From The Logbook: The 'WINGS' Program And Its
Importance To Aviation
' Jim Trusty 2006
I decided to revisit this article yesterday after
talking with a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) Safety Program Manager (SPM)
in Seattle, Washington. As one of those involved in teaching safety to the
aviation enthusiasts of this great nation, it always makes me happy when someone
comes up with an innovation that makes the programs better and more functional.
What Scott Gardiner, SPM, decided to try was having the Instructors fly one (1)
hour with a pilot instead of doing the entire three (3) hours required by
regulation. This way they can fly with more pilots and the others will have a
reason to come back to our next outing and hopefully learn more from flying with
a different instructor and attending different seminars. (More food also!)
Trying to get a higher ratio of instructors to
come out to meet the growing number of those needing to satisfy the requirements
of Advisory Circular 61-91H and a flight review and wishing to stay current and
learn new things has been a flaw in the plan from the beginning. This innovation
will be a big help toward that end. I intend to use the same method at our next
'WINGS' Program scheduled for 25 June 2005 at Smyrna, Tennessee (MQY). Of
course, if someone wishes to try and complete the entire three hours I one day
and they have a willing Instructor and aircraft, they can. Thanks, Scott, and if
anyone else has something new they would like to add to the programs, just let
your FAA Safety Program Manager or your personal Aviation Safety Counselor know
about it and they will give it a closer look. We can't rest on our laurels
forever. Things must change and improve!
After being involved in the 'WINGS' Program for
several years, I now know that it is the backbone of any serious safety program.
It is the program to build all other safety meetings around, and this is how we
learned to use it.
The 'WINGS' Program is one of the best safety
programs ever offered because it turns out to be beneficial to all participants.
And, IT'S FREE!
In the late 1980s when I first became involved
with the FAA as an Accident Prevention Counselor, we traveled the state and put
on meetings at FBOs that attracted 8-15 people. We did our very best to
entertain them with some conversation, showed an old video, and then moved on.
We had 10 to 15 meetings like this each year and felt we were doing what was
expected of us as Counselors.
I knew from my background in education that what
we were doing required a lot more thinking and tremendous planning on the part
of those presenting the information. I started seeking outside help as early as
1990 by visiting adjoining states when they held various fly-in programs. The
one that caught my eye as the easiest to start and expand on in my state was the
'WINGS' Program. It allowed the most latitude, and would also involve the most
people in aviation, and would still remain forever as a Federal Aviation
Administration project.
I visited outside our state for two years in a
row flying for other programs, working every position, and gathering information
and paperwork for the future. The Accident Prevention Program Manager knew
exactly why I was there, and he worked me like a dog for two days the first year
and three days the second year. I can still call this guy when I perceive a
problem about to rear its ugly head, and he solves it immediately. I won't use
his name or mention the state of Kentucky, because if the FAA finds out he is
doing a great job, they might transfer him or promote him out of the program.
Finally in 1995 I was given the chance to do
something on my own after our local program manager took ill, leaving our office
manager and me to take over. I told the office manager what I wanted to do and
we got started. We made arrangements to hold the first ever Tennessee 'WINGS'
Weekend at the Staggerwing Beech Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. We arranged
with several units of the Civil Air Patrol to handle parking and traffic, and
food was furnished 'for sale' by a local church group. We received full
cooperation from the local Fixed Base Operator and news coverage from the
several local newspapers. The manager and I designed a great mail-out with
postage courtesy of the FAA.
It was a three-day event with speakers (all
volunteers, also) from every facet of aviation. We ended up with six of them
from the military, the FAA, the NTSB, and added some local speakers for flavor.
The 22 instructors were, for the most part, friends of mine who made the trip by
personal request. Before we finished, we ended up with over 300 people taking
part in the program - tired, satisfied, and pretty happy after three very long
days.
Beginning the next year, I got a new Aviation
Safety Program Manager and we were of a like mind - if it benefits aviation, it
will benefit the FAA Safety Program. Great thought! We moved the program closer
to Nashville to Smyrna, Tennessee, and cut it down to two days since we would be
near all the people I knew and would eventually ask to help.
