EAA joins coalition to launch National Pause

EAA joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and other pilot organizations, with the support of the FAA Safety Team, to launch the 2025 National Pause for General Aviation Safety on Tuesday at the SUN ‘N FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.

EAA contributed many of its safety-related videos and materials to the joint initiative, which aims to improve general aviation safety further. It encourages every general aviation pilot to take 15-60 minutes in the next six months to sharpen their focus on safe flight operations by reviewing at least one of more than three dozen carefully curated safety videos, articles, and more, at GAsafe.org.

Despite several high-profile accidents this year, general aviation has never been safer thanks to improved cockpit technologies, training methods, programs and tools, regulatory frameworks, and industry collaboration.

In the past 30 years, the general aviation fatal accident rate fell by 60 percent from a high in 1994 of 1.73 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours to only 0.68 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2023. And early data suggests that 2024 was even safer.

The coalition of more than a dozen pilot organizations is urging their members to go to GAsafe.org and choose from dozens of aviation-safety-related options, to find at least one most relevant to their flying. Pilots can participate in the National Pause for GA Safety individually or in groups. They can earn FAA WINGS credit and receive a digital badge to post to their social media accounts.

Along with EAA, the full list of organizations joining the initiative includes:

1. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)
2. American Bonanza Society (ABS)
3. Citation Jet Pilots (CJP)
4. Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
5. FAA Safety Briefing
6. FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam)
7. Flight School Association of North America (FSANA)
8. National Air Transportation Association (NATA)
9. National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA)
10. North American Trainer Association
11. National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
12. National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
13. National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA)
14. Piper M-Class Owners and Pilots Association (PMOPA)
15. Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF)
16. Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA)
17. Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE)
18. The Ninety-Nines, Inc., International Organization of Women Pilots (99’s)
19. United States Parachute Assoc (USPA)
20. Vertical Aviation International (VAI)