A new HPAC Accident/Incident reporting system and a new HPAC Pilot Training Checklist and Logbook are two of several important initiatives being undertaken by HPAC’s Safety Co-Chairs, Suzanne Francoeur and George Martin through the early part of 2014.
The safety of our pilots and our sport in Canada is one of the highest priorities of HPAC. 2014 will see a renewed and upgraded focus on safety for new student pilots, recreational as well as competition pilots, and for instructors and tandem pilots.
An updated easy-to-use online Accident/Incident Reporting form is being developed. It will connect directly with the Safety Chair(s), will track details for gathering HPAC statistics, and will also develop a communication loop to a new Safety Forum on the HPAC website, where a brief description of the accident/incident will be posted for members (but maintaining the anonymity of the pilot). The objective is for members to be able to learn from situations that others found themselves in, which led to accidents or incidents and how those might have been avoided.
A new “HPAC Pilot Training Checklist and Logbook” is also being developed: its purpose is to provide for all new students a progression of the skills and a checklist for mastering the skills required for any given rating. The checklist is based on the new ratings requirements developed in 2012/13 by the Council of Senior Instructors.
Several other initiatives and new reporting procedures will be announced in a Special Safety Bulletin coming to all members in late spring 2014.