Attention: Airport Managers, Fixed Base Operators, Flying Clubs, EAA Chapters, etc.

The Michigan Department of Transportation would like to invite you to sponsor a pilot safety seminar in your area. As sponsor, we ask that you arrange a meeting location of adequate size for the anticipated crowd. Additionally, many sponsors choose to provide refreshments. Seminars are generally scheduled on weeknights but have also been very successful on Saturdays as well. They have been well-attended at on-airport locations as well as other facilities such as school auditoriums or community centers.

We will be happy to conduct the entire seminar, or you may wish to invite a local speaker to participate. If there is a particular subject you would like to see addressed, we may be able to produce a custom briefing. Seminars usually consist of two speakers and begin at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays (we prefer Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) or anytime on Saturdays. They typically run two and one-half hours. All seminars are open to the public and are free of charge. We need at least six weeks lead time to print and mail meeting notices.

Our programs are co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration, Grand Rapids, Detroit, and South Bend FSDOs and qualify for the FAA Pilot Proficiency (Wings) Program. Cards showing proof of attendance will be available.

This year, we have several new programs under development including:

• The New Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft Rule
• "I Wish I Hadn't Done That!"
• Federal Aviation Regulation Review
• Multi-engine Aerodynamics and Procedure Review
• Fatigue: "Too Tired to Fly"
• Medical Certification: Common Problems and Solutions

In addition to the topics listed above, other briefings that are still available include:

• The Top 10 Things Every VFR Pilot Should Know.
• The Top 10 Things Every IFR Pilot Should Know.
• How to Get a Good Weather Briefing.
• Hazards at Airports.
• Flying with Kids.
• Distractions: It's the Little Things That'll Get You.
• Weather in the Cockpit.
• Rules of Thumb.
• Aeronautical Charts - There's More There Than You Realize.
• The ABCs of GPS Approaches.
• Basics of GPS.
• Learning to Go Around.
• Risk Management.
• Situational Awareness in the Cockpit.
• Lessons From Mountain Flying Pilots for Flatlanders.
• Rogue Pilots.
• It's Legal, But is It Safe?
• Flying in Canada?
• Stability, & Performance, Weight & Balance.
• Runway Incursions - When Things Go Bump in the Fog/Night.
• Signs of the Times, Runway & Airport Markings.
• Cockpit Resource Management for the Single Pilot.
• Nocturnal No-No's.
• Keeping Your Cool When Things Get Hot.
• A Stabilized Approach to a Good Landing.
• Airport Support Groups. It's Now or Maybe Never!
• Over the Pond and Beyond. Discusses the best way to cross over the Great Lakes and what to do if a ditching is necessary.
• Ten Commandments of Aviation Safety. A humorous look at various "aviation rules" we must fly by.
• Illusions, Delusions, and Confusion. Discusses many cockpit illusions and spatial disorientation.
• CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain).
• Aviation Communication Needs.
• Survival: "Stayin' Alive."
• Anatomy of an Instrument Approach.
• Stalls, Spins, and Other Deadly Sins.
• Winter Flying IS Different.

Please contact Bob Riffel at 517-335-9915 or riffelr@michigan.gov to schedule a seminar in your area.