Upset Prevention and Recovery Training
the more pilots we train, the more lives we save
Based at Boeing Field (KBFI), Seattle Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) was founded by lifelong pilots who have observed the steady degradation of hand flying, or “stick and rudder” skills in the pilot community.
That loss of skill has prevented our industry from slaying the last demon in our business as pilots: Loss of Control Inflight, or LOC-I. While systems related errors, maintenance, Crew Resource Management (CRM) and other safety demons have largely been eliminated over many decades, LOC-I remains.
We founded Seattle UPRT to change that trajectory and do so differently.
Unlike many flight schools we don’t charge by the hour because we care more about your competence and confidence. If you need an extra hour or two of flying to achieve that, there’s no extra charge. To us, the greatest reward for our work is knowing the skills learned at Seattle UPRT gave a pilot the skill he or she needed to save themselves and their passengers. And, the more pilots we train, the more lives we save. It’s really that simple.
Values | SPF 50
Seattle UPRT’s core values are Safety, Professionalism and Fun. (Yes, Fun is a value). As an organization that exists to train pilots to save themselves and their passengers from an inflight upset, Seattle UPRT places Safety as the leading factor in our decision-making on the ground and in the air, and during both preventative and regular maintenance of our aircraft. Professionalism as pilots, in the cockpit, and in our interactions with both co-workers and customers is not aspirational, but a principle. As many NTSB reports have alluded, a lack of professionalism in the cockpit is often a significant factor in creating the upset; thus, a professional cockpit environment is the first part of upset prevention.
Lastly, we believe that safety and professionalism are not opposing values to Fun, our third value. While we acknowledge Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) is not an FAA requirement of any flight training syllabus, it is among the most enjoyable and rewarding flying for both Instructor and Student alike. To encourage safety and professionalism, we reward every student with a fun and memorable flying experience.
Now what about that “50” part of the SPF 50? As we begin our journey saving pilots, we honor our Chief Flight Instructor’s distinction as a Wright Brother’s Master Pilot Award Recipient. The highest honor that may be bestowed upon a pilot by the FAA, designation as a Master Aviator is only achieved by a pilot who 50 or more years of accident and incident free flying.