Kurt Reesman Consulting

Auburn University Department of Aviation was among the eight Part 141 university flight programs chosen by Delta Air Lines to offer the Delta Air Lines Propel Pilot Career Path Program. The program is open to junior or senior students, as well as flight instructors who have recently graduated. To read about the partnership between Auburn University and Delta Air Lines, visit the announcement page on Auburn’s website. For more information about the Delta Air Lines Propel Pilot Career Path Program go to the Delta Propel website .

I had the privilege of presenting AOPA Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars for eight years. The new spring seminar “NONTOWERED CASE STUDIES: WHAT WENT WRONG?” is going to be yet another excellent product given around the country by ASI’s outstanding presenters. This seminar schedule will begin in early January 2017, so I encourage you to go to AOPA’s website and find a seminar near you – you won’t regret it. Here is what AOPA has to say about this seminar:

Continue reading “AOPA ASI Spring Safety Seminar”

It doesn’t matter what source you reference, the data is still the same. Statistical analysis of pilot-related aircraft accident causes point to the same six areas of operation; fuel management, weather, takeoff and climb, maneuvering, descent and approach, and landing. If you grouped all of these accidents together they would make up approximately 70% of all accidents. Over the last ten years, the statistic of pilot-related accidents has remained near 70% of the total accidents. The irony is that most, if not all, of these accidents were preventable at some point. So the question is why? Are instructors missing something in the training process? Do we focus so much on maneuver accomplishment that we fail to emphasize the other related areas to the maneuver? Are we really striving to get to the correlational level of learning? Do we need to re-focus on what should be required for a pilot certification? Is it a lack of education or a focus on the wrong material? Could it be the inability to accurately assess personality types and educate students based on those observations? It seems like all of these areas may have something to do with this statistically high cause of aircraft accidents. But it all comes back to the individual and the way they choose to view, and respond to, every situation.

Continue reading “Superman or Solomon”

Weather is the single biggest variable in flying. It can turn a long-awaited vacation into a long wait at the FBO, a quick two-hour flight into a tedious four-hour slog, or a stress-free jaunt into a skill-testing ordeal. The variations are infinite, but for pilots it all boils down to two questions:

Continue reading “Real World Weather Safety Seminar”

I have had the benefit of flying aircraft equipped with AOA indicators, but not in the GA environment. All of my experience with AOA indicators has come from 20 years of flying in the military. Knowing what your actual AOA is, at all times, helps you to understand the maneuvering capabilities of your aircraft.

Continue reading “AOA Indicators in GA Aircraft”

The SAFE Pilot Proficiency Program will take place in Melbourne, FL on March 8th and 9th, 2014. As a member of SAFE, I would like to encourage those of you who can attend this event to do so. The experience will be well worth your effort. It will be a busy weekend, but you will be exposed to many things that will help you to enjoy safer flying experiences. The information below comes from the SAFE Pilot Proficiency Program website, however I encourage you to visit the website to find out more about what will be happening and to register for the event.

Continue reading “SAFE Pilot Proficiency Project”

The following excerpt is taken from a January 29, 2014 posting in the Federal Register. If you have an interest in the Airman Certification Training and Testing process and wish to get involved in making this process more effective, then this may be for you.

“The FAA assigned the Airman Testing Standards and Training Working Group (ATSTWG) a new task arising from recommendations of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC).

Continue reading “Establishment of Airman Certification System Working Group”

After many months of hard work, the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) Airman Testing Standards and Training Working Group (ATSTWG) has released the Private and Instrument Airman Certification Standards, formally the Practical Test Standards, for public review and comment.

During Round 1, these documents were available until May 24, 2013 and many valuable comments were received. It appeared however, that many did not get the word until it was too late and were unable to comment. The ARAC worked with the FAA to have the comment period re-opened so more input could be gathered.

Continue reading “New FAA Airman Certification Standards – Comment Now! (Round 2)”

Recently the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Group’s Airman Testing Standards and Training Working Group asked the FAA to remove all test questions that referred to obsolete terms and technologies. See what AOPA has to say about it.

Aviation educator’s are always looking for ways to hone their skills in training professional pilots. Fortunately, the industry is blessed with gifted innovators who create and offer tools that help instructors do their jobs better. One organization that is working to bring the two together is the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE). SAFE’s Vision Statement reads “SAFE is a member-centric, professional organization for aviation educators. SAFE facilitates the professional development of aviation educators; it seeks improved learning materials for all aviation students, and a safer aviation environment.” SAFE’s Mission is to “. . . to create a safer aviation environment through enhanced education. SAFE provides aviation educators with mentoring, support, and professional accreditation. By providing quality educational materials and other resources, we seek a reduction in aviation accidents, increased professionalism among aviation educators, and lifelong learning by everyone involved in aviation.” In an attempt to stay true to both the vision and mission of the organization, SAFE is offering new benefits to its membership through the generosity of two industry leaders. Most recently SAFE announced the addition of two new products; eKneeBoard, by AnywhereEducation and iFlightPlanner, by iFlightPlanner. Follow this link to read the announcement. Let’s work together to create safer skies by training safer and more professional pilots.