A New Way of Flight Training… - American Bonanza Society

www.bonanza.org
ABS Air Safety Foundation
By Thomas P. Turner
Coming Attractions
2012 will be the year when ABS
members say, “Look at what the
ABS Air Safety Foundation does for
me!” Watch for these products and
services in the coming months, and
take advantage of the opportunities
they’ll provide:
• BPPP Online will debut in March.
This major new resource, an alternate
to the ongoing traditionally
scheduled BPPP events, permits you
to take the ground school portion
of our popular BPPP Initial flight
training clinics at your own pace,
then schedule a flight with a BPPPstandardized
instructor close to your
home to complete your Flight Review
and (if you qualify) Instrument
Proficiency Check. The concept is
to provide the same high-quality experience
as a live BPPP clinic, on
your schedule at a far lower cost.
We anticipate demand for this
program will be great, and that
means there is opportunity for
additional flight instructors to
meet this need, particularly in key
geographical areas. If you are a
current CFI/CFII with experience
instructing in Beechcraft and want
to learn more, contact BPPP Administrator
Mike Kaufman at captmick@
bppp.org or 920-267-6973.
Current areas of need:
Within 100 Miles of:
Amarillo, TX
Omaha, NE
Quincy, IL
Medford, OR
Charleston, SC
Buffalo, NY
Within 250 Miles of:
Dickenson, ND
Great Falls, MT
In addition, BPPP is seeking instructors
having a U.S. instructor’s
certificate and a Canadian instructors
certificate with examining authority
in Canada.
Preference will be given for MEIs
with Baron/Travel Air experience. Indicate
if you have specific experience
in E-Series Bonanzas, fuel-injected
Bonanzas/Debonairs, turbocharged/
turbonormalized airplanes, Travel Airs,
Barons, and the 58P/58TC; teaching
in single-control airplanes; and G1000,
Aspen or other advanced avionics.
• ABS Maintenance Academy will
kick off by early summer. The
Academy will take qualified A&P
mechanics and IAs and teach
them the Beech-specific tips and
techniques found in ASF’s Landing
Gear and Flight Controls guides,
guide mechanics on sources for
parts and services to maintain our
Beechcraft, and show them what
our expert inspectors look for in
Service Clinic inspections.
Imagine finding mechanics all
over the country who have this depth
of Beech-specific knowledge, and
are able to apply Service Clinic-level
attention to your airplane every time
you have it in the shop. If you know a
mechanic you’d like to participate in
the Academy, send his/her name and
contact information to ABS at asf@
bonanza.org. Space will be very
limited. We’ll begin a database from
which to make invitations when the
course is ready.
Don’t forget the live BPPP Flight
Training Clinics, which will continue
unchanged, for pilots who prefer a
full immersion instructional experience
(see www.bppp.org for the 2012
schedule) and the Air Safety Foundation
Service Clinic program (see
www.bonanza.org).
This is all possible only through
your tax-deductible donations to the
ABS Air Safety Foundation. You may
donate online on the ASF page of
www.bonanza.org, by calling the
office at 316-945-1700, or by mailing
a check to ABS headquarters in
Wichita. Thanks for helping make
2012 a banner year for ABS members
and the Air Safety Foundation.
—TT
Thomas P. Turner
Executive Director
asf@bonanza.org
8 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY JANUARY 2012