Christopher Roy
We have a new force for “aviation safety” here in Minnesota. Alan Hoffert has joined the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) as the Operations Safety Program Manager for Minnesota. Alan comes to us from the Minneapolis Flight Standards District Office where he was an Operations Inspector and joins Jim Niehoff who is our Airworthiness Safety Program Manager. The FAA Safety Team has become the focal point for safety programs in Minnesota and we welcome Alan to the team and encourage you to contact him at Alan.Hoffert@faa.gov or 612-713-4244 to welcome him aboard!
It is remarkable to look at how things have changed since the FAAST program started. Prior to the FAAST program the majority of safety seminars were live seminars presented by FAA and Mn/DOT representatives. Now there is a network of FAAST representatives that prepare and present safety programs and the number of programs has grown from around 20 a year to more than one a week. In addition to these live safety seminars, there are great online programs available through the FAAST website (FAAsafety.gov) and AOPA, as well as other providers. If you want a safety presentation for a group of pilots, the FAAST program managers have a cadre of speakers available on a wide variety of subjects and they are happy to set up a program for you.
Alan Hoffert
The FAAST Wings Program consists of safety seminar programs combined with flying. While talking about flying safely is important, piloting skills are only maintained through regular use. To that end, Mn/DOT, in conjunction with the Minnesota Council of Airports, has established the “Passport” program that rewards pilots for visiting airports around the state. Details for the Passport program can be found on our website at mndot.gov. Click on the airplane and then scroll down until you see the red Passport book.
If you are looking for a reason to go flying, check out the list of airport fly-ins and events using the link in the right hand column. We have a beautiful system of airports here in Minnesota and fly-ins are a great way to experience them.
