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July 2018

SAFE represents nearly 1,700 of the industry's top aviation professionals in 49 states and nine foreign countries, including the majority of Master Instructors and numerous General Aviation Awards winners in all three awards categories.  

Chair's Corner
 
by David St. George, SAFE Chair
 
David St George
Hello SAFE members and supporters,
 
Welcome to July, and some amazing opportunities! See the  new FAA regulations  and visit our  new SAFE website  in preparation for AirVenture, which is just around the corner. We need your help with staffing the display at our  Oshkosh Booth C 2093/4.  Please log into our    SAFE Doodle and pick a time to help . This is always fun. We will again have promotional items at the booth for members joining and renewing.
 
Our annual  SAFE Member Meeting and Dinner  is at the terminal on Thursday, July 26th, at 6 PM to socialize and 7 PM to eat, and we have some major prizes to raffle off, donated by SAFE's generous supporters. Here's a hint: one of the door prizes is a new Lightspeed Headset. There will also be some interesting surprises, and awards, for you to enjoy.  Please register here.  (Only $7 for dinner and dessert) 
 
A special ceremony in the Wittman Field Terminal at 4 PM on Thursday, July 26 will honor Sandy and JoAnn Hill- the "Head Masters" - who created the Master Instructor program. Please RSVP now to for this event . Sandy and JoAnn have been leaders for promoting and enhancing flight instructor professionalism. Come share your stories and honor this amazing couple!
 
Thanks for all you do for SAFE!

Major Part 61 Revisions Effective July 27
FAA Listened To SAFE Advocacy
 
The overhaul of FAR Part 61 will take effect July 27, with all changes implemented by December 24, 2018. The FAA estimates the changes will save pilots a total of more than $15 million a year.
 
Among the revisions are:
  • Proficiency training for instrument-rated pilots in ATDs will now be good for six months, as of November 26 - the same as proficiency training in an aircraft - rather than the two months originally set.
  • Eliminating the requirement that an instructor be present for an instrument-rated pilot's ATD proficiency exercise.
  • Use of technically advanced airplanes in lieu of, or in combination with, a complex or turbine-powered airplane to satisfy the required 10 hours of required training in these airplanes, effective August 27.
"SAFE has been pushing for several years to get the FAA to recognize the effectiveness of modern aviation technology," said SAFE Chair David St George. "Probably the biggest benefit is in allowing commercial and CFI candidates to use a TAA for the 10 hours of complex aircraft time, rather than trying to find a single-engine aircraft that meets the definition of complex."
 

FAA Reinstates Full Stall Option for Commercial 
SAFE Calls Action A "Major Win" For Instructors
 
In the annual June revision of the ACS for commercial pilot practical tests, the FAA reinstated the full stall as an option on checkrides, at the DPE's discretion. Previously, full stalls had been omitted from ACS standards for the commercial checkride in favor of recovery at the first indication of a stall, disgruntling many instructors who believe that full stalls should be a mandatory element of a commercial pilot practical test.
 
SAFE, which sits on the FAA subcommittee developing the various ACS modules, had objected to loss of the full stall as a requirement for Commercial pilot applicants, pointing out that a new rule for airline pilots requires full stall practice during recurrency training. "If experienced airline pilots are required to practice full stalls, shouldn't new applicants for a Commercial pilot certificate demonstrate them?" asked SAFE Communications Director Kevin D Murphy.
 

ACS Supplement Books Arrive At Testing Centers
 
ACS supplement books from the FAA for private, commercial CFI and A&P knowledge tests have arrived at testing centers nationwide, according to SAFE member Margaret Wint, who is a proctor at a PSI Testing Center.
 
Also now at testing centers is the new test for UAS pilots, required as a refresher for drone pilots every two years. The first two years of drone pilot regulation will be up next month, requiring the new written test.

PBI Flight School Owner Gets Seven Years

The Florida Palm Beach Post reports that con man Chas Brady was sentenced to seven years in prison in May for operating charter flights to the Bahamas with a revoked pilot certificate and for defrauding "many" students at his Beach Aviation flight school in Boca Raton.
 
Federal prosecutors said many student pilots who attended Brandy's flight school were unable to get their airman certificates because Brady wasn't licensed. The FAA has refused to accept hours the students logged with a non-certificated instructor.
 
Full details are in the Palm Beach Post article.

New SAFE Directors Elected

The results of the 2018 election for SAFE Board of Directors, held last month,, brought three fresh faces to the SAFE Board of Directors. They are Hobie Tomlinson, Veronica Cote and Cres Wise. The three one-third of the nine Board members, ensuring continuous fresh SAFE member representation. Term limits for Board members were one of SAFE's founding principles.
 
Hobie Tomlinson of Vermont was a TWA fleet manager for the B-747 and has flown everything from J-3 on through heavy Boeings. He serves the FAA as a DPE in VT and is type rated (ATP) in B707, B720, B727, B747, B757, B767, CE560XL, CL604 & L1011.
 
