The Project

Since I returned from Germany, I've been thinking about a way to change the current situation of the aviation culture in Mexico.

It isn't going to be by joining an aviation organization or by asking the government to change or reform aviation rules and standards. That can always help, of course, but there has to be a better way to change everything. That is, as I've always thought and said, with education. You have to solve something from the bottom of the problem. The problem in mexican aviation is the poor training, poor knowledge and the lack of student pilot and training resources. When that changes, there will be changes. Sounds obvious, doesn't it? It's a slow process, but it has to start somewhere, sometime.

Let me tell you a story. When I started flight training in Guadalajara, the flight school told me I had to buy the supplies from them. They were: The Jeppesen Student Flight Bag, the Jeppesen Private Pilot Textbook, a navigation plotter, a 1970s World Aeronautical Chart and a E6-B Flight Computer. I told them I was going to buy everything directly from the Jeppesen pilot store. Besides, If I had bought those things in Mexico, it would have costed as twice as much. You can't buy mexican-made supplies. Simply because there aren't any.
So, that's one of the problems I want to address: The lack of student pilot resources. With these resources you gain more knowledge (of how training must be done, the mexican aviation structure, regulations, etc) and help with being more proficient in the practical part of flight training. That way you change things from the beginning. From education. If the aeronautical personnel is well trained and qualified at the educational institutions, you get the foundation of a great aviation culture.

What I've done so far is writing the chapters for a pilot's textbook. I won't get into details, but it's something that hasn't been done in 40 years. I just finished designing a pilot's logbook that is more complex, has more types of entries and content than the one used and sold in Mexico. I think if it's used nationwide, it might help reduce the false entries the majority of pilots are known to do. It's not a problem of the logbook design used today, of course, but the culture and education itself.

I'm now thinking if I should better start writing a basic student pilot's flight manual to be used during the practical part of the private pilot training, instead of a basic to advanced aeronautical knowledge textbook. The student pilot's manual should contain basic information like an introduction, a bit of aerodynamics and aircraft systems, how to get weather information for any flight, preflight actions, flight operations and maneuvers, aircraft performance, documentation and manuals, air transit and basic meteorology and navigation.

Anything that I decide to write and do will help the cause. Perhaps in the future I could plan a Startup company. Everything can be added to the project that will help improving mexican aviation in general.