Alaska News

Upcoming safety seminar focuses on perils of winter flying in Alaska

The Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation will hold its annual fall safety seminar Nov. 15 in the Z.J. Loussac Library Assembly Chambers in Anchorage. The special focus will be on flying under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions with two speakers visiting from Outside: Dr. Bill Rhodes from Aerworthy Consulting and Dale Wilson, aviation professor at Central Washington University.

Dr. Rhodes, who formerly headed the Philosophy Department at the U.S. Air Force Academy and is a longtime pilot with a Cessna 210, specializes in professional ethics and the research of risk. According to an article in General Aviation News, by analyzing simulator results, Rhodes looks for pilot attitudes and how that can be quantified into safe flying with an eye toward general aviation training. He is scheduled to "walk" attendees through a typical simulator session and discuss aviation professionalism.

Professor Wilson, who holds an Air Transport Pilot certificate, joined the CWU faculty in 1996 where he teaches courses dealing with flight crew physiology, psychology and safety, including aviation safety management and aviation weather. His research areas include pilot decision making -- especially as it applies to continued VFR flight into deteriorating weather -- visual landing illusions and night flying.

Wilson will be providing attendees with tips on avoiding inadvertent VFR into IMC and staying safe while night flying.

This safety seminar is open and free to the public. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the seminar will follow from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be available to purchase onsite from local food trucks. For more information contact the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation at aasfonline@gmail.com or 907-243-7237.

Contact Colleen Mondor at colleen@alaskadispatch.com

Colleen Mondor

Colleen Mondor is the author of "The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska." Find her at chasingray.com or on Twitter @chasingray.

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