Howard Deevers
I didn't make that one up: SAFETY, "A Pilots Pride." I wish that I had, because it is such a good slogan. So, where did I get it? From Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix, AZ. That is their slogan, and it is all over the place in their airport. It seems so simple, yet it is not. I don't know how they came up with that slogan, but it is prominently displayed in that airport. You can't walk through a door without seeing this slogan somewhere. It is so short but means so much. When you think about it, it makes so much sense.
We as pilots have a much greater responsibility to safety than any other part of the transportation community. The transportation community: driving a car, take the train, delivering in a van or truck, or a bus. Not to make light of those transportation segments; they have a responsibility to safety also.
Why do pilots have a greater responsibility? Because we are always in the spotlight. The public is always looking at us. And, we are such a small part of the transportation system. Believe me, someone in your neighborhood thinks that you are crazy for flying small airplanes, or maybe even for flying at all. That makes us even more responsible for safety.
And, who wants more regulation? We already have more regulations than we care to think about. Most of those regulation came into being as the result of some accident or incident in the past. In order to make pilots, and the public, "Safe" the FAA makes regulations. For the most part, they make sense. Some times we just wonder about them. But it is our responsibility to fly safely and to try to keep from adding any more pages to the regulations.
"SAFETY, A Pilots Pride." Why wait two years for that flight review? Why not get into the WINGS program and get a new phase of the WINGS every year, or even more often. Fly IFR? Fly with an instrument instructor every 6 months to keep current, and stay sharp. Those skills can save your life. At the next Arizona Pilots Association Safety Seminar, bring a "wingman." Bring a friend that has not attended a safety program, or been in the WINGS program.
Check the calendar for seminars and other activities. There are several fly-in events planned. These are fun events, so bring your "wingman" and we will see you at the airport.