Flying The Bristell Light Sport Aircraft Is Easy, But Bristell’s Landing Doctor Program Can Polish Your Skills

In a recent AeroSports Update column we covered the importance of proper transition training when moving into a light sport aircraft. Bristell agrees with this and has gone a step further by producing a training program to make sport pilots ‘Masters and Commanders’ of their aircraft.

In a press release, Bristell says flying a light-sport aircraft (LSA) requires extra care in the landing and takeoff phases of flight because the planes have a light wing loading. Bristell found that according to research completed by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, light sport aircraft are 19% more likely to be involved in a landing, take-off or go-around incident than the typical heavier type certificated 2-place aircraft. Because many LSA pilots have backgrounds in flying more weighty aircraft, Bristell says learning the techniques that make these critical stages of flight smooth is the difference between enjoying the freedom of flight and costly mishaps.

Long committed to safety in flight, Lou Mancuso sees the importance of leaving a legacy of safety in flying LSAs. “My desire is to make every pilot master and commander of his ship,” says Mancuso. Seeing a trend in damage to light sport aircraft at these key moments, Mancuso knew he could share his expertise and make a difference.

Out of that commitment, Mancuso developed The Landing Doctor, a syllabus for flight school training on light-sport aircraft. “My company provides every pilot who buys a Bristell this specialized training. But in seeing these numbers, I knew we needed to think bigger than just ourselves.”

With that in mind, The Landing Doctor was developed. It includes key concepts such as Defined Go-Around Point (DFGAP), Ground Proximity Awareness (GPA) and a Personal Limitations Checklist (PLC) that support pilots in safely operating light-sport aircraft. His goal is to provide every flight school in the U.S. the material this year, expanding the reach and impact in coming years. Whether the school has LSAs as part of their training fleet or the new pilots have access to their own LSA, Mancuso is committed that the training be there to support them.

“It doesn’t matter if they are flying a Bristell, a Cub or a Gobosh,” says Mancuso, “what matters is that every pilot be trained to safely enjoy their time in the sky – and be confident in their abilities to fly these amazing aircraft”

Flight schools can request a copy of the Landing Doctor syllabus by going to the Bristell Aircraft website and clicking on the training tab. The link is provided below.

(Image provided by Bristell)

FMI: www.bristell.com/training