Western aviation professor launches new safety training mobile app

In general aviation, studies reveal 97 per cent of all accidents are caused by pilot error. To prevent these accidents, some pilots complete safety training courses in a classroom once a year. 

 

This traditional form of education remains vital for seasoned pilots with lots of experience but a new mobile application developed at Western University will provide invaluable virtual “life lessons” for less experienced pilots.

Created by Suzanne Kearns of Western’s Commercial Aviation Management program, m-Safety (https://www.m-safety.ca/) provides world-class safety training to all pilots. The app can be used to supplement the training of airline pilots and also provides general aviation pilots (GA) affordable access to safety training.

“Good pilots obviously need the technical skills required to fly an aircraft but they also need non-technical, safety skills to manage outside-the-box challenges,” says Kearns. “This app is designed for good pilots who already understand how to fly an aircraft. The goal with m-Safety is to help these good pilots understand, in more detail, the strengths and limitations of being a human being.”

According to Kearns, human pilots, as opposed to automated systems, can only pay attention to so many things, remember so many items and stay awake for so long before they begin making mistakes. These natural limitations are a main reason why pilot error is the primary cause of aviation accidents.

Recently released on iTunes by WORLDiscoveries® (https://www.worldiscoveries.ca/), m-Safety delivers five-minute interactive “snap” courses once or twice a week. Studies show that this kind of training results in better retention than the traditional once-a-year concept of recurrent training. 

m-Safety is free to download and try, and costs $9.99 for a full module through an in-app purchase.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Renaud, Senior Media Relations Officer, 519-661-2111, ext. 85165, jrenaud9@uwo.ca