“The United States has the largest and most diverse GA community in the world and we are all working together to put the right technologies, regulations, and education initiatives in place to improve safety,” writes Michael Whitaker, FAA Deputy Administrator. “While the fatal accident rate is beginning to decline, too many lives are still being lost. Last year, 384 people died in 238 general aviation accidents.”
Whitaker said that while they still have more work to do, the GA Joint Steering Committee’s work on voluntary safety measures is making a difference and that there is also no question that ADS-B is one of NextGen’s most important safety technologies. “We’re continuing to work closely with the Equip 2020 team to get it into more general aviation aircraft.”
Whitaker reports that they’ve made considerable progress on regulations that will enhance general aviation safety with their recent proposed Part 23 rule that will help decrease the time it takes to get safety-enhancing technologies for small airplanes to the marketplace. “Loss of Control remains our greatest concern.” Through the Fly Safe education campaign 35 million impressions on social media platforms have been logged.
Industry leaders participating in a recent GA safety summit, were thanked by Whitaker saying,
“Together, government and industry are building on our momentum and commitment to improve general aviation safety.”
