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Author Background

Owen Poborsky is a graduate from the University of North Dakota School of Graduate Studies, earning a Master of Science in Aviation with an emphasis in safety and flight data analysis. He is a major airline pilot in the United States and has served on safety and flight data analysis committees at the collegiate and FAA Part 121 commercial airline level. Owen is Type-Rated on the B737 and CL-65. Owen received his Bachelor of Science from the University of North Dakota in 2020.

Abstract

The nature of aviation is not without inherent risk. Conducting training flight operations increases these inherent risks. Flight data monitoring and voluntary safety action programs seek to reduce risk, as seen in their success at commercial airlines. These successes are slowly permeating into general aviation through programs such as the National General Aviation Flight Information Database (NGAFID). The NGAFID is a program funded by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows general aviation operators to have the ability to collect and share de-identified flight data on an aggregate level to identify trends and increase safety margins during flight operations. This study seeks to use data from the NGAFID to determine if the type of takeoff (initial flight takeoff, touch and go, stop and go, go-around) performed by the flight crew led to a lower indicated airspeed in a low airspeed event during climb-out. Using 262 individual low airspeed events on climb-out within the NGAFID, this study determined that a stop-and- go takeoff led to the lowest airspeed during climb-out, which could increase the chance for a stall or spin. This study also determined that low airspeed events while the aircraft was turning did not have a significant impact on the severity of the airspeed during the event.

This information is critical for flight instructors to create increased awareness of airspeed during critical phases of flight to reduce the possibility of a stall/ spin condition. Additional research is needed in the field to further reduce the fatality rate for low airspeed and stall/spin conditions. Dashboarding tools within the NGAFID can be created to further research and create methods for instructor-led student debriefings in real time regarding performance during a flight training event.

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