23 Mar 2010

CAA educates pilots on mountain flying

6:41 pm on 23 March 2010

The Civil Aviation Authority says pilot error in mountainous terrain is responsible for the deaths of at least 29 people in the past 15 years.

The CAA is putting on a series of seminars for pilots around the country to help increase awareness of the risks of mountain flying.

The CAA's main speaker, Jim Rankin, says pilots sometimes underestimate the challenges of flying through mountains, despite history showing it can be deadly.

He says even experts can get into trouble if they do not regard the unique threats posed by the environment.

Mr Rankin says simply sitting in on the seminar is not enough and all pilots need to get training to improve their mountain flying.

A syllabus change means next year all aviation students will have to complete at least five hours of mountain flying training before they can graduate.