- Dick Koehler 703-250-1366
The EAA Flight Advisor Program grew out of a need to address the alarming number of accidents that happened during the first flights of aircraft and during the early phases of the ‘restricted period’ while still flight testing. Insurance company statistics indicate that about 25% of all home built accidents happen in the first few flights (first ten hours). But the problem isn’t isolated or limited to homebuilts. The first flight in any aircraft is a test flight. The probability of a problem occurring increases for pilots who do not have and do not get the experience necessary to fly the aircraft in question. In many of these accidents / incidents, the cause is listed as ‘pilot error’; and rightly so, the simple fact is the pilot was in over his or her head. He or she was neither qualified for nor proficient enough to fly the ill-fated aircraft.
Flight Advisor Objective
The objective of the Flight Advisor program is to increase safety during the early phases of flight testing whether one is flying a freshly restored ‘project’ or a new, amatuer-built sport aircraft. The Flight Advisor Program is aimed at reducing accidents and incidents by pairing transitioning pilots with experienced individuals who can “coach” them through their first-flight experiences.
Experience Is The Strongest Tool
The EAA’s membership ranges in expreience from those who have never flown an aircraft to high-time airline or military pilots. On the flight line at the EAA Fly-ln Convention in Oshkosh, it’s not unusual for a 30,000 hour pilot to be standing next to a five-hour student. This isn’t bad, but it has been especially frustrating to many Advisors. Picture, if you will, an individual who is preparing for a first-flight in a newly restored Cub, or maybe its someone about to launch in a just-completed Glasair who has little knowledge about their aircraft — someone in need of help who may be standing right next to an 8,000-hour Cub instructor or a high-time Glasair pilot and never even realize it.
Because pilots don’t wear signs that say who they are or what their experience may be, there’s an incredible amount of ‘wasted’ experience among EAA members. One of the goals of the Flight Advisor Program is to remedy this situation. Through the Flight Advisor Program, some of that experience is being made available to other EAA members, but only if they utilize the Flight Advisor Program. In effect, each Flight Advisor is part of a national lending library of experienced aviators.
