FAAST Meetings, do you recommend?

Briar Rabbit

Briar Rabbit

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Rob
Any advice on attending these seminars? They are holding the following meeting in a little town not far from where I live (Boondocks). Only one person has signed up for it with 74 seats open at one week out. Are they worthwhile or wasted time?

FAA Safety Team | Safer Skies Through Education
You have asked us to notify you when a seminar is scheduled that meets your criteria. The following seminar may be of interest to you:

"Pilot safety meeting"
Topic: Pilot preventive maintenance/Topic of the Month
 
I only go to about a dozen a year. The quality of the presenters is, as always, a variable. But the topics are fairly well thought out to cover areas where issues and problems have been seen. Overall a net plus in value to me.

Disclosure: I not only attend, I also present some.
 
I go to them when I can. More times than not, I walk away with new knowledge or a new perspective on something. Very seldom do I consider them a waste of time.
 
They’re free and focused on safety. Why not give it a try? I’ve been to a few and although I’ve never been “wowed” by any one of them, will continue to attend the ones that interest me.
 
I attend all the online ones that I find interesting. Somehow those points work towards your BFR.
 
I attend ,find them informative ,and a time to meet other pilots.
 
Leslie and I go to the local monthly meeting every month, and take some of the on-line courses.

10 years ago, when we had an engine out and had to put down on a highway, the FAA sent a couple of in specters out to review the case. At first they seemed gruff and accusatory and grilled us about maintenance, pre-flight checks and briefings and a host of other things. When they got to the question about whether we participate in the Wings program, we affirmed that we are quite active. At that point, he smiled and everything got smooth and friendly and wrapped up in a few minutes. We have missed very few meetings since then.
 
UngaWunga said:
I attend all the online ones that I find interesting. Somehow those points work towards your BFR.
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They do if you combine them with the three flight credits WINGS requires during a 12 noth period.

Extra-simplified version of the program the FAA made complicated:
WINGS requires:
  • Three knowledge credits (the seminars and online courses) and
  • Three flight credits (flying with a CFI and performing to ACS standards)
  • Each credit is for a different "Topic."
  • Each Topic has a different focus. For example, Knowledge Topic 3 is about preflight planning and risk management; Flight Topic 1 is takeoffs and landings.
I understand what they did and why. It's about the FAA's identification of accident causal factors. But they should have gotten a good program designer to avoid the complexity which puts a lot of folks off from it.
 
JOhnH said:
Leslie and I go to the local monthly meeting every month, and take some of the on-line courses.

10 years ago, when we had an engine out and had to put down on a highway, the FAA sent a couple of in specters out to review the case. At first they seemed gruff and accusatory and grilled us about maintenance, pre-flight checks and briefings and a host of other things. When they got to the question about whether we participate in the Wings program, we affirmed that we are quite active. At that point, he smiled and everything got smooth and friendly and wrapped up in a few minutes. We have missed very few meetings since then.
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That's not an unusual story. The FAA views WINGS participation as showing the infamous "compliant attitude."

It's a bit chicken and egg, but GA pilots who do WINGS apparently have a lower deviation and higher safety rate.
 
I've only been to 1 that was a waste of time. It was given by a "famous" person, Mike-0-Alpha, and I must have been the only non-fanboy in the room. He went the through the provided slides in about 15 minutes and then switched to advertising his offerings and answering fan questions about his online course.

But I got WINGS credit, so not a complete waste of time.
 
Ravioli said:
I've only been to 1 that was a waste of time. It was given by a "famous" person, Mike-0-Alpha, and I must have been the only non-fanboy in the room. He went the through the provided slides in about 15 minutes and then switched to advertising his offerings and answering fan questions about his online course.
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There are two really bad presenters. One is someone selling himself or his wares. The other is the well-meaning one who, it is obvious, is looking at the slides for the first time (most of the FAASTeam ones are pre-fab PowerPoint). The folks who are just bad at public speaking are much better.
 
Locally they are bringing a Bárány chair at the end of the month Was thinking about taking a friend who is working on his PpL.
 
benyflyguy said:
Locally they are bringing a Bárány chair at the end of the month Was thinking about taking a friend who is working on his PpL.
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I had to look that up, but that's pretty cool!
 
Depends a lot on the presenter. Normally one gets some new knowledge out of them. Also a chance to meet local pilots.
 
Mostly yes. . .and I rag on the FAA. A lot. My experience has been they are usually worth the time. Try one.
 
I help host them quarterly at the home-drome.

Most of them are excellent. Some are OK. One was bad. We started doing them around 6 years ago.

I do the cooking. Hamburgers and all the trimmings. No one has died, so I consider them on the positive side of the curve.
 
I like these faasafety seminars/meetings. These gatherings are not large so they’re easy to speak up in & frequently involve BBQ. What’s not to like?
The attendees out here are diverse; students, part 91 pilots, pipeline patrolers, homebuilters. I can easily walk away with something new or something old to think about.
 
Walboy said:
A lot of times there is THAT guy who has to let everyone know he is the smartest guy in the room. Ruins it for everyone, including the presenter. A good presenter will shut him down, but most people are basically polite and let these guys ramble on and on.
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This happens, but the hosts are generally seasoned speakers who quash that pretty fast.

Food+knowledge>ass-hat
 
I go for a number of reasons: I might learn something that can make me a safer pilot. Good attendance shows support for general aviation (It is up to us to protect our right to fly). Being present can say to others, including FAA folks, that I care about continued education (and I do believe that continued education is important). It is a chance to socialize with other pilots.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I live quite a distance from most of these meetings, this one is fairly close - 70 miles and not at an airport so will probably have to drive. It is not a topic I would prefer but will feel guilty if I don’t go. Want to encourage the feds to spend some time in our area too. Currently they have 75 seats and only one reservation with less than a week to go? So that is why I was wondering if there was something about this that makes it of questionable value. I think I will try to recruit a car pool of riders to go along.
 
Sometimes they have free food.
 
oilburner said:
I like these faasafety seminars/meetings. These gatherings are not large
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That depends, I guess, on where one is and what one considers large. I've been to and spoken at meetings with a handful of people and meetings with a couple of hundred.
 
Briar Rabbit said:
Thanks for all the feedback. I live quite a distance from most of these meetings, this one is fairly close - 70 miles and not at an airport so will probably have to drive. It is not a topic I would prefer but will feel guilty if I don’t go. Want to encourage the feds to spend some time in our area too. Currently they have 75 seats and only one reservation with less than a week to go? So that is why I was wondering if there was something about this that makes it of questionable value. I think I will try to recruit a car pool of riders to go along.
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You also want to speak with the reps there about bringing programs closer to home. Most of the impetus for this is local with a host deciding it wants programs and providing an audience and a facility. In fact, if you really want to bring programs closer to home, consider becoming a rep yourself or presenting. More and subject expertise may be better, but with many FAA programs available in prefab PowerPoint and some even fully self-running video, all it really takes to present is interest and a bit of skill in presenting and leading a discussion.

On the numbers, it's not uncommon for people to simply show up and not bother to sign up in advance. I applaud your willingness to drive 70 miles to help demonstrate interest.
 
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