Partnership will "Increase the Awareness, Accessibility, and Safety of Recreational Flying"

Redbird Flight, manufacturer of flight simulators and training devices, came out in force to Sun 'n Fun 2024, with all kinds of new goodies in tow.

Their new friends at the Recreational Aviation Foundation have kept up their momentum in keeping a presence at the yearly fly-in, helping them to support the development of future pilots, hone the active ones, and improve safety for all. The new initiative between Redbird and the RAF aims to rectify a shortfall of resources in the industry that leave pilots of all stripes behind the power curve when operating outside the bounds of standard, developed airports. Together they'll provide "marketing and training materials that support pilots and prospective pilots in pursuing and developing their interests and skills in off-airport, backcountry, and recreational flying." It's good to see the RAF adding to its network of friends and partners, after the group got the assistance of Daher (by way of Kodiak) at Sun 'n Fun 2023.

“The pilot shortage has caused many flight training providers to focus their operations primarily on recruiting and training professional pilot candidates,” said Redbird COO Charlie Gregoire. “Consequently, pilots interested in pursuing recreational flying opportunities are left with little support beyond the typical $100 hamburger run. This new initiative with the RAF will broaden exposure to the many flying activities outside of training for a new certificate or rating and arm pilots with information for how to approach them safely.”

The new materials will be released in both written and video formats at zero cost to pilots or training providers. THe RAF and Redbird will go on to release training scenarios for use in the Redbird subscription-based "personalized proficiency training app," Redbird Pro. The initial releases will focus on what to pack and avoid for recreational flying adventures, how to evaluate potential landing zones, how to read winds by eye, tailwind landing techniques, non-standard traffic patterns, basic first aid and triage, and finally 'leave no trace' and 'good-neighbor flying'.

“This partnership with Redbird is exciting and yet one more piece in the aviation puzzle," said RAF Chairman John McKenna. "We hope this excites a few more folks about aviation and perhaps the joy of recreational flying.”

To commemorate the partnership, Redbird has made a special livery for one MX2 aviation training device in the RAF's favorite colors. Passers-by and pilots are welcome to come try their hand at the FTD flight sim, and take a sec to polish their skills just a little bit more.

FMI: www.redbirdflight.com, www.theraf.org