CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 6

LAST OCTOBER I STARTED A PERSONAL
CHALLENGE TO ISSUE WINGS CREDIT UNDER
THE FAA SAFETY PROGRAM FOR EVERY
PILOT CERTIFICATE OR RATING I ISSUED AS A
DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER (DPE). It was
prodded by a discussion with a friend who
promotes the program. I have always been a
supporter of the program and have used it with
my own students to supplement instruction and
proficiency efforts. I also fully believe that active
pilots who engage with FAA safety programs
are less likely to end up having accidents or
incidents. So, I was very curious to see how many
of the 231 pilot certificates and ratings I issued
over a 13-month period were already signed up
THERE IS A LINK IN THE INSTRUCTOR PORTAL
SECTION YOU CAN LITERALLY CLICK TO GIVE
IMMEDIATE WINGS CREDIT. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
for the program. I am not entirely surprised by the
statistics, but I can absolutely say that we can do
better. Only 91 pilots (39 percent) were already
signed up with their email addresses in FAASafety.
gov and therefore able to receive Wings credit
immediately after passing the practical test.
It actually doesn't sound all that bad on the
surface, but honestly, I would think pilots who
were actively engaged with training might have
a higher percentage of engagement with training
materials the FAA Safety Team offers. To get
that done, it will take work on the part of the
flight instructor community.
Okay, I am going to lay the guilt trip on CFIs here.
If you are a CFI working with customers receiving
training, shame on you if you aren't helping them
become aware of the FAA Safety Team offerings
and issuing them Wings credit as you conduct
training. Wings credit can be issued for many
activities that you normally do as part of their
training. The FAA programs give you tools to
help enhance your instruction and introducing
your students to these programs can build a habit
in them that focuses on continued proficiency
development throughout their pilot career. Why
wouldn't an instructor want to do that?
From the data I collected, the bulk of the work
appears to be at the earlier stages of pilot
training. It seems logical to think that as pilots
get more training it becomes more likely that
they would encounter the Wings program
offerings. When I look at my attempts to give
credit, a little less than 25 percent of private pilot
practical test applicants were already registered
to receive Wings credit. As certification
proceeded, so did the percentage of people who
were already signed up at FAASafety.gov. For
instrument ratings, it was closer to 35 percent,
for commercial certificates closer to 40 percent,
and for CFIs it slightly exceeded 80 percent. It
seems logical but it also begs the question if 80
percent of CFIs have signed up themselves, why
are only 25 percent of their students signed up?
Okay, CFIs, time to do better. It starts with some
simple steps and a few habits to get more of our
students to use the tools at FAASafety.gov and
participate in Wings Credit.
KNOW HOW TO GIVE CREDIT
Giving credit as a CFI is pretty easy. On the
main page of FAASafety.gov, there is a link in the
Instructor Portal section you can literally click
to give immediate Wings credit. It's that simple.
When you click on the link, and as long as your
student is signed up, you can search through
activities (both ground and flight) for which
you can give credit. Do it a couple of times with
students at the end of lessons and it becomes an
easy habit.
GET YOUR STUDENTS SIGNED UP EARLY
I recommend that CFIs sign their students up for
an account on FAASafety.gov when they get them
a student pilot certificate. At that time, you are
already in the FAA system requiring the use of
your student's email address; if you use the same
one to sign them up for FAASafety.gov it will
become more likely they will be able to get credit
for future activities, including practical tests.
http://www.FAASafety.gov http://www.FAASafety.gov http://www.FAASafety.gov http://www.FAASafety.gov http://www.FAASafety.gov
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1
