Signal Charlie

From AOPA e-pilot
General aviation could provide a solution for the gnawing problem of runway incursions that affects every segment of aviation, AOPA Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Bruce Landsberg told the NTSB on March 27 during a “Runway Incursion Forum.” The forum marked the 30-year anniversary of the world’s worst aviation accident, the collision between two Boeing 747s on a foggy runway in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Landsberg was one of the featured panelists for the daylong forum in Washington, D.C. “Distraction remains enemy No. 1,” said Landsberg, “and multi-tasking makes you stupid. When the aircraft is moving on the ground, 100 percent of our attention needs to be focused on where we are and where we’re going.” The national system is averaging about 330 runway incursions a year, although only 10 percent of those were serious enough that they could have led to an accident. But as Landsberg pointed out, GA already has some solutions, including portable cockpit technology and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Runway Safety online course, that could be adapted to all segments of aviation.