With 40 years and more than 15,000 hours of CFI experience in everything from J-3 Cub thru B747, Hobie has developed, implemented, and managed operations for national and international airlines, charter services, and flight schools. He is passionate about sharing and spreading the "rapidly dying wisdom of the original aviators" into modern flight operations.
 
 
 
Veronica Cote has been a faculty member at Bridgewater State University in Connecticut since 1995. She has been a pilot since 1983 and a CFII since 1985, with over 1000 hours of dual given and a Saab-340 type rating. She flew as a corporate pilot and later for two commuter airlines, first in 1987 and then with her ATP from 1988-1991.
 
Veronica attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University earning a Master of Aeronautical Science degree in 1995 and has taught at Bridgewater State University since 1995.
 

Cres Wise served in the U.S. Air Force for 20+ years as a Ground Radar and aircrew instructor and flew 1000 hours as an AWACS Mission Crew Commander.  He has been a civilian flight instructor for 11 years and holds FAA certificates and ratings of Commercial, CFI, CFII, MEI and IGI.
 
Additionally, he is a 3 time Master Instructor (MCFI) with 2000+ hours dual given and a Civil Air Patrol check pilot examiner. Currently, he is the Assistant Chief Flight Instructor for Robins AFB Flight Training Center & Aero Club and an Assistant Professor of Aviation and stage check pilot for Middle Georgia State University.



FAA CFI ACS In Final Development; Due June 2019
SAFE Asks For Member Input
 
The long-awaited Instructor Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for flight instructors is in final development and expected in 2019, according to SAFE member Dr. Donna Wilt, who serves on the FAA subcommittee developing the standards. Several DPEs in the Orlando FL and Scottsdale AZ areas got a preview when they participated in a Table-Top prototyping exercise to review the document.
 
SAFE is pushing for additional emphasis on knowledge of aerodynamics and use of attitude as the primary control reference in the ACS. A letter written last month by an independent group of SAFE members who are FAA DPEs and former DPEs calls for the new Instructor ACS to have multiple task elements that require a deeper understanding of aerodynamics and a serious requirement to teach each maneuver using aircraft attitude as the primary control reference.
 
SAFE members wishing to express their opinion on the new CFI ACS should send an email to SAFE.

Volunteer Now for SAFE Booth At AirVenture2018

SAFE's double-wide booth at AirVenture2018  will be open every day of the show, for SAFE members to meet other members and talk about flight training issues. The booth this year is in building C, spaces 2093 and 2094.
 
SAFE members are still needed to volunteer to staff the booth. Only a half day (four hours) is requested of volunteers, which will give you a chance to meet other members and have serious discussions on flight training issues with other professional aviation educators. Please sign up to volunteer now.  

Pilot Proficiency Center at AirVenture Needs CFI Volunteers
SAFE Members Encouraged To Join In The Fun

Volunteer CFIs are still needed for this year's EAA Pilot Proficiency Center at AirVenture, Monday, July 23 to Sunday, July 22. Complete the sign-up form now.
 
"Please join other CFI professionals at the EAA Pilot Proficiency Program at AirVenture this year," said David St. George, SAFE Chair. "Instructors volunteering will be treated like celebrities, with free training and potentially free admission and lodging at Oshkosh." He added that the national flight training database leverages an instructor's skills all year on Redbirds around the country.
 
Online CFI training is required to prepare to teach the PPC scenarios and to review pilot performance and will be made available to CFIs registered to teach. Hands on training for CFIs is scheduled for Sunday July 22 from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Full information and an application to teach this year is available on the  EAA Pilot Proficiency website.
 
Along with SAFE, sponsors for this year's EAA Pilot Proficiency Center are EAA IMC Club, Hartzell Propellers, Redbird Flight Simulations, AOPA, Jeppesen, Community Aviation, Mindstar Aviation, NAFI and PilotEdge.
 
SAFE Membership Meeting, Dinner Thursday at AirVenture2018

The SAFE annual membership meeting and dinner will be held this year at AirVenture on Thursday, July 26th at the Wittman Field Terminal Building at 7 PM. A social icebreaker will be at the same location at 6 PM. Member tickets to the dinner are $7, and each member may bring one guest for an additional $7. Additional guests are $20.
 
Major door prizes donated by SAFE's generous supporters will be raffled off, including a new Lightspeed Headset.  Please register here .
 
Prior to the annual meeting, a special ceremony at 4 PM at the Wittman Terminal Building will honor charter SAFE members Sandy and JoAnn Hill, known as the Head Masters , created the Master Instructor program. Please register now for this special event.  

New SAFE Website: Explore At Will


" Check out our new website ," suggested SAFE Communications Director Kevin D Murphy. "We think you'll like the new look and new resources for aviation professionals."
 
The new site is still under construction, Murphy noted, and the old site will continue operation until all features are fully functional on the new site.
 
The redesigned website is largely the work of SAFE Board member Eric Hake, who owns T he Modern Pilot LLC, a Houston-based business. The Modern Pilot specializes in developing apps for a multitude of aviation interests .

ASI Report Supports SAFE Emphasis on Stick-And-Rudder

Did you know that more stalls occur during takeoff than in approach, pattern and landing combined?
 
