engleski

SAFETY ISSUES FOR GENERAL AVIATION CATEGORY IN EUROPE

Differentiating aircraft categories as well as related standards and regulations is obviously necessary and selfexplanatory. However, differentiating aircraft categories in our strategic policy to achieve a final mission in aviation safety, security and system efficiency, could misslead us and result with an barrier to achieve it. We have recently whitnessed two accidents involving General Aviation (GA): "small" aircraft striking into a Pirelli tower and another "small" aircraft causing SAS "large" aircraft crash in Italy. Research on General Aviation safety issues points out that GA is treated as "secondary" aviation, of less priority, and in some regions as marginal. Nevertheless, whether we like it or not, GA is a part of aviation system, and system cannot be safe if one of the chain-couplings is weak, or consequently can create "unsafe skies" as mentioned accidents proves. Recently FAA's new safety programs included General Aviation safety issues, and positive benefits are evident, but not everywhere equally and not globally, and it is continuously treated as a separate part of aviation. Regulations for GA are not harmonized or not even implemented (JAA's JAR OPS 2). We know findings of SAFA program for large aircraft, but can you imagine what results we would find out if GA have undergone same program equally? GA offers, as a rule, the lowest-paying employment opportunities in aviation industry (causing high turnover of professional staff), while individual ownership struggles between cost effectiveness vs. safety, resulting with decreasing quality and safety. On a large scale, quantitative evaluations of economy impact, number of passengers or flight hours are often neglected or underestimated and GA is considered as a minor, yet positive and significant growth trends are evident. It is therefore suggested, as initiative for a correction to the strategic directions within safety issues, to treat GA equally. We have to change attitude and approach to GA and we have to change culture of GA itself to achieve safety, security and system efficiency in aviation, and the only way to do it is to implement more rigorous and higher rules and standards.

general aviation; safety; SAFA; IASA; JAA; JAR; ECAC; EUROCONTROL

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