Expert Opinion
AIN Blog: Could Mandatory Training Lower the Accident Rate?
The FAA's approach to pilot training has some serious holes when it comes to complex aircraft.
The author flying the SF50 with Cirrus Vision Jet product line manager Matt Bergwall. (Photo: Matt Thurber)
The author flying the SF50 with Cirrus Vision Jet product line manager Matt Bergwall. (Photo: Matt Thurber)

Having recently flown Cirrus Aircraft’s remarkable single-engine SF50 Vision jet, I couldn’t help wondering about the training required by the FAA for new Vision Jet pilots and at the same time the lack of training required for pilots flying far more complex and demanding airplanes.

The FAA’s attitude about mandatory training for larger and more complex airplanes is surprisingly lackadaisical. The day I earned my multiengine rating in a tired old Piper Apache, the FAA considered me qualified to blast off IFR in a turboprop MU-2, Twin Commander, King Air or any number of then-popular piston twins that were a much bigger handful to fly compared to the Apache.

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Matt Thurber
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