AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2021 - 104

NEWS & NOTES 

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Branching out

What's your 2021 aviation goal?
BY ALICIA HERRON

NEW FROM ASI
NALL REPORTS SHOW
DECLINE IN GA FATAL
ACCIDENT RATE

AH, THE NEW YEAR IS HERE! Most of us are
likely thrilled to say so long to 2020, and
now's the time to embrace all the possibilities
of a fresh start. Among the classic resolutions-to eat healthier, exercise, and binge
watch Netflix less-did you make space to
include aviation goals? Striving for an aviation accomplishment can help make you a
more focused, proficient, and safer pilot-
and the goal is limited only by your creativity.
When we started training, the milestones were clear: solo, solo cross-country,
then checkride. Training for our first pilot
certificate led to a significant growth in aviation knowledge and skill. While you might
not learn as much as you did from brandnew student to soloing, a new goal will help
stretch old muscles and freshen up your flying skills.
Not sure where to start? Here are some
suggestions, which can be modified to fit
your lifestyle and budget:
* Get checked out in a new-to-you airplane.
* Fly to five airports you've never been to.
* Fly to three states you've never flown to.
* Take your first airplane camping trip.
* Fly out of the country-doublecheck
travel guidance before crossing borders.
* Aspire to log a certain number of hours/
landings/approaches each month.

104 | AOPA PILOT January 2021

* Add a certificate, rating, or endorsement.
* Not ready to push yourself? Go fly with
a CFI to build confidence-your instructor can also help you create a realistic goal.
* Out of currency? Take that big first step
of scheduling a lesson to knock the rust off
and take AOPA's Rusty Pilots course.
Find inspiration in ASI's series Beyond
Proficient-where student pilot Soyla
Flor expands the boundaries of her skill
by flying across the San Pedro Channel
to Catalina Island's challenging Airport
in the Sky with a CFI for the first time.
Then, follow Husky pilot Ross Wilke from
the 500-foot strips of the Wisconsin side
country to his first-ever short takeoff and
landing (STOL) demonstration, where he
competes with the best of the best after a
summer of focused preparation. Along the
way, both aviators become more proficient,
safer pilots.
This year don't stay stagnant-challenge yourself to fly more often. With
greater proficiency you'll not only be a
better overall pilot, you'll also be more prepared to handle an emergency aloft.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
beyondproficient
EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

The AOPA Air Safety Institute
released findings from the twentyninth and thirtieth editions of the
Joseph T. Nall Report. The data show
that 2017 saw a decrease in total
accidents from 2016, but 2018 saw an
increase in total accidents. However,
the overall and fatal accident rates
continued downward trends.
For GA pilots, the Nall Report is
a great way to see how accidents
happen and what causes them over
time-something that can help mitigate risk. The Nall Report breaks
down data into groups like phase of
flight, and meaningful categories like
weather, fuel, and mechanical. If you
know what you're looking at, you can
know better how to prevent it.
These latest editions of the longrunning and respected report arrive
with several unique enhancements.
The AOPA Air Safety Institute has
completed a major overhaul of the
report to provide near-real-time accident data analysis as the data are
updated on a rolling 30-day cycle.
The new digital version of the Nall
Report shows accident trends well
into 2020 and will continue to be
updated as the NTSB releases
preliminary and final reports.
airsafetyinstitute/nallreports

THERE I WAS...: NIGHT FRIGHT
Join ASI to talk with Mirek Fatyga,
a commercial-rated pilot based
in Phoenix, Arizona. Mirek tells
the story of piloting a Tecnam
light sport aircraft at night, when
he flew through a tree while on
approach to land at an airport
near Richmond, Virginia.
airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/beyondproficient http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/beyondproficient
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2021

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