MU2 Safety Seminars to Be Held in April

Feb. 24, 2016

Mitsubishi MU-2 owners, operators and prospective buyers are invited to participate in the 2016 series of safety seminars called PROP – the Pilot’s Review of Proficiency. The seminars will be held in three cities – Dallas, Tucson and Cincinnati – during the month of April, offering discussions on operations, safety, maintenance and airspace considerations.

“We don’t sell anything here,” said Patrick Cannon, president of Turbine Aircraft Services in Addison, TX. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc., together with SimCom, Honeywell and other contributors, offers the seminars every two years. Since 1994, PROP has visited 59 locations worldwide.

“PROP provides a forum for subjects that are picked by owners and operators in our annual survey,” said Cannon, adding that the seminars started in 1982 to improve the safety record of the MU-2. As a result, he noted, the number of incidents involving the popular twin turboprop dropped. The series was reinstituted 12 years later and, again, the number of accidents involving MU-2 aircraft was positively impacted.

Along with the main safety seminar, PROP offers a two-day training course in Dallas, TX and Tucson, AZ on the MU-2’s Honeywell TPE 331 turbine engines. PROP will offer an updated course on airborne radar when the safety seminar moves to Cincinnati, OH. In all three locations, spouses and significant others are encouraged to attend the MU-2 “pinch hitter” course, designed to help them help when the pilot is injured, ill or incapacitated in flight.

In addition to safety discussions and course offerings, Cannon said one of the biggest reasons for owners, operators and prospective buyers to attend PROP 2016 is the chance to network with others, including factory representatives and officials from maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations.

“There’s definitely a unique benefit to the kinds of things these type clubs can offer,” said NBAA Senior Manager of Safety and Flight Operations Mark Larsen. “It’s a great chance to gain an understanding of the special characteristics of the aircraft and, at the same time, promote both safety and community.”

PROP 2016 takes place in Dallas, TX April 1 and 2. It moves to Tucson, AZ April 15 and 16 and to Cincinnati, OH April 29 and 30.

Learn more about PROP 2016.