by Jay Carpenter
On Saturday, July 10, 2010, the Texas Aviation Association hosted a Safety Day at the Georgetown Municipal Airport (GTU). The venue was at the grand opening of the new Aero Centex Fixed Base of Operations. Over 70 pilots and aviation enthusiasts attended the four-hour seminar which featured experts in aviation safety.
At 1000 local time, the fly-in / drive-in safety event started under cloudy skies, cool for a Texas July day. The color guard, represented by the Air Force Junior ROTC from Leander High School, presented the American Flag while being over flown by Falcon Flight, a group of four RV aircraft led by Stu McCurdy.
Among the guest speakers was Bill Gunn, safety director for the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division. Bill gave the most recent updates about the new fuel coming to general aviation, emergency locator devices and how funding works between the FAA, TxDOT Aviation and community airports.
NBAA regional representative Steve Hadley also spoke. Hadley’s presentation was focused on the importance for owner operators of a professional standard of performance and the importance of maintaining a more frequent routine of proficiency training to aid in maintaining safety for them in the use of their aircraft.
The rest of the program was shared by GTU tower chief Shannon Thomas, Carol Jensen who specializes in simulation training and had her new Cirrus simulator at the FBO, and Gary Stamper who is from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Flight Safety District Office in San Antonio.