This year went even more smoothly than the year
before. We invited another Civil Air Patrol unit to do our parking and traffic
control, and we had tower personnel from BNA assist our local tower getting all
the airplanes in and out. The ladies from the local FSDO agreed to work at this
one because it required no long distance driving and no overnights. The local
FBO gave us the use of their BIG hangar at no cost, and a local college
fraternity provided the food 'for sale.' We attracted more and different
speakers. We also set up some booths for vendors at no cost. Cessna Finance came
and four or five more companies that provide aviation or pilot related products.
As usual, we called AOPA and Sporty's and
received a lot of handouts that pilots seem to love. Without the support of
these alphabet groups, even at this level, aviation would be in a lot of
trouble. What a smooth program this turned out to be with more instructors, more
pilots, more airplanes, and more speakers to make it even better than the year
before. So, if it worked so well, why change it?
Well, in 1997 we did change it again by breaking
it up into three separate and distinct fly-ins at three separate locations in
order to make the program and ourselves available to as many pilots and
'wannabes' as possible. We scattered the programs out over the state on
different dates with different instructors and visitors, different seminars, and
cut them down to one-day programs. (Thank goodness.)
The 'WINGS' Program is one of the best safety
programs ever offered because it turns out to be beneficial to all participants.
The FAA gets the word out about safety and that they care about general aviation
enough to give their time. The FBOs sell a little fuel and introduce themselves
to a new pilot or two. The general pilot population gets to meet a lot of people
they had previously only heard of and to 'get current' without having to pay an
instructor. The instructors get to fly airplanes they don't normally see and
with pilots that really need their services. Corporate sponsors furnish
refreshments and door prizes and for this they get to advertise their products
and services. The pilots get a set of Wings, a wall certificate and a FREE
Flight Review. The instructors get the same Wings and certificate, and they may
also qualify to get their flight instructor tickets renewed with no hassle from
the FAA. The speakers meet new people to communicate with, the tower gets the
traffic count, the Civil Air Patrol gets to show people what they do so well for
the kids, and a very small group of us called Aviation Safety Counselors now get
to show our love for and devotion to aviation and the safety program.
Talk about a win, win, win, win, win, win
situation - it's the 'WINGS' Program. The beauty of this entire program is that
every single thing that goes on from start to finish is donated or given freely
by the participants. We look forward to growing this particular program in our
area even larger and more widespread in the future.
In the 17 years I have been with the program, we
have grown from a meager beginning to several meetings a year statewide, which
include 'WINGS' meetings, a Poker Run, PACE and safety seminars complete with
speakers, refreshments, and door prizes at each. Where we used to meet a few on
a yearly basis, we now get to reach hundreds.
I am personally very proud of be one of the
almost 5,000 volunteers who call ourselves FAA Aviation Safety Counselors and
who make it possible for over 1,000,000 aviation enthusiasts nationwide to
attend a safety program of their choice somewhere in America every week.
Whatever benefits aviation safety benefits everyone in aviation.
If you have a sagging Safety Program in your
area and are serious about getting it up and going, think 'WINGS' . . . it
really works! If I can be of any service to you, no matter where you are
located, I am as near as your telephone. Call 615-758-8434 or write me at 103
Highland Drive, Old Hickory, TN 37138 or e-mail (Lrn2fly@bellsouth.net).
Suggestions on how to improve an existing program, Wings or??? Just let me know.
I'll see you at the airport! Always remember
'Accidents Are Caused And Therefore Preventable.'
Permission required to reprint this
copyrighted article. (2006)
Jim Trusty, ATP/CFI, was named the
FAA/Aviation Industry National Flight Instructor of the Year for 1997, and the
FAA Southern Region Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year for 1995 & 2005. He
still works full-time as a Corporate 135 Pilot/ 'Gold Seal' Flight & Ground
Instructor/ FAA Aviation Safety Counselor/ National Aviation Magazine Writer.
You have been enjoying his work since 1973 in publications worldwide. He
welcomes your comments and e-mail works best (Lrn2Fly@bellsouth.net).
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