The following messages were sent yesterday by COPA (to our members) and Cirrus Design (to their customers).
- Mike.
Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association
2830 North Rancho Drive, Suite B Las Vegas, NV 89130
Phone: (702) 920-2108 Fax: (702) 446-6170
URGENT - Safety Appeal
October 27, 2006
Dear fellow Cirrus operator,
During the past few weeks, we in the Cirrus family have experienced three fatal crashes, resulting in the loss of eight lives. I am sure you share my sadness at these losses, and we offer our sincere condolences to the families of those who perished. It is, of course, too soon to know definitively what caused these tragedies, but the overwhelming probability is that they were avoidable.
It is a sad waste to have people die like this. I have redoubled my resolve to fly conservatively and make decisions that I know are good ones. I appeal to you do the same. If in doubt, stay on the ground, or discuss the flight with another pilot before launching. Use the principles we teach at our Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Programs (CPPP), and in our Critical Decision Making (CDM) seminars. Cirrus Design co-sponsors the CDM seminars, and there is no fee for attending. If you have not attended either of these programs, please plan to do so in the near future. Additionally, we encourage you to make use of the Envelope of Safety document available free from Cirrus Design.
It is tempting, but very dangerous, to believe that because the airplane is capable of flying in challenging conditions, the pilot can take it there. No technology can replace training, skill, proficiency and judgment. Please invest the time to train regularly to upgrade your skills and remain current, and sharp; strive for professionalism.
You can also help by talking to any Cirrus pilots you know who are not COPA members. The fact is that over 87% of the pilots of the fatal accidents to date were among the 30% or so of pilots who do not belong to COPA.
Of course, merely belonging to COPA does not endow anyone with a mantle of safety. It is likely that you are safer in part because you WANT to be active in an organization like this one. Among the members, we do believe that those who read our magazine, participate in the online discussion forums, fly-ins, safety seminars, etc, are more likely to be safer for a number of reasons.
To summarize – please fly using excellent judgment, and encourage others to do the same. If you know of Cirrus pilots who are unfamiliar with COPA, please let me know. I will do what it takes to get them involved.
Please fly safely!
Thank you,
Mike Radomsky
President
Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association
Notes:
The 2007 CPPP Schedule is available at: http://www.cirruspilots.org/public/cppp/schedule.htmlhttp://www.cirruspilots.org/public/newsevents/displaynewsorevent.pl?id=161&type=E
The Cirrus Envelope of Safety document is available here: http://www.cirruslink.com/mycirrus/downloads/WeatherDecision-makingCard.
We each need to make a personal commitment to flying more safely. As a Cirrus pilot I intend to take the following steps today:
· Review the Envelope of Safety at http://www.cirruslink.com/mycirrus
· Review my personal weather minimum
· Review winter weather flying techniques, including reviewing the AFM sections on the TKS system if it is installed
· Review methods of getting the best weather information before flying and how to use available in flight weather information to complete my trip safely.
· Review all my alternatives while flying.
As Cirrus pilots, we owe ourselves, our passengers, and our families a professional approach to operating our airplanes. More than anything else, this means safety. It means that we are proficient at risk management, information management, and aircraft automation management – all the things that Cirrus transition and recurrent training are intended to support.
Please take advantage of the resources that Cirrus and COPA have provided to you to enable you to fly at the highest level of safety. Together we must increase our continued focus on safety. Please think about safety!
Alan Klapmeier
Cirrus Design Co-Founder & CEO