AOPA release IMC survey

[Fuji Abound]

AOPA are now running their IMC survey which is well worth a look (not yet done so myself).

AOPA: Home Page

and the link to the survey:

Great IMC Survey

[S-Works]

Yes unfortunately the link was published before I approved the content so we are 'suffering a couple of technical difficulties' as we say in the trade.

I can only apologise for the technical error. The full survey does in fact have more than one question!

[eharding]

Best laugh I've had for ages Bose. Keep up the good work.

[flybymike]

I think the full version of the survey is in this month's AOPA mag.

[S-Works]

Best laugh I've had for ages Bose. Keep up the good work.

Indeed. If you answer no to the question you get the full survey. The problem seems to lie with the on line survey company that provide the backend. We are looking into the problem.

Edit: It now seems to be fixed.

[Johnm]

Very good and duly filled in

[Ni Thomas]

Tried three times to complete - It keeps dropping me off after various pages filled in. Rather frustrating.

[vanHorck]

Did it without problems.

Tell Bose-X where it fails. Could be answer related

[S-Works]

Despite the teething problems with the survey company the IMC survey is now live and working and starting to get a good response.

For some strange reason we have had a couple of people take the survey more than once but we are filtering the duplicates so it should not skew the data.

I would encourage everyone to complete the survey and spread the word. The more data that we can gather, the stronger the argument we can put across to the regulators.

[PompeyPaul]

Filtering duplicates

Careful how you filter the duplicates. If you are filtering on IP then you are are possibly filtering legit responses since more than 1 user can be behind an IP.

Not sure what they are charging for hosting and dev, if it were more than £500 I would undercut it

[flybymike]

There seem to be some subtle differences between the online survey and the magazine questionnaire. Is this in fact the case?

[Fuji Abound]

I would have asked for pilots to give their license number and name in an effort to establish the veracity of the respondents. I know from experience that there were a few people who signed the petition using false names - the usual suspects I suppose. Most surveys attempt to avoid this problem by preventing users with the same ISP completing the survey a second time, or asking the person for their email address so that an ISP and corresponding email is prevented from having a second go. None of these techniques are perfect, but given that a third party (iSalient) is presumably being paid to do the job I would expect them to consider this issue (as indeed they might well have done).

I have some other comments but as the survey is under way this is not the time.

Bose - how are you intending to ensure as many pilots as possible are aware of the survey? (Excluding those here, AOPA members and readers of one of the GA mags.) It is surprising how many pilots do not follow these sources of news. I might have included a question along the lines - How did you hear about this surey?

[S-Works]

There seem to be some subtle differences between the online survey and the magazine questionnaire. Is this in fact the case?

The magazine article is a flavour of the questionnaire to generate publicity. The survey is the survey and that is how the data will be collected and modelled.

We are asking the CAA to circulate the information, we will be running regular articles in the various magazines and forums.

We can't collect pilots licence numbers etc without going down the data protection route which then increases the complexity and costs. We can filter duplicates even on common IP. You will find that if you go back again your answers from the last session are already completed.

[Cusco]

I thought it was a good questionnaire and included references to other ICAO Instrument ratings which other questionnaires don't seem to.

I was also pleased to be able to leave a comment: tho' only son-of-bose can tell us if any attention will be paid to the comments.

Cusco.

[Contacttower]

Is this survey going to be fed into the consultation response to the latest NPA on Licensing from EASA?

[LH2]

Just a heads up: does not work without cookies

[S-Works]

Is this survey going to be fed into the consultation response to the latest NPA on Licensing from EASA?

It is going to be used for a number of purposes in the long term goal of saving the IMC rating.

Just a heads up: does not work without cookies

Indeed, it is part of the data verification process and ensuring we don't get duplicates.

It is important that we gather clean uncorrupted data that cant be questioned.

[LH2]

Hi there, not having a go or trying to put the effort down, quite the contrary, a bit of criticism FWIW.

it is part of the data verification process and ensuring we don't get duplicates

Trying to use only cookies for that purpose is a (very) poor technical decision, it does not work like that.

It is important that we gather clean uncorrupted data that cant be questioned.

I'm sure you're at least partially aware of the limitations of online surveys. For the full picture, and if you want a sample that can stand up to scrutiny, I strongly suggest you should seek a competent statician for advice.

HTH.

[S-Works]

LH2, we cant please all of the people all of the time. Thanks for your input though.

I am satisfied that the survey will gather the information we need to help strengthen our case for retention of the IMCR. Once the survey has run it's course the data is going to be modelled by a professional.

If people choose to 'cheat' then it is not only themselves they are cheating but also there fellow pilots. I do not have the time or resources to design out cheating in a survey that is meant to help us all.

[LH2]

Hi Bose,

LH2, we cant please all of the people all of the time. Thanks for your input though.

no probs.

If people choose to 'cheat' then it is not only themselves they are cheating but also there fellow pilots. I do not have the time or resources to design out cheating in a survey that is meant to help us all.

"Cheating" is not the only form of survey bias, nor the only one that you might or might not need to control for (which is not the same as "modelling out"). But then again, I'm thinking as a technical person, and at the end of the day all this would go in the small print at the bottom which no politician ever reads, and that's them who are going to look at your survey at the end of the day.

Best of luck with your efforts.