A report on stalls from the AOPA Air Safety Institute last year found that stalls still account for almost 25 percent of fatal accidents, and "may indicate a weakness in typical pilot training" due to the fact that more than two-thirds of stall accidents occur during personal flight, usually in day VMC with light winds.
 
"SAFE has been emphasizing the need for better 'stick-and-rudder' flying skills since its founding in 2009, said David St George, SAFE Chair. "In fact, one of SAFE's founding members is Rich Stowell, whose mastery of aircraft control earned him the international sobriquet The Spin Doctor."


State Marijuana Legalization Not A Get-Out-Of-Jail Free Card

In states where marijuana has been either approved for medical use or for recreational use, CFIs must still beware, warns aviation lawyer Mark Kelley Schwartz.
 
He cites a pilot who was clearing customs after a Canadian trip when a routine search of his airplane turned up 2.5 grams of marijuana. (Mr. Schwartz notes that 2.5 grams is about the weight of a U.S. penny.)
 
Local police arrived and arrested the pilot for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was convicted in state court and sentenced to a special diversion program. Unfortunately, the FAA was not so understanding, and wanted to revoke the pilot's license. After months of legal wrangling, the FAA backed down.
 
Task Force To Combat Illegal Part 135

"The number one concern expressed by the air charter community is the intrinsic danger of illegal charter to their businesses and industry as a whole," said National Air Transportation Association (NATA) EVP of Operations and General Counsel Timothy Obitts.
 
NATA's task force plans to work with the FAA and Congress to provide guidance on steps to avoid illegal operations and to assist the agency in its enforcement role; helping industry provide the FAA with illegal charter reports that provide more actionable data; educating the public on the importance of flying legally and updating the "Chartering an Aircraft: A Consumer Guide" and "Risks of Illegal Charter" publications.


New Posts On SAFE Educational Opportunities

 
Why do we have the least experienced aviators (brand-new CFIs) in charge of our next generation of pilots? Is there someone who thinks this enhances safety?
 
There is now even a push to roll back the long-standing requirement that a CFI have at least 200 hours and two successful flight test applicants before being allowed to sign off an initial CFI application. Have we gone totally mad?
 
SAFE Executive Director David St George suggests that returning to the days when pilots were taught basic aircraft control as the root of aviation safety. Worth reading.
 
 

It's essential to admit and learn from our mistakes, and no doubt you've noticed that people who consciously own their errors and admit to struggling actually learn faster. Excuses provide an external "not me" pardon for failures.

Airman Testing Changes Site Available

 An FAA web site dedicated to keeping CFIs current on changes in training and testing  is now available. It includes development updates on Airman Certification Standards, Airman Knowledge Testing Supplements and FAA Airman Knowledge Tests.

Specific links are available to the following references:
Additionally, a  template  has been added to the  Airman Testing webpage  for submitting change driver suggestions.

STC Makes Piper PA-32s BasicMed Compliant

Your clients who fly Piper Cherokee Six and other PA-32 aircraft can now get an STC allowing them to act as PIC with a BasicMed driver's license medical. The waiver was necessary because the Piper PA-32 was type certificated to carry as many as seven souls, while the limit on seats under BasicMed is six.
 
STC availability is for Piper Aircraft Models PA-32R-300, PA-32RT-300, PA-32RT-300T, PA-32R-301, PA-32R-301T, PA-32-301, and PA-32-301T to six seats-the way most of them are actually equipped most of the time anyway.
 
More than 35,000 pilots are now flying using BasicMed, AOPA says. The organization is making the STC available free for members, and $99 for nonmembers. Query AOPA.
 
Master Instructor Updates


Gary Michael Brossett of Midland GA, a 5-time Master and a member of SAFE as well as EAA, VAA, BFA, AOPA, AEHS, AFA and ASQ, renewed his Master Aviation Educator accreditation June 1 through the Master Instructors LLC.
 
A US Air Force veteran and an FAA-certificated lighter-than-air balloon pilot, Gary holds an A&P with inspection authorization (IA) and is a senior quality engineer as well as a maintenance instructor at Pratt & Whitney's Columbus Engine Center.  He also serves as a FAASTeam lead representative for the FAA's Atlanta FSDO.  
 
   

James L Alsip , of Indiantown FL, a 6-time Master as well as a member of SAFE and IAC, renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation through the Master Instructors LLC on June 12. 
 
Jim is a noted aviation author and lecturer while also serving as a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Orlando FSDO. A former US Army artilleryman, he specializes in basic aerobatic training as well as tailwheel transitions and upset recovery training at Dylan Aviation,  his aerobatic flight school based at Florida's Indiantown Airport.
 
   
John U Rockcastle , a 6-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation May 31 through the Master Instructors LLC .   
 
A retired US Navy chief petty officer (CPO) and an Orlando FAASTeam representative, Rock was also the 1989 National CFI of the Year.  Currently, he is a simulator instructor with Simcom  in Orlando and serves on the production crew at the FAA's National Resource Center in Lakeland, Florida.



Again, thanks for your support and Fly SAFE!


David St. George, Chair
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
Copyright SAFE, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
SAFE, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Public Charity

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