SAFA to offer upset recovery training in Saudi Arabia

The programme will deliver the skills required to safely prevent and recover from an airplane upset, a precursor to Loss-of-Control In Flight (LOC-I) - the leading cause of fatalities in aviation worldwide. LOC-I is defined as flight that occurs outside of the normal flight envelope with an inability of the pilot to control the aircraft. 
In order to deliver the program, SAFA has partnered with Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), the global-leader in providing Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT). SAFA recently took delivery of an Extra 330LX Unlimited Category Aerobatic Aircraft to conduct the UPRT program.
Captain William Roe, SAFA managing director said, “The Extra 330LX was chosen due to its’ extraordinary operating envelope of +/-10 Gs, which creates an exceptional margin of safety while conducting Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. We have partnered with APS, because they have a proven record of providing fully comprehensive and guaranteed life saving skills, to enhance a pilot’s ability to recognize, avoid and recover from virtually any airplane upset, unusual altitude or stall/spin entry flight condition.”
“Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I) been identified as the number one cause of fatal aircraft accidents world-wide over the past 10 years. Now with the UPRT program available in Saudi Arabia, SAFA opens up great opportunities to our ab-initio cadet pilots, professional pilots, and airlines in the region. SAFA will currently be the only civilian flight academy in the GCC to provide a comprehensive, industry-compliant UPRT program. I have personally completed the course and can verify that it provides transferable skills necessary to deliberately and safely prevent and, if necessary, recover from aircraft upsets and stalled flight conditions applicable to a wide diversity of general aviation and commercial airplanes.”

Paul Ransbury, the president of Aviation Performance Solutions, said: "It is a great honor to welcome SAFA as a licensed provider of several key APS Upset Prevention and Recovery Training services in the Middle East. SAFA is dedicated to producing pilots equipped to significantly reduce the risk of loss of control in-flight both during licensing training and subsequently throughout their careers”.

The first UPRT training course at SAFA is expected to start in November 2014 and will be available for not only SAFA’s ab-initio cadets but professional pilots as well.

PICTURED: Captain William Roe briefs Captain Giovanni Cannale on the UPRT course