SPANS - Safety Program Airmen
Notification System
Spanning the gap between airmen and the FAA
by James E. Pyles
Reprinted with permission from
FAA Aviation News The
Federal Aviation Administration's Aviation Safety Program has been
producing safety seminars, pamphlets, advisory circulars, videos, and
many other safety related items for years. The U.S. Postal Service has
been our primary way to deliver notices about the availability of
these items and information about when and where seminars would be
held. This method of delivery is very slow and costly. With the
growing popularity of e-mail and its magnificent suitability for
delivery of this type of information, we have developed the FAA's
Safety Program Airmen Notification System or SPANS. A user friendly
web site that one can use as merely a place to 'see' what events are
coming up in your local area or any area throughout the country with
just a few simple clicks of the mouse. You may find it more convenient
to register with the site and receive this information and important
safety alerts right in your e-mail box in a timely manner. It's your
choice and our way of spanning the gap between the FAA and our
customers.
Since its launch on March 21, 2004,
the SPANS site has had over seven million hits and averages over 700
visitors daily. We have been delightfully surprised at its
overwhelming success. Over 3,500 seminar registrations have been
received. Safety Program seminars in some areas have seen an increase
of over 15% in average attendance and all in two short months. The
online registration, for most events, has helped the FAA plan better
and save resources, which can be put into bringing you even more
safety events and materials.
What has made it so successful? Airmen
have told us that it is not your typical site, hard to navigate and
find what you need. Rather it is user friendly and simple in form and
function. Many have said it is the timeliness of the information.
Almost all have said, 'it's about time' the FAA has done something to
make finding the safety information they need easy, fast, and
effortless.
SPANS -
Part Of A Larger Effort
SPANS are a part of a much larger
effort to bring safety information to you electronically via the web
and e-mail.
www.FAASafety.gov will soon bring you a
safety library, aviation-related links, online training on safety
topics, and a one-stop shop to order FAA safety-related publications
and materials like videos, CD's, and DVD's. We are not trying to
compete with the many great organizations that already provide airmen
with safety information. Our goal is to bring to you FAA information
that will help you fly safely and legally. We aim, at
www.FAASafety.gov, to bring you
up-to-date pertinent safety information and span the gap between the
FAA and all airmen using the National Airspace System.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT
SPANS
Event Search: This is the heart of
SPANS. You can search for events by specifying parameters like Zip
Code and mile radius, state, airport, FAA district/region, or
keywords. If you are registered on the site, when you log in all
events within 50 miles of your home or office will appear on the
screen automatically. Or perhaps you are willing to go a little
further away from home to gain a little more information on that trip
to the mountains you are planning. Simply type in 'mountain flying' or
similar keywords to find all the events in that part of the country
where your topic of choice will be discussed. Pick the event you want
to attend and then register online to receive a reminder of the event
delivered right to your e-mail box.
Preferences:
Here is where you can customize SPANS to suit your personal needs.
Change your e-mail address, password, or which ratings you would like
to receive pertinent safety information on. Customize the type of
notifications you wish to receive automatically or completely opt-out
of the SPANS system.
Local Contact Information:
Have you ever wanted to know who your
Safety Program Manager was? or, perhaps a local Aviation Safety
Councilor to ask a question of? Do you know which Flight Standards
District Office is in your area? You will find this and other items
your local Safety Program Manager deems appropriate to add to the
list.
Site Suggestions:
We are always looking for ways to improve SPANS and
www.FAASafety.gov. This is your
opportunity to let us know how we can. First you can let us know what
type of seminar information you wish to have in your local area. Or
what kind of online training would help you most. Pick from the list
of National Emphasis Items or give us your own thoughts and ideas.
As the Safety Program transitions into
the twenty-first century, come make the transition with us. Bring your
ideas of how we can help you fly safer and smarter.nwww.FAASafety.gov is the place to be.
Tell all your friends to bring their ideas with them and let's
continue to SPAN the gap between the FAA and airmen. Help us rebuild a
new robust safety team by taking part in this great effort to reduce
general aviation and all accidents in the greatest airspace system in
the world. For more information, register at <www.FAASafety.gov>.
James E. Pyles is the Northwest
Mountain Region Safety Program Manager and the
www.FAASafety.gov Team Leader
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