To assist in your understanding of the new
WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program, and to help you get started, we have prepared a brief and informative tutorial (21 minutes).
Please
click here to view this on-line help tutorial.
We will explain a few basics here but recommend that you review the
WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program
Manual for more detailed information.
Click here to download a PDF copy.
The following help files are part of the cooperative "team" efforts of industry and the FAA to provide a benefical proficency program for airmen. These are simple step-by-step instructions designed by pilots for pilots:
Registering on FAASafety.gov Made Easy
Designed to help the person new to FAASafety.gov get through the simple registration process.
WINGS Quick Start Guide
Designed to help the person new to WINGS get started quickly.
WINGS Made Easy
Step-by-step instructions on how to participate in the new WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program, written by pilots for pilots!
Validating WINGS Credit Made Easy
Here is the process of validating WINGS credit made simple. This is designed to help all authorized instructors through the validation process.
Let's start out by decoding a few of the abbreviations you will see on the
WINGS site.
In many places on this site, abbreviations are used to reduce length or to fit a sentence or phrase in a certain space. For example, aircraft category and class
are abbreviated in the following manner.
AMEL |
Airplane Multiengine Land |
PPL |
Powered Parachute Land |
AMES |
Airplane Multiengine Sea |
PPS |
Powered Parachute Sea |
ASEL |
Airplane Single Engine Land |
RG |
Rotorcraft Gyroplane |
ASES |
Airplane Single Engine Sea |
RH |
Rotorcraft Helicopter |
G |
Glider |
WSCL |
Weight Shift Control Land |
LTAA |
Lighter-than-Air Airship |
WSCS |
Weight Shift Control Sea |
LTAB |
Lighter-than-Air Balloon |
|
|
You will also notice a few icons being used throughout the
WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program.
Here they are with a brief explanation of what they mean.
Course Type:
Six credits are required each year for each of the three phases of
WINGS
that a pilot desires to achieve and maintain. Of those credits, some are required subject areas and others are elective.
Elective |
Denotes a WINGS activity for which you may choose topics in which you would like to train from a variety of subject areas. |
Core |
Denotes a WINGS activity for which topics and subject areas have been determined by the FAASTeam. These generally cover major accident causal factor topics. |
Course Track:
Courses are also arranged in two different tracks, knowledge and flight.
Knowledge |
Denotes courses that fall into the knowledge or non-flying category. |
Flight |
Denotes flight activities or courses. |
WINGS Phases:
There are three phases or levels in the new
WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program. They are Basic, Advanced, and Master.
Courses are accredited for one or more phases as indicated by the following icons. Also note that the Basic courses are
further assigned Basic, Basic 1, and Basic 2, which facilitates FAASTeam assignment of multiple required subject areas for
the Basic Phase.
Basic |
Denotes courses that fulfill a Basic Phase requirement. |
Basic 1 |
Denotes courses that fulfill a Basic 1 (FAASTeam selected subject area) Basic Phase requirement. |
Basic 2 |
Denotes courses that fulfill a Basic 2 (FAASTeam selected subject area) Basic Phase requirement. |
Advanced |
Denotes courses that fulfill an Advanced Phase requirement. |
Master |
Denotes courses that fulfill a Master Phase requirement. |
Here is a simple grid to show the relationship between track and phase assigned to each course. Red squares are
required subject areas and green squares are elective credits.
If you want to complete the Basic Phase of the
WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program you need to complete six credits,
which are represented on the first horizontal row of the grid.
This translates into a very informative screen called "My
WINGS"
that clearly shows each required phase and track in which you are participating and the credits you have received or still need to accomplish to
finish a particular phase.
In the example above, you will notice that the airman has completed the Basic Phase knowledge elective and the Basic Phase flight basic 1 credits. The system is totally automated.
All you need to do to see the courses that will qualify for any particular phase or track, is click on the
![Search for matching credits](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509071442im_/https://faasafety.gov/images/WINGS/icons/findCreditsSmall.gif)
icon and you will be taken to a search page with the courses currently available.
This should get you started on your way to completing your first phase of
WINGS.
Remember, more help is always available by
downloading the user's manual
and by
contacting your local FAASTeam Program Manager or Representative.