One of my first staff meetings was with Mike Kerwin, Avemco's Vice President of Analytics. I tried not to act surprised at the PowerPoint slide with more numbers on it than I'd EVER seen on a PowerPoint slide. To alleviate my unease Mike said "Don't fall in love with any one number." At first I thought he was kidding, but as he patiently led me into the corporate jungle of important data and reports Avemco analyzes, I gained a better understanding of the process and how it impacts the business and our products.

Ok, I got all that!

After my first few weeks on the job, with my head full of what I was trying to absorb, I did what any self-respecting pilot would do, I took to the air to relieve the stress. I still keep my CFI certificate active and provide flight instruction to a small circle of longtime friends here at the Frederick (Maryland) Municipal Airport. I was giving instruction to a fellow "old guy" who was learning "glass" for the first time. Although he is a highly experienced aviator, this was his first flight without the familiar "steam gauges" that he had come to know and love in decades of flying. I could see him struggle as he tried to assimilate all the information. The best advice I could give him was the advice given to me by Mike Kerwin. "Don't fall in love with any one number!" The glass screens presented vastly more information than he was used to seeing in the cockpit and, like anyone new to advanced technology, he tended to focus on one or two pieces of information. One of the fantastic things about new avionics technology is that critical information is often presented in multiple formats so you can customize your view. As we worked on landings, I could see that he had difficulty incorporating the "tape" representation of airspeed into his scan. Same with the VSI and altitude displays. We spent a few hours at cruise altitude on a cross country flight just so he could familiarize himself with where to look for what he needed. More than any other phase of flight training, transitioning to glass cockpits is the time when the phrase "get the big picture" matters most. I fly with some teenage students who can far outmaneuver me when it comes to new cockpit technology. But that's not what it's all about. It's still an airplane and it still demands to be flown with good airmanship, regardless of what type of technology is installed in the panel.

My transitioning student assimilated the change pretty well (for an old guy!) and is happily and safely plying the skies with the latest and greatest in avionics technology. But every time I see him, he reminds me that he's "keeping the big picture in mind."

Flying is about numbers: proper Vspeeds, rate of climb, minimum safe altitude, maximum useful load, and so forth, all of which are important. Maybe you don't like numbers but they demand our attention as pilots. In nearly every pilot related airplane accident I see, somebody, somewhere failed to pay attention to the numbers. True, that's our business, but we'd love to see a reduction in these types of losses! We've grown close to our customers and consider them to be part of our extended aviation family. And we'd like them be around to do business with us in the future!

The AOPA Air Safety Institute recently completed their third pass at the safety record of glass panel GA airplanes¹. The first review, released in 2005 was as in-depth as could be, considering there had been so few accidents involving glass panel GA aircraft at the time. Nearly six years later, we've managed to crash a fair number of these newer airplanes, enough anyway to see the trends.

GA airplanes have simply gotten too complicated for no good reason. Slick marketing sold us the bill of goods on much of the new technology, saying that it would make flying easier and safer. Not to sound like an old guy or anything but give me back the days of a VFR equipped single nav-com trainer with a transponder. (Or without one!) In the competitive rush to outdo the competition, avionics manufacturers have incorporated feature after feature into new products that have had negligible effects on the general aviation safety record.

The automobile industry has gone through a similar course with regard to technology. The inclusion of gadgets in new automobiles has reached the point where they impact safety negatively. So much so that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in March held hearings on manufacturer standardization in an effort to reduce distraction to drivers who insist on surfing the web or downloading mp3 music files while traveling at 80 mph on the turnpike². Federal statistics show that 5,474 people were killed in automobiles and about 448,000 were injured in 2009 in crashes in which distracted driving played a role. Drivers who use handheld devices are four times as likely to get into a serious crash, research has shown³.

It's tougher to define the trends working with general aviation statistics since, there are far less data to analyze. But it stands to reason if drivers are distracted by new technology, pilots are subject to the same thing.

Don't get me wrong, the new technology is nice but it raised an eyebrow even on this old rock and roller when I found that I could page through the Garmin G-1000 and tune in Bob Dylan on the XM receiver in-flight. Nice feature, but I'm not certain that it belongs in the cockpit.

From an insurance industry perspective, the increased hull value of even the most primary trainers hurts us all. Increased hull values mean higher premiums for the customer and higher payouts from the insurers following a loss. Let's be honest with ourselves, it doesn't take a $300,000 fully IFR equipped glass cockpit airplane to get a primary student through private pilot certification. But that's what many flight schools are using.

The advent of the light sport aircraft was a bright spot on the horizon when it surfaced in the early 2000s. These low-cost, easy-to-fly machines were going to save the industry, or so we were told. Sadly, with prices of these now rising well in to the mid hundred thousands and panels that resemble airliners, the industry still struggles along, barely able to attain liftoff speed.

Are we at the mercy of misguided marketing departments? Or can GA fly out of the slump and get back up to a safe altitude?

Even a simple airplane is a fairly complex piece of machinery. You don't have to have your annual inspection scheduled for late winter (although that may be the perfect time). You should, however, give your aircraft a very good look-see before returning to regular service.

You're looking for a number of things in this pre-season start-up. It may go without saying (but maybe not) that the first thing you should do is give your airplane a detailed, close visual inspection. A great way to do this, and have some fun in the process, is to wash your airplane. Spend a few hours washing, drying, and waxing your airplane, using this time to closely inspect it for any damage, corrosion or signs of intrusion. Do this when you're not planning to fly, so you're not tempted to dismiss something unusual in your desire to get into the air.

As you clean your airplane, be consciously looking for:

Damage. Obviously, anything you find that is damaged should be addressed by a mechanic before you fly. Do your pre-season check early and schedule repairs before the weather invites you to fly.

Corrosion. Corrosion is a form of damage that can seriously diminish the airplane's load-carrying capability. Anything rusted needs to be cleaned and painted. Any control cables or springs showing rust–any rust at all–probably need to be replaced. Have your mechanic address any corrosion you find before you fly.

Intrusion. I'm not talking about forced entry or theft (although if you find anything like this, you need to look into it also). No, I'm talking about invasions from the animal world. Any twigs or dried leaves around fuselage openings suggest birds. Torn or shredded insulation or bits of shop cloths or other fabrics may indicate mice have nested in your airplane. Mud around openings or drains may indicate insects have built homes in your airplane. Animal droppings of almost all sorts are highly corrosive to airplanes, and nests, globs of mud, and the remains of dead animals can block control cables, jam control surfaces or alter cooling air flow around engines or through cabin ventilation systems. Even the slightest sign of nature intruding upon your airplane means you should pen up cowlings and access panels and take a good look around with a flashlight before you consider flying.

As the air warms and the weather improves, we all want to fly more–even if we did fly through the winter. The beginning of spring is a great time to give your airplane a good once-over to ensure it's ready when you are.