Tag Archives: AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT

Young Eagles Day on June 12

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EAA International Young Eagles Day on June 12 offers young people the inspiration of flight

EAA chapters, members to fly kids free of charge

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 10, 2021) — The Experimental Aircraft Association’s International Young Eagles Day, which focuses on flying thousands of kids as an introduction to aviation, returns on Saturday, June 12, at locations throughout North America. The return of the annual event comes after the COVID pandemic sidelined the all-volunteer effort in 2020.

EAA chapters and members will fly kids ages 8-17 free of charge at local airports in their communities on that day, in activities that highlight the year-round program that has flown more than 2.2 million young people since its introduction in 1992. Thousands of those Young Eagles have become professional and recreational pilots, air traffic controllers, aviation technicians, and more after being inspired by their Young Eagles flight.

“We are in many ways making International Young Eagles Day the restart point for the Young Eagles program after the COVID pandemic put most flights on hiatus for the past year,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA’s CEO and chairman of the board. “One thing that never faltered, though, was the enthusiasm of our volunteer pilots and ground support teams, who are eager to introduce kids to the possibilities of flight once again.”

Also expected to participate are Young Eagles program chairman and air show legend Sean D. Tucker, and Young Eagles co-chairman, NFL tight end Jimmy Graham, who are both avid pilots.

An EAA Young Eagles flight pairs a young person with a certificated pilot. After a pre-flight session that explains the parts of the airplane and how pilots prepare to fly safely each time, a brief 15-20 minute introductory flight provides a unique experience. All Young Eagles receive a certificate commemorating their adventure following the flight, and also receive follow-up opportunities ranging from free learn-to-fly courses to more aviation-related experiences that delve deeper into the world of flight.

Many Young Eagle flights are part of EAA chapter activities, which bring numerous airplanes together to provide flight experiences to youth. While the Young Eagles flights are available for the young people, parents and families are welcome to join in the activities prior to and after the flights.

More information is available at EAA.org/YoungEagles. Flight rallies and experiences throughout the country may have COVID-related protocols and precautions in place.

AMATEUR-BUILT FATAL ACCIDENT TOTAL DROPS AGAIN

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EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR-BUILT FATAL ACCIDENT TOTAL DROPS AGAIN, BELOW FAA NOT-TO-EXCEED GOAL

Fatal accident – Continues decade-long improvement in safety

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (November 17, 2020) — Safety totals for experimental amateur-built aircraft continued the decade-long improvement trend in 2020, as fatal accident totals finished below the Federal Aviation Administration not-to-exceed number for the 12 months ending September 30, 2020.

Over the 12-month period from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020, which mirrors that federal government fiscal year, total fatal accidents in experimental aircraft dropped more than 15 percent from the previous year, to 44 total fatal accidents including 32 in amateur-built aircraft – an 18 percent drop. The 44 fatal accidents were eight percent below the FAA’s not-to-exceed number of 48 for Fiscal Year 2020.

“This is outstanding news as far as the continuing trend of lower accident totals in experimental category and amateur-built aircraft, especially as total flight hours increased over the past 12 months,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “The FAA continues to challenge our community by lowering the not-to-exceed number each year and we have met that challenge over the past decade, as we have seen fatal accident totals drop by nearly 40 percent for both experimental and amateur-built aircraft over the past decade.”

As a comparison, experimental category fatal accidents totaled 73 for the yearlong period ending on September 30, 2011, with 51 of those in amateur-built aircraft. Along with the amateur-built subcategory, the FAA’s experimental category includes other aircraft groups such as experimental/exhibition, experimental/light-sport aircraft, and research-and-development aircraft, among others.

The drop in experimental category accidents mirrors and, in some cases, exceeds the decline in overall general aviation fatal accidents over the past decade. Elliott noted that the overall fatal accident numbers for experimental category aircraft remain much lower than other recreational pursuits, such as boating and driving all-terrain vehicles.

EAA has worked closely with the FAA and NTSB on recommendations to reduce fatal accidents, including through participation in the FAA General Aviation Joint Steering Committee. Efforts have also included thousands of copies of the EAA Flight Test Manual now in the hands of amateur-built aircraft owners and the increasing use of an additional safety pilot during initial flight testing in amateur-built aircraft. Other safety initiatives ranging from regular safety webinars and the annual Founders Innovations Prize have also put the spotlight on safety for experimental category aircraft.

“While we are seeing already very small numbers, the continual emphasis on safety for all of us can never be overstated,” Elliott said. “This is a trend that must continue as we pursue ever-higher levels of safety. We must focus on training, safety enhancements, and good pilot skills to complement the ever-improving technology in today’s aircraft cockpits.”

EAA’S SPIRIT OF AVIATION WEEK

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HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS JOIN IN FUN AT EAA’S SPIRIT OF AVIATION WEEK

Virtual event draws fans from around the world

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (August 6, 2020) — An unprecedented effort to bring the EAA community at Oshkosh to aviation fans around the world was a grand success on July 21-25, as EAA’s inaugural Spirit of Aviation Week drew enthusiasts from throughout the country and around the world for five days of flying engagement and fun.

Created in the aftermath of this year’s cancellation of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention, the virtual event included streaming and on-demand content, plus a virtual mall for exhibitors normally found at Oshkosh.

“Tremendous credit goes to more than 50 EAA staffers who combined to make this work, along with the hundreds of EAA members, aviation community members, and business partners who quickly stepped forward to contribute their time and knowledge to make this happen in little more than three months,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA’s CEO and chairman of the board. “While Spirit of Aviation Week certainly was not a replacement for the in-person experience that is AirVenture each year, it was very successful in bringing together the flying community in a way that had never before been attempted.”

Among the highlights of EAA’s Spirit of Aviation Week, which spanned five days, eight hours per day, over three live streams with 262 pieces of content developed for the event:

  • More than 266,000 people connected via EAA.org and EAAtogether.org for the streaming and on-demand content, with nearly 800,000 page views and almost 1.6 million minutes of video viewing
  • Social media outreach totaled 4.5 million, with 827,000 video views throughout the week. Leading the way was a 2.2 million total reach on EAA’s Facebook page with 536,000 video views
  • More than 15,000 people attended 51 forums, with 20 of those forums issuing 6,300 FAA WINGS credits
  • More than 10,000 people attended the online workshops in sheet metal, fabric covering, aviation woodworking, and welding
  • The Pilot Proficiency Center hosted 25 Tech Talk sessions that welcomed more than 8,200 participants and accounted for an additional 4,500 FAA WINGS credits issued
  • Nearly 1,100 pilots “flew” the Oshkosh approach via SimVenture, thanks to a partnership with Pilot Edge and assistance from the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA)
  • AirVenture’s 800 exhibitors welcomed shoppers from around the world through the virtual expo, with more than 200 special events from exhibitors and more than 80 show specials for attendees

“We are grateful for the large amount of positive feedback we received regarding Spirit of Aviation Week and we learned many things we’ll incorporate in the future,” Pelton said. “Most important, however, as we kept alive the sense of community and laid the foundation for an unforgettable aviation reunion at Oshkosh in 2021.”

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