled in with tens of thousands of other happy people reveling in Oshkosh, which is really a synthesis of the best there is in aviation. If there were a Woodstock for pilots (without the bad connotations), this would be it.
I started the day…
teaching my “Night Flying Safety” seminar in the FAA Forums building. There are about a dozen places at AirVenture where forums are conducted. Most are scheduled by the EAA and I usually give several talks in their open air pavilions. I had to pass on doing those this year because of other commitments, but it’s hard to turn the FAA down when they ask you to speak. You never know when you could use a friend in high places. I was flattered to see the standing room only crowd come to my talk. Of course pilots are smart people and some of them, like me, may have figured out that this is one of the few air-conditioned buildings at Oshkosh.
Actually a number of people were taking notes, and I’m sure they were surprised to learn how bad the night accident rate is for general aviation. It’s one of the dirty secrets of GA that doesn’t get talked about very much. Probably less than 5% of all personal flying occurs at night (based on informal surveys at the many seminars I’ve given) yet 21% of fatal accidents occur at night. Plus if you have an accident at night, it’s twice as likely to include a fatality. These numbers get people’s attention as they should and I talked about a variety of ways that one can mitigate the increased risk of flying at night.
Immediately after my presentation, John and Martha King spoke on managing risk. We exchanged quick hellos before they started. They were at an FAA meeting that I attended in Oklahoma City in January and every time they said something I found myself nodding my head in agreement. The general aviation industry is lucky to have smart people like them who are actively involved in working with the FAA on improving flight training and safety. A tip of the hat to one of aviation’s class acts.
Later in the day, I talked with Doug McNair, EAA’s VP of Government Relations. He lives in the Washington area and meets regularly with the FAA’s middle management and up. We talked about the list of EAA’s top issues which he’s working on. Doug formerly worked for AOPA, so he’s spent many years advocating on behalf of general aviation, and we’re lucky to have him in place there.
I had a quick visit with Bob Miller, who runs the Over the Airwaves journal for the proficient pilot. If you’re not familiar with it, I heartily encourage you to subscribe. Bob has a reputation for being a little controversial and I think that’s just fine. Some of the old conventions in aviation need a little shaking up and Bob is good at calling things the way he sees them. As if he weren’t busy enough, he recently opened a flight school in the Buffalo, NY area. You can also hear Bob on weekly podcast through www.aero-news.net
At the NAFI tent I ran into several Master CFI’s that I usually see at every Oshkosh. Dave Dempsey is from New York City, and I had seen him in April when I was in the city. He runs a quarterly meeting of Master CFI’s in the NYC area, and I was lucky enough to be in town when he held the last one and was able to attend. This is a best practice that CFI’s should consider adopting in their regions. In the NAFI tent today, we talked about two air charter operations in the northeast in which he’s involved. One is Linear Air, which is currently flying three Eclipses and he tells us that the business is ramping up nicely. I’m glad to hear that Vern Raburn’s idea of a robust air taxi business is becoming a reality.
I also got an update from my FAA friend who was delayed while riding the jump seat of an airliner to Oshkosh. It turns out it was not a pilot deviation that was at issue. Instead, when he boarded the aircraft, he could not find the Airworthiness Certificate! I’m told that occasionally passengers who pop their heads into the cockpit to thank the pilots will steal the Airworthiness Certificate as a souvenir, which is pretty low. This story had a happy outcome, though it resulted in delays for everyone. Although the registration was where it should be, this airline had taken to mounting the Airworthiness Certificate on the ceiling to prevent theft! Apparently the Captain was unaware of this (oops!) as he couldn’t find the certificate either.
The big event for me was receiving the 2008 National CFI of the Year award this evening. Bobby Sturgell, the Acting FAA Administrator presented the award and we talked a little afterwards. You can tell that he truly gets Oshkosh, as he’d brought his six year old son with him and they are planning to spend the weekend in the area. I can well imagine that this is a welcome break from his daily responsibilities in Washington D.C. Everyone deserves a break from work and it’s great to see that he’s choosing to do it here. I’ll be seeing him a couple more times tomorrow at various events we’re scheduled into. I’ve posted my acceptance speech at the end of this posting. I’m hoping that it leads to more people becoming flight instructors.
By the way, I received an email alert a few minutes ago and found that fellow blogger Rob Mark has already beaten me to the punch to writing about this evening’s award ceremony. You can find his kind words at JetWhine.com We’ve talked a couple of times by phone in the past and I’m still waiting for our paths to cross so that I can actually meet him face-to-face. If I haven’t mentioned this before, I’ll go on the record now and state that JetWhine.com is one of my two favorite blogs that I enjoy the most.
Acceptance Speech
Thank you Adminstrator Sturgell and thank you for your service to our country in the Navy, NTSB and now the FAA. I want to thank my mother Sue and my wife Laurie for supporting me in my flying endeavors and also the National Association of Flight Instructors, AOPA, and EAA who’ve helped me in so many ways. Special thanks also to Jack Hocker of the FAA who’s done so much to build up the safety program in northern California.
I am honored to represent the 92,000 flight instructors in the country. They are dedicated, hard working, and are the backbone of our industry. In addition to helping you achieve your dreams of flight, they instill the attitudes and the decision making skills you need to complete every flight safely. Like you, I’m indebted to my many flight instructors.
Now here are two ways you can repay that debt. First, the pilot population has shrunk 25% since 1980. To preserve general aviation for the next generation, you must replace yourself in the pilot population. So take a moment now and think of one or two people you know with an interest in flying and who have the means to learn to fly. When you get home, call them up, take them flying and find them a flight instructor.
The second way to repay this debt is even more rewarding. There’s a shortage of CFIs in the country and we need more now. Right now, under this roof, we have more flying experience and wisdom than exists anywhere in the world at this exact moment. So for those of you who take great pride in your flying skills and want to raise your game to a new level, I challenge you to start working on becoming a CFI. Tomorrow, walk over to the National Association of Flight Instructors tent, across from the old control tower and ask them how to become a CFI. Better yet, ask the CFI sitting in front of you or next to you. Will everyone with a current or expired flight instructor certificate stand up? Let’s give it up for these men and women and thank them for their service. Thank you and have a great Oshkosh.