Event Details and Registration

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) remains a leading fatal risk in Part 91 operations, often emerging from delayed decisions as weather and visibility degrade. This seminar reframes CFIT as a decision-timing problem using a practical model (Trend → Plan → Margin → Action). Through a real-world scenario, pilots will learn to recognize when a plan becomes conditional, respond to early loss of reliable visual cues, and preserve safety margin by stopping descent and climbing before conditions deteriorate further. Emphasis is placed on Central Florida hazards including haze, rapid convection, and dense obstacle environments under the Orlando Class B shelf.

Please visit the Orlando Executive Airport FAASTeam Library web site:

 https://www.fsr-inc.org/FAAST/Seminar/Notice.aspx

From Colonial Drive turn south on Rickenbacker Dr. Continue through the Fairgreen St intersection to the end of Rickenbacker Dr. and into the parking lot. Park in any available designated spot. Walk east to the Airport Administration Building.

Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
365 Rickenbacker Dr.
Orlando, FL 32802

For additional and background information, please visit the Orlando Executive Airport FAASTeam Library web site: https://www.fsr-inc.org/FAAST/Seminar/Notice.aspx

Background
CFIT accidents rarely stem from a single mistake—they emerge from subtle visibility degradation, automation mismanagement, and incomplete terrain/obstacle awareness. Central Florida’s environment magnifies these risks: fast forming storms, haze induced horizon loss, and tall obstacles under the Class B shelf. This seminar provides actionable tools for early detection and decisive escape.

This seminar focuses on the decision chain that precedes CFIT rather than the final outcome. It examines how experienced pilots delay action under ambiguous conditions, how margin is gradually reduced, and how early, decisive responses—especially preserving or increasing altitude—prevent the need for late-stage recovery.
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Relevant ACS Elements
Private Pilot ACS
•    PA.I.D: Risk Management
•    PA.II: Preflight Weather and Planning
•    PA.IV: Navigation
•    PA.VIII: Emergency Operations
Commercial Pilot ACS
•    CA.I.D: ADM and Risk Management
•    CA.II: Weather and Cross Country Planning
•    CA.IV: Navigation and Situational Awareness
•    CA.VIII: Emergency Operations
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Teaching Points
•    Converting visibility cues into decision triggers
•    Early recognition of when a plan becomes conditional and unsafe
•    A standardized IMC transition response with immediate climb
•    Automation as a contributor to decision delay
•    Preserving margin by avoiding descent and climbing when cues degrade
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Key Takeaways
•    CFIT is driven by delayed decisions under degrading cues
•    The primary defense is preserving or increasing altitude as margin
•    Immediate action at loss of reliable horizon prevents most CFIT scenarios
•    Early plan changes eliminate the need for recovery
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FAA References
•    Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA H 8083 15B)
•    Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA H 8083 25C)
•    AC 61 134 (CFIT Avoidance)
•    AIM 5 5 16 (Obstacle awareness)
•    FAA CFIT Safety Page: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/cfit
•    FAA Weather Products Page: https://aviationweather.gov

Thanks to Lindsey Merced at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) for use of their Administrative Offices, to Senior FAASTeam Rep David Conrad for registration and handouts,to FAASTeam Rep and WINGSPro Eric Mason, M.D.,to FAASTeam Rep Steve Moore, to FAASTeam Rep and DRONEPro KC Sealock, to Obie Young, Florida Aviation Network, a FAASTeam Industry Member, and to John Tenney, FAASTeam Rep.