August 2008 Cover Story:
BPPP Keeps Pilots on Their Toes in the Sky

You can see them coming from miles away. At airports across the country, on designated weekends every spring and fall, they start descending in scores. Beechcraft Bonanzas. Barons. Debonairs. TravelAirs. And Dukes.

While every approaching pilot is experienced and responsible, they’re all coming together for the very same reason: they want to be even better. And after one shared weekend together, they will be.

That’s what the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) is all about.

Established in 1983, BPPP is the most comprehensive model-specific flight training program available for Beechcraft pilots. For more than 25 years, pilots have been attending these annual clinics as continuing education in the pursuit of safe, responsible, proficient flight.

Each year, BPPP conducts clinics at eleven different airports around the country. Clinics are hosted by a fixed base operator (FBO) specifically chosen by BPPP for its outstanding service, convenience and on-site amenities.

From seasoned professionals to first-year flyers, everyone benefits from the BPPP program. The reason is simple: No pilot, no matter how capable, can ever stop learning how to fly. Technologies — particularly avionics and engine management — change from year to year. Federal Aviation Regulations are revised. New ones are created. The BPPP course is designed to keep all Beechcraft pilots at the tops of their games, with up-to-date ground school classes and comprehensive airborne instruction.

BPPP instructors have literally thousands of hours of Beechcraft flying and teaching experience. Many are Beechcraft owners as well. So pilots can be assured that they’re flying with — and learning from — instructors who not only know Beechcraft airplanes, but stress their safe operation.

No sleeping in on these weekends…
A typical BPPP event takes place on a weekend, over two-and-a-half-days.
On Friday, attendees arrive, register and participate in a full day of ground school classes, which are held in a nearby hotel. Classes include such topics as Flying by the Numbers, Weight & Balance, Fuel/Electrical Systems, Emergency Procedures, and Getting the Most Out of Your Pilot Operating Handbook for pilots who attend BPPP for their first time.

Returning pilots receive additional ground school instruction on topics that include In Cockpit Weather, Engine Management, Autopilot Coupling, IFR Procedures, and more.

Many first-time attendees come to BPPP thinking that the ground school might a piece of cake. Fortunately, the instructors are anticipating this. So they present one of the most comprehensive and amazingly thorough days of classroom study that a pilot is ever likely to encounter. Think of it more as “boot camp for the brain.” Comments such as “I thought I knew everything” and “How did I ever take off this morning without knowing that?” are common after a day at BPPP ground school.

Joe Williams of Belleview, Wis., particularly appreciates the camaraderie that forms at BPPP Clinics. A long-time Barron owner, Williams can’t say enough about the scenario-based training and small group discussions that BPPP provides.

“It’s a great way to review existing knowledge and learn new concepts,” Williams said.

“Everything you learn becomes more meaningful. So you’re more likely to remember it once the program is finished.”

The BPPP ground school program has been such a success that is it now offered as a stand-alone course, without the in-air flight instruction, to those who do not currently own a Beechcraft — or who may be looking to buy one in the future.

Once evening arrives and the books are put away, attendees enjoy a hearty dinner. They’re going to need it. Because if the ground school is any indication, Saturday will pose challenges for even the most experienced pilots once they take to the sky.

Saturday is “air day” for most BPPP pilots. However, attendance is limited at each event to provide enough one-on-one time for each pilot and his or her instructor. Because of that, some pilots fly on Sunday morning. Sunday morning pilots spend Saturday attending additional ground school classes about GPS approaches. In addition, they have an opportunity to walk around their airplane with an experienced Beechcraft mechanic, as they ask questions and having a meaningful maintenance discussion with a real pro!

Each pilot is assigned a personal instructor who listens to their training needs and coaches them through a series of flying challenges and maneuvers that are designed to improve their flying skills and instill greater confidence. The average BPPP instructor has more than 2,500 flight hours, many of which are instructional experience in Bonanzas & Barons. It would be hard to find anyone, anywhere, better equipped to turn great pilots into even better, safer ones.

From the painstaking pre-flight walk-around check to the final touchdown of the day, a challenging and educational four-hour flight plan is the norm. The instructor coaches the pilot in all manner of flying skills, including aircraft systems, stalls, emergency procedures, soft and short landings, normal takeoffs, weight and balance, instrument approaches and more.

One only needs to talk with a satisfied BPPP pilot to see just how much is learned from a single seminar. Dr. Janet Lapp was a Beechcraft pilot for over a decade before she attended her first BPPP course. The experience left her wondering what took her so long to do it.

“I learned more in my very first BPPP clinic than I ever had in years of Flight Safety training,” Lapp said. “Now, I never miss a year.” Lapp added that she likes everything about the course. “The material is always fresh from year to year. Plus, the flight time with my own Bonanza instructor is priceless.”

On Sunday morning, while the final Beechcraft pilots are getting their time in the air, other attendees can catch up with any seminars they may have missed.

In addition to simply making participants better, safer pilots, the BPPP program frequently has another positive effect on those who attend: lower insurance rates. Many attendees report that annual attendance at a BPPP seminar resulted in considerable rate reductions. With fuel costs currently skyrocketing as they are, this is a welcome benefit.
It's a fact that BPPP meets — and most often exceeds — the recurrent training requirements set by most insurance companies. In addition, most participants qualify for a flight review, an instrument proficiency check, and the FAA Wings program.

Companion Course proves popular
While participants certainly come away from a BPPP weekend with more information to make them better, safer pilots, their flying companions can benefit as well. The BPPP Companion Course is the perfect way for spouses and family members to go from reluctant passengers to confident co-pilots.

With classes held concurrent with the BPPP course, companions learn from qualified instructors how the aircraft works — and why. They also learn valuable tips on how they can be of help during a flight — including what to do in case of an emergency. Plus, the course includes a fun, entertaining and thoroughly educational walk-around of a Beechcraft aircraft and often a tour of an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower.

Many students who take the companion course come back for more, year after year. And BPPP makes it worth their while.

“I learn in layers,” Rosemary Waldrop, a return Companion Course participant, said. Rosemary flies all the time with her husband Barney in their H-35 Bonanza. But like most spouses of pilots, there was some apprehension until she finally decided to sign up for the Companion Course.

“The first time I attended the course, I learned quite a bit,” Rosemary said. “But every time I come back I learn even more. I gain ‘layers’ of knowledge at BPPP. I really like that.”

So whether you’re a Beechcraft pilot or a flying companion, there’s a BPPP coming to an airport near you; BPPP weekends are offered at 12 locations throughout the country every year. Chances are you’ll never find out more about your aircraft, your flight knowledge, and yourself than you will in just one weekend with BPPP.