Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today.

I’ve been a pilot for many decades. In the Army, I flew helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft like the U-21 and C-12 King Airs. I went on to become a commercial pilot. During my 26 years, I flew the MD80, the 757 and the 767 all over the world. 

So I’ve spent a lot of time around runways and I’m aware of the safety challenges. That’s what today’s event is all about – staying safe on the runway.

The safety data shows us that over the past roughly 10 years, we’ve seen the overall GA fatal accident rate decrease. That’s great news. But the data also alerts us that we are seeing too many times where pilots depart from or land on, the wrong runway, or sometimes, on a taxiway.

I encourage you to view the videos in the FAA’s From the Flight Deck series on YouTube. These are more than 110 runway safety videos covering airports where our data shows a greater chance of either wrong surface landings or departures, or runway incursions.

And starting last Thursday (Nov. 3), SkyVector is featuring these videos on their respective airport sub-pages. 

These videos can make a pilot aware of a problem before you even leave the house. And when you’re aware, you can be more careful.

But we know that awareness and the best of intentions may not always be enough. 

So that’s why we’re working to develop new tools like Digital Co-pilot for tablets and smart phones. This tool gives electronic flight bag apps the ability to warn you if you’re landing at an airport that’s not in your flight plan, or if you’re lined up for the wrong runway, or a taxiway. 

Safety is a joint effort between the pilot and the air traffic controller. So anything that affects their communication could be a cause for concern.

It’s essential that pilots stick to the prescribed phraseology as spelled out in the Aeronautical Information Manual and other official sources. For example, if your response to a taxi clearance or a hold short instruction is “Roger,” that’s not acceptable, as much as it may seem O.K.

Today’s event is focused on these topics. But we know there are other key concerns related to GA safety.

The FAA is working with the GA community on many other efforts to reduce risks across every phase of flight. We continue to focus on ways to reduce inflight loss of control, engine issues, controlled flight into terrain, and runway incursions.

Some of the most enthusiastic, passionate people I’ve met are part of the GA community. I certainly see this at Oshkosh and other air shows. But nothing will dampen enthusiasm and the public’s impression of GA more than if there’s an accident.

When it comes to flying, whether you’re a veteran pilot, a student, an instructor, or a safety official, we must all do our part to foster a strong safety culture in aviation.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is coming home. The best way to do that is to fly safe. So let’s have an informative discussion today. Thanks again for joining us, and doing your part for general aviation safety.