Charting a Path Through the Storm: General Aviation Weather Training Recommendations

Abstract

For general aviation (GA) pilots, weather was the primary contributing factor for 25% of accidents between 1982 and 2013 (Fultz & Ashley, 2016). All GA pilots must complete the same certification exam and requirements, however not all GA pilots are receiving the same depth of training. Depending on their flight school, pilots-in-training may be lacking important opportunities to practice applying weather theory to aviation. Attending to this gap in training by providing more opportunities to practice applying their weather knowledge may help reduce the number of weather-related accidents in GA. This paper outlines certification requirements and guidelines to become a private pilot, clarifies weather-knowledge requirements, outlines how pilots currently learn their weather, and makes training recommendations to potentially reduce the number of weather-related accidents in GA.