SmartPilot.ca celebrates first anniversary

Canada’s single source web portal for all things related to flying safely recently celebrated the first anniversary of its launch. By all accounts it is proving that the need and interest for a simple, one stop site for general aviation is very real.

SmartPilot.ca continues to grow and refine itself with more new, purpose developed material going on-line each quarter. Further videos – many of which have been designed in response to user request/input – are currently in development. “White papers” and articles covering various interests and subjects are also being fed into the site.

A comprehensive third party research program was conducted through the first quarter of this year. The results have confirmed that the general aviation community continues growing their following of SmartPilot.ca. It also gave some important feedback about site content and design and provided solid recommendations for maturing the project. The research also reaffirmed that pilots are embracing the convenience of home or self review. This helps make SmartPilot.ca ideal and well received.

Since January of this year through to the beginning of May, the six most popular pages viewed are:

1. “Recency” page (allows completion of Transport Canada Recency on-line from SmartPilot.ca),
2. “Airmanship Videos”,
3. “VFR into IMC” Videos,
4. “Flight Training” Videos,
5. “Airmanship” Articles,
6. The interactive “Ask ATC” section

Segment Review 

“VFR into IMC” has been a popular addition (one among the many new videos that were developed for this site). The premise is based on the simple question “How long can a pilot who has no instrument training expect to live after they fly into bad weather and experience loss of visual contact with the ground?”

If you have not had a look at this informative and enlightening section and would like to, you will find it at – http://smartpilot.ca/airmanship/airmanship-features/143-airmanship/airmanshipfeatures/

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New material currently in production and slated for release over the next few months includes:

1. Winter Flying – Tips for Cold Temperature Pre-Flight Inspections, Ice and Snow Covered Aerodromes, De-Icing Considerations, Navigation during the winter months and Operating your engine in cold weather – to be released fall 2014.
2. Float Flying – Beaching – released July 2014 and Dealing with Currents – to be released August 2014.
3. Upset Training – additional units on Stall/Spin turning Final Roll vs. Pull, The Big Push –
4. Engine Failure on Takeoff and The Improbable 180 – when/if you should return to the runway following an engine failure.
5. ELT’s and You – Various interactive scenarios dealing with SAR times.
6. Back to Basics – instructor/student learning various PPL exercises to sharpen pilot skills with first modules – to be released in August 2014.
7. Rust-Removers – reviewing current rated pilots and those getting back into the cockpit after an absence and what to look for, review and brush up on.

Ted Rankine, project manager notes “To date SmartPilot.ca has written, developed, produced and posted over 40 new video segments covering over a dozen different subject areas. We have also assembled a vast amount of existing material, articles and interactive courses. The focus of SmartPilot.ca is better and safer aviation practices through education and renewal of skills and airmanship. If we help just one pilot avoid an incident or worse yet SAR call out – even in-part through something reviewed with us – then we have done our job.”