AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2008 - 64

Cockpit Complete! Leading Edge Aviation Companies Select PS Engineering For Their Audio Control Needs SAFETYPILOT leading problem area, just as it was in 2006. There were 32 fatal accidents with nearly 75 percent in single-engine aircraft because of a bad decision. In twinengine aircraft, interestingly enough, a completely different picture emerged in 2006. There was one VFR into IMC, one loss of control by an IFR pilot, three icing accidents, and four entanglements with thunderstorms. When you consider the relatively small number of multiengine aircraft compared to singles in 1958, that leads to two hypotheses. These aircraft are likely being flown in worse weather, and twin pilots are pushing into to some very nasty conditions beyond what either they or their aircraft can handle. It’s all about limitations, people. One area that bears watching in the future is the number of fatal descent and approach accidents, which was up significantly in 2006 to 41. My estimation is that many were under IFR. This was a category that barely existed in 1958 in GA since there were few IFRequipped GA aircraft or pilots in the early years. The jump in numbers from 25 in 2005 may reﬂect all the high performance technologically advanced aircraft—or TAA—that are being sold. These airplanes are used for transportation, which means they are being exposed to more approaches, which also explains at least some of the increase. It also argues strongly for pilots who are flying instrument approaches to shape up lest they and their passengers ship out early. So we have a mixed message. Aircraft are better today but not yet benign and the vagaries of weather and the result of poor decisions continue to cause accidents. As in the rest of society, safety statistics have improved and generally continue to move in the right direction, albeit slowly. Flying is as safe as we choose to make it, and if that responsibility is taken casually, bad things can happen—just as they did 50 years ago. As for our part, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation will continue to offer first-class training materials and seminars to more pilots than ever before, just as we have for the past 58 years. See this year’s Joseph T. Nall report and the Online Safety Center on the Web site (www.asf.org). AOPA PILOT • 64 • MARCH 2008 Flying Never Sounded So Good! ® PS Engineering, Inc. has an outstanding industry reputation of fulﬁlling the needs of airframe manufacturers and end users alike. Our ability to deliver a cost-effective solution for speciﬁc audio requirements puts us ahead of the competition. Intercoms Set-it and Forget-it The Best VOX in the Air! Hi-Fi Stereo Intercom with SoftMute Music Ampliﬁcation for Great Sound 4 or 6 Place Models to Fit Your Needs Audio Panels The Evolution Continues! Front Panel Utility Jack Six Pilot-Selectable Conﬁgurations Plug & Play with GARMIN’s GMA-340* Internal Recording (IRS) included In-ﬂight Entertainment A New Meaning of Audio Visual Aids! AM/FM Receiver CD, MP3 and MP3Pro DVD Player with up to 4 Displays PM3000 PMA8000B PAV80 PS Engineering doesn’t make GPSs, transponders, or even autopilots. Audio Control is our one and only mission! With this type of product focus, it’s no wonder why PS Engineering holds more patents in the audio control ﬁeld for General Aviation than any other company. PS Engineering has been the source for virtually every major innovation in the ﬁeld of aircraft audio avionics. *GARMIN is a trademark of GARMIN Ltd. PS Engineering is not afﬁliated with GARMIN. ® Sound Quality. Sound Engineering. Toll Free: 800-427-2376 Technical: 865-988-9800 www.ps-engineering.com p .

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2008

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