THE BEGINNING OF P.R.O.P.

The original Pilot’s Review of Proficiency (P.R.O.P.) was hosted in 1982 as both an MU-2 marketing effort and an aviation safety seminar. This seminar was presented in 10 cities as a one-day program. It attracted over 550 attendees and was generally oriented toward any turbine-powered aircraft. In 1986 Mitsubishi discontinued producing the MU-2, and P.R.O.P. was suspended.



THE RESURRECTION OF P.R.O.P.

P.R.O.P. ’94 was not a re-make of the original P.R.O.P. It was a whole new program that focused on the MU-2 and the enhancement of safe operations. It was expanded to a 1 and ˝ day seminar and was held in 3 cities in the U.S. and 1 city in Europe.

Regional P.R.O.P. ’95 was a slightly abbreviated version of P.R.O.P. ’94 and was hosted to capture groups who were unable to attend P.R.O.P. ’94.



CONTINUING THE P.R.O.P. PROGRAM

P.R.O.P. ’96 was similar to P.R.O.P. ’94, however the material was more advanced. The program stressed the importance of advanced training techniques, quality maintenance, and proper operating techniques.

P.R.O.P. ’98 addressed all new issues and operational matters. The program was organized to provide more schedule flexibility for the attendees and was expanded to six cities in the U.S. and Europe. Emphasis was placed on soliciting participation from operators who had not previously attended P.R.O.P. seminars.



P.R.O.P. 2000

P.R.O.P. 2000 brought a two-screen presentation with it to enhance the visual quality of the video material and the Power Point presentations. A greater variety of subjects and speakers made this the most successful P.R.O.P. yet, with attendance in excess of all previous years. Five U.S. cities, Detroit (Dearborn), Hartford, Houston, Daytona (Palm Coast) and Reno were completed with no European P.R.O.P. this year. P.R.O.P. 2000 boasted almost 45% attendance by pilots and owners that had never attended a P.R.O.P. in the past.



P.R.O.P. 2002

P.R.O.P. 2002 began in Dallas, TX, and moved on to Hartford, CT, Orlando, FL, Nashville, TN, and Scottsdale, AZ. The two-screen format, which was very well received at P.R.O.P. 2000, was continued at P.R.O.P. 2002. After a short review of previous Aerodynamics and Engines presentations, these two areas were expanded upon. The Accident Analysis sessions always generate interest, and this year was no different. Informational sessions were presented by SimCom, the new MU-2 training facility. Other new programs, such as the Vendor Room and Recognition Gifts, were introduced this year. Many of the attendees voiced their opinions that this was the “best P.R.O.P. yet.”

Attendance at P.R.O.P. 2002 was down from the anticipated numbers due to “9/11” and the current economic conditions. Even so, the total registered attendance was 376, a loss of only 19 (4.8%) from P.R.O.P. 2000. First-time attendance at P.R.O.P. 2002 stood at 48% of the total attendees, an increase over the 41% first-time attendance of P.R.O.P. 2000.



P.R.O.P. 2004

P.R.O.P. 2004 was presented in only four cities: Dallas, TX, Richmond, VA, Orlando, FL, and Scottsdale, AZ. Honeywell’s representative presented Pilot Engine Tips. In a second presentation, he also answered the age-old question: 96% or 100%? Aspects of Flight Performance were presented, along with Top MU-2 Operating Topics. The three-part Accident Analysis was again well-received by the attendees. Four different Owners/Operators were chosen to give a presentation unique to their field of flying: Charter Operations, Maintenance Test Piloting, Flying the Islands (Caribbean), and Cold Weather Operations. SimCom, the MU-2 training facility and a big supporter of P.R.O.P., provided a speaker who gave two presentations during the seminar. Short Body Operations, Service Information Update, and Elements of Flying Safe rounded out the topics.

Two Optional Programs were offered at P.R.O.P. 2004. At Dallas and Orlando, Archie Trammell’s Weather Radar Course was offered on the Sunday following these two P.R.O.P. seminars. At Richmond and Scottsdale, Honeywell’s TPE-331 Pilot’s Engine Familiarization Course was offered on the two days preceding the P.R.O.P. seminars. These courses were fee-based and were very well attended.

Even though P.R.O.P. was presented in only 4 cities, the attendance numbers were the highest ever seen. The total attendance was 434, with 257 Owner/Operators in attendance. Thirty-eight percent of the Owner/Operator attendees were there for the first time.



