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  • Vectors for Safety

    Published in the interest of aviation safety by Gene Benson

    Please remember - Always fly like your life depends on it!

     

    Looking for Gene Benson's site? Click here.

     

    "Combatting Cognitive Decline in Pilots"

    New course vakid for Wings credit!

     

    Free Online Course Courtesy of Avemco Insurance

     

    This course discusses the main cognitive skills used by pilots, why each skill is important for safe flying, and strategies to slow the normal decline in these skills associated with aging. The course will require approximately one hour to complete.

    The course is valid for 1 Credit, Basic Knowledge Topic-3 in the FAA Wings Pilot Proficiency Program. To earn wings credit, you must view all the pages and successfully complete a 15-question, multiple choice quiz.

    FAA Accredited Activity: BRIGHTSPOT-cog-dec-0924

    Qualifies for Avemco Safety Rewards

  • Avemco Safety Rewards Program

     

    Avemco Insurance Company is a proud sponsor of Gene Benson. All online courses qualify for the Avemco Safety Rewards Program. Click here to learn more.

     

  • FEATURED PROGRAM

    Our program"Just This Once" also has a special "Fuel Edition", a "Landings Edition, and a "Taxi and Ground Operations Edition!"

     

    Have you ever realized just before doing something that what you are about to do is contrary to a standard procedure, a regulation, an ethical belief, or something a mentor told you not to do? Everyone can most likely answer in the affirmative to that If they are being completely honest. It will be fine just this once may have fleetingly passed through yourconscious mind.
    In most cases, the action did not end badly. The driver who made the trip to the nearby convenience store without fastening the seatbelt did not have an accident. The tradesman who did not wear eye protection when using a power saw did not have an eye injury. The pilot who took off without visually checking the fuel quantity did not experience fuel exhaustion.
    We do not know of the multitude of times a person silently said, it will be fine just this once and had a successful outcome. But we do know of many times that a bad outcome followed.
    Our humanness often pushes us to engage in “just this once” activities and then reinforces successful outcomes with an increased willingness to repeat the practice.
    This programs/videos examine how we are often led down the dangerous “just this once” path, but more importantly provides some practical ways to avoid this trap.
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    "Just This Once"

    Click the image to view the primary video "Just This Once." Or, better yet, click here to take the course, Valid for FAA Wings credit upon completion.

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    "Just this Once - Fuel Edition"

    Click the image to view the special Fuel Edition of the "Just This Once" program.

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    "Just this Once - Landings Edition"

    Click the image to view the special Landings Edition of the "Just This Once" program.

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    "Just this Once - Taxi and Ground Operations"

    Click the image to view the special Taxi and Ground Operations Edition of the "Just This Once" program.

  • About Our Safety Initiative

     

    History

    The Safety Initiative was started by Gene Benson in 2004. He was moved to begin the project after five of his friends were involved in five serious aircraft crashes over a five-year period. All were experience, highly qualified, and responsible pilots. Four of them died in the crashes and one was left with life-changing injuries. Four of the five pilots earned their living by flying. The fifth pilot had a different profession but was a flight instructor giving dual instruction at the time of the crash.

     

    Those tragedies made Gene realize that accidents happen even to good, conscientious pilots, not just to poorly trained, reckless, or careless pilots. Gene decided to explore aviation safety in more depth so that he could perhaps learn some lessons that could be used to help prevent accidents.

     

    The Safety Initiative ran for 14 years as part of Gene's personal website, genebenson.com. In 2018, it had outgrown its home on Gene's site and earned its own site, taking the name "Vectors for Safety" after the title of the original newsletter that Gene produced beginning in 2004.

    Mission Statement

    Vectors for Safety is dedicated to helping general aviation pilots be better and safer through the production and distribution of safety information via a wide range of media. Our goal is to deliver accurate, appropriate, understandable material to general aviation pilots of all experience levels.

    Accomplishments

    Like in any safety work, we can never know the accident we might have prevented or life we might have saved. But we have spread a safety message to many pilots throughout the world.

     

    As of early January of 2022, we have conducted more than 200 live safety presentations in nine states and we have produced and conducted more than 420 live webinars. We rotate our online courses of which we have featured more than 60. Presently, there are 7 active courses online. We have produced more than 40 videos of which 28 are presently available. Our total video views exceed 370,000. To date, Safety Initiative events, presentations, and activities have been responsible for the issuance of more than 29,000 FAA Wings credits.

     

    These accomplishments could not have been possible without the generous donation of time, treasure, and talent from our sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Beginning January 2022, Avemco Insurance became the exclusive sponsor of Vectors for Safety, enabling us to move forward with additional quality content.

    The Future

    The pandemic of 2020-2021, and into 2022, brought our live, onsite presentations to a pause. To make up for that, we increased the frequency of our webinars and written material. We have also been doing research on improved ways to present safety material, with a heavy emphasis on virtual learning. We are happy to have resumed producing and presenting live, onsite programs. We are happy to present virtual or onsite programs to groups of pilots either with or without FAA Wings credit. Virtual programs are generally presented free-of-charge while in-person events may require some minimal travel expenses to be covered. To discuss a program for your group, please contact gene@genebenson.com

     

    Want to be part of the Safety Initiative? Want to volunteer your knowledge and talents? Let's start a conversation. Just send an email to gene@genebenson.com and tell us about yourself or your company and how you would like to participate.

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