The Training and Certification of the General Aviation Pilot

In a recent review of hundreds of aviaton safety accident/incident reports and interviews with general aviation pilots and instructor pilots the author concluded that the most significant impact on the safety record of aviation can be made through research and policies affecting the training and certification of general aviation pilots. This paper summarizes some of the accident statistics of general aviation, reviews the training and certification processes of the general aviation pilots, and recommends several means of improving general aviation safety.