P.R.O.P. 2005

In late 2004, Mitsubishi considered taking P.R.O.P. to Europe. The program had not been presented there for seven years, and although the numbers of aircraft were fewer and fewer every year and many of the European Owners/Operators came to the U.S. P.R.O.P.s, Mitsubishi felt that it was important to offer P.R.O.P. in Europe to local owners and operators. In May of 2005, P.R.O.P. was presented in Frankfurt, Germany and Nykoping, Sweden. The seminar was condensed to a one-day format and included presentations from previous years. In both cities, the attendance, while small in numbers compared to the U.S. seminars, was high in the percentage of Owners/Operators who had never before attended P.R.O.P. This confirmed that the owners and operators were eager to have the P.R.O.P. seminar available to them.



 P.R.O.P. 2006

The FAA Safety Review of the MU-2 conducted in 2005 created new topics and new speakers for P.R.O.P. The biggest draw and the highest-rated presentation was the “MU-2 Safety Study Report”, given by Greg Feith. This session was originally scheduled as a one hour presentation. When it was presented in Dallas, it was obvious how much interest this session generated, and the allotted time was expanded to 1 ˝ hours. Another new topic which was highly anticipated (and well-received) was the New Training Program. This session introduced and explained the new, mandatory training program that will be instituted for the MU-2. Most everyone wanted to know, “How does this affect me?”.

Other topics that were presented included Accident Scenarios, Little Known MU-2 Facts, Service Information, Airframe Ops, Pilot Decision Making, Engine Ops, and Engine Rigging. Also offered was the YET Icing Awareness Video for those who needed the endorsement in their logbooks. The Honeywell TPE-331 Pilot’s Familiarization Course was offered as an optional, fee-based course in both Richmond and Scottsdale. A total of 30 people attended the TPE courses.

Dallas had 109 attendees, Richmond had 120 attendees, and Scottsdale had 96 attendees. By themselves, the numbers for each city were very good numbers, but with only three cities on the schedule, the total attendance was down by 109 (compared to 2004 with 434 in attendance). The percentage of Owners/Operators who had never attended P.R.O.P. before stood at 31.4% for 2006, as opposed to 38% in 2004.



THE FUTURE OF P.R.O.P.

Other aircraft manufacturers offer fee-based seminars, and while they impart a lot of useful information, they are geared toward the “sale.” Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America produces the P.R.O.P. seminars, which are free to all who attend, as a way to increase the knowledge and proficiency of the owners and operators of the MU-2, even though this aircraft is no longer in production.

History is being made here, but not just in one seminar or in one city or even in one year. It is being made in the consistency and continuity of the overall project. It is being made in the commitment by Mitsubishi and SimCom and Honeywell to make P.R.O.P. available to the MU-2 community. It is being made in the dedication of the Owners and Operators who attend year after year.

In looking ahead at P.R.O.P. 2008, retention of the 2006 attendees along with the addition of new, never-before-attended owners and operators will be the goal. With an ever-diminishing fleet, it will be quite a challenge to meet this goal, but not impossible.

P.R.O.P. 2008 O/O FAA NTSB S/C VENDOR DEALER INS. CO. MAINT. FAC. PROS. BUYER OTHER TOTALS TPE-331 DALLAS 59 0 0 9 18 0 3 3 4 9 105 14 TYSONS CORNER 74 2 1 7 19 0 3 2 3 11 122 7 RENO 49 2 1 3 25 2 2 1 5 5 95 11 TOTALS 182 4 2 19 62 2 8 6 12 25 322 32

NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MU-2 SERIAL NUMBERS REPRESENTED AT P.R.O.P. 2008: 176

OWNER/OPERATOR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS (NEVER ATTENDED AND PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED P.R.O.P.) CITY O/O NEVER ATTENDED O/O PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED TOTAL O/O IN ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE OF O/O WHO NEVER ATTENDED PROP DALLAS 11 48 59 18.64% TYSONS CORNER 20 54 74 27.02% RENO 16 33 49 32.65% TOTALS 47 135 182 25.82%

Comparison of Number of Atendees PROP 2008 (# of cities = 3) PROP 2006 (# of cities = 3) PROP 2004 (# of cities = 4) PROP 2002 (# of cities = 5) PROP 2000 (# of cities = 5) PROP '98 (# of cities = 6) PROP '96 (# of cities = 5) REGIONAL PROP '95 (# of cities = 1) PROP '94 (# of cities = 4) TOTALS 322 325 434 376 413 413 314 246 265 INTERNATIONAL - - - - - 28 45 47 37 U.S. 322 325 434 376 413 385 269 199 228 Categories (includes International and U.S.) Owners/Operators 182 191 257 242 256 299 244 194 191 FAA 4 6 2 6 12 11 23 13 8 NTSB 2 8 7 1 Service Centers 19 28 28 21 44 20 16 4 13 Vendors 62 53 75 44 41 79 7 11 30 Dealers 2 2 7 5 42 4 24 24 23 Insurance Companies 8 4 2 1 Maintenance Facilities 6 2 24 26 Prospective Buyers 12 7 11 7 Others 25 24 21 26