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Pilot seminars planned next week

ITD's Division of Aeronautics is hosting six Safe Pilot Seminars featuring Dr. Michael Crognale and Mark Peterson.

Crognale, a professor in the University of Nevada-Reno's Department of Psychology and the Biomedical Engineering Program, does consulting and research in vision and aviation, specializing in visibility, color deficiencies and aviation human factors.

He holds a Ph.D., and is an instrument flight instructor with land and sea ratings. He will speak on “Seeing and Being Seen: Vision and the Aviation Environment” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 11), at the EAA Hangar at the Lewiston airport. He also will speak at 6 p.m. at the EAA Hangar at the Sandpoint Airport on Wednesday (Nov. 12), and at the Budweiser Centennial Distribution Building in Hayden on Thursday (Nov. 13), at 7 p.m.

Crognale will present information about human vision in the context of the aviation environment and safety. Topics to be addressed include:

how our vision really works,
night vision,
lighting in the cockpit,
external lighting,
problems with vision, and
strategies to optimize "seeing and being seen.

There also will be an interactive session with the audience to discuss questions and concepts.

Peterson, the owner of Preco Electronics in Boise and a pilot in more than 30 types of aircraft (including his current aircraft, a TF-51, Diamondback) holds an airline transport pilot rating and type ratings in the Citation 500 and 525 series.

The topic of his presentation is "The P-51, Warbirds and You." The presentations will be at 7 p.m. at the Avcenter Hangar, Nampa Airport, on Friday (Nov. 14), at the Twin Falls County Farm Bureau on Monday (Nov. 17) and the Tingey Administration Building, Room 200, University Place, Idaho Falls, on Thursday (Nov. 20).

He will discuss the illustrious and decorated history of the P-51 Mustang, including modern operations in and around non-towered airports; what should pilots expect when these and other Warbirds enter the local traffic pattern? And how do pilots safely interact with them?

All of the presentations are open to the public. For more information, contact the Division of Aeronautics at (208) 334-8775 or go to www.itd.idaho.gov/aero .