|
Come visit SAFE and join the fun at this year's Sun'n Fun event. SAFE's double-wide booth is again in Bravo Hangar, #80/81. We'll have surprise gifts and other bling for SAFE members, but the real value is in the member-to-member serious discussions aimed at keeping instructor professionalism high.
Bring a friend, share your professionalism with other SAFE members and enjoy the CFI camaraderie. All new members, members stepping up to higher levels or donations over $15 earn a chance to win a Lightspeed Aviation Delta Zulu Headset!
Daily and weekly admission tickets for this year's Sun'n'Fun are $50 and $180, although SAFE members get $5 off daily admission and $30 off weekly tickets. Child daily and weekly tickets are $20 and $70 (under 12 free). See SAFE Website "Member Benefits"
| |
If At Sun'n Fun, Don't Miss
SAFE CFI Roundtable Saturday 4pm At Prop 75
Mike Shiflet from CFI Bootcamp/Bret Kobe Sporty's/Lee Collins NFTA
| |
All CFIs and all SAFE members at any certificate level are invited to the SAFE CFI Roundtable Saturday, April 5th at 16:00 in the Prop 75 Building (right across from the “Bravo Hangar!”
We need *everyone to register* so we know how much FREE ICE CREAM to buy. Mike Shiflet from CFI Bootcamp will be attending (and presenting), Brete Kobe from Sporty’s will talk about new CFI AI tools (free from Sportys), and Lee Collins (from NFTA) will discuss 141 Modernization. Donate $15 when registering to win a Lightspeed Aviation Delta Zulu Headset at this event. (tickets also available at the show).
| |
SAFE Partners With NFTA
CFIs To Have A Voice In Upgrading Schools
| |
SAFE joined the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) Board of Directors. NFTA is the flight training advocate that won the FAA contract for improving the country's Part 141 flight schools.
The NFTA was founded several years ago with the shared commitment to produce the finest professional pilots in the world. Membership includes flight schools and other stakeholders in the training industry. The group embraces new technology and methodologies and lobbys to positively impact government policy.
"It's a seat at the table," said David St George, SAFE Executive Director. "Flight Instructors in general aviation will be able to provide direct input to the FAA on fixing our flight training system."
| |
Safety Pause for GA
Six Months For Learning
The FAA and a dozen GA alphabet organizations - including SAFE - are asking pilots to take time in the next six months to refresh their focus on flying safely.
The special request follows a rash of high-profile crashes, including the fatal American Airlines collision with a helicopter near DCA a month ago and a regional jet in Toronto that turned turtle after a hard landing. The safety resources for pilots are at GAsafe.org.
Called the National Pause for GA Safety, the campaign starts today at Sun'n Fun and continues for six month. Safety resources are divided into 12 categories, including mountain flying, backcountry, seaplanes, instrument flight proficiency, fllight instruction and emergencies, among others.. Participating pilots are encouraged to view any and all content that can help make them a safer pilot. WINGS credit is available, and pilots can download a digital badge to post on their social media accounts.
|
Go Ahead, Take A Guess
How Much More Risk After Maintenance?
| |
Do you teach your students to be particularly careful with the preflight after an annual or 100-hour inspection? New evidence says that you are correct.
A recent study showed that risk of something going wrong immediately after an inspection was substantial. Would you like to guess how much more dangerous it is just after maintenance?
Take a guess now.
|
New SAFE Member Discount: $100 Off Lightspeed Delta Zulu headset
Long-time SAFE sponsor Lightspeed Aviation is offering SAFE members a $100 discount on a a new Lightspeed Delta Zulu through the coded SAFE checkout on the members-only benefits portion of the SAFE website.
In addition to your $100 discount, Lightspeed will donate 10% of the sales to SAFE's CFI scholarship fund.
Lightspeed also annually donates four headsets for SAFE raffles at Sun'n Fun and Oshkosh.
| |
What Are The Top 9
Avoidable Insurance Claims?
| | |
The AOPA Air Safety Institute recently examined insurance claims and found five leading costly and completely avoidable insurance claims that occur even before takeoff. Many of these are a result of poor or inadequate instruction. This free 2:30 minute video details those.
What's an 'avoidable' ground insurance claim? They're mostly simple mistakes that any pilot can make.but CFIs too often fail to emphasize. The top five ground mistakes include:
- tow bar attached at engine start
- taxiing into a light pole, building or another aircraft
- hitting the rear wall of the hangar when backing in
- letting a ladder or other object fall on a hangared airplane
- lack of cognizance of your prop blast on the ground
Among the more serious accidents that ASI deemed avoidable, the top four were
Not on the ASI list, but this editor's pet CFI peeve: failure to teach refueling at a self-serve refueling station. Do you have any pet instructional peeves? Please tell us at communications@safepilots.org. Best responses may be published in a future issue of SAFE Strategies.
| |
March/April FAA Safety Briefing
Is All About Value Of Airports
| | |
The importance of GA airports and the communities they serve is revealed in the March/April issue of FAA Safety Briefing. Among this month's feature articles are:
FAA Safety Briefing is the updated version of the venerable FAA Aviation News, with emphasis on current GA issues and a perspective on GA from an FAA administrative viewpoint.
| |
SAFE Scholarship Changes Course
Formerly For Schoolchildren, Now For New CFIs
| | In its first decade, SAFE awarded public and private school teachers grants for classroom projects that involved students in aviation-related activities. The small grants, awarded to dozens of elementary and secondary teachers, resulted in several truly innovative projects exposing schoolchildren to aviation. | | |
In 2023, SAFE rededicated the scholarship program to current flight students who are pursuing their flight instructor certificate.
The first recipient, Cheyenne Neff, graduated and is now instructing in Ellenville, NY and flying a PC12 professionally part-time.
| |
You should know that Lightspeed Aviation donates 10% of your headset purchase price to the SAFE CFI scholarship fund, which enabled the first recipient to earn her own CFI certificate in 2023.
Generous supporter Lightspeed also donates four headsets annually for SAFE raffles at Sun'n Fun and Oshkosh. (win one at the SAFE CFI Roundup) Thank you, Lightspeed!
| |
The 2024 scholarship recipient is Ana Gabriela Costa (right) of Boca Raton FL. She commenced CFI training in February at CFI Bootcamp in Miami FL, and has passed both knowledge tests. She completed her CFI spin training (in an Extra) and is now working on her right seat transition and teaching skills.
Visit go.lightspeedaviation.com/SAFE to sign up and simultaneously claim your $100 discount and while supporting the SAFE CFI Scholarship.
| | Don't Forget Your FREE SAFE Toolkit | | |
The free SAFE Toolkit has all your Sun 'N Fun 2025 information. After Sun'nFun, you'll find the SAFE Toolkit has virtually everything needed by professional CFIs (or pilots), including endorsements, experience required and test codes. It also contains SAFE's Check-Ride Ready™ for flight test applicants, which allows a CFI to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything for the student's checkride.
| | |
Hobie Tomlinson
MCFI Emeritus
It is an extraordinary honor for Master Instructors to announce that Hobart “Hobie” Tomlinson has been recognized as a Master Instructor for the Twelfth time and Master Instructor Emeritus for the Second time. Hobie, based in Burlington, Vermont, became an Emeritus two years ago, then decided that he was not ready to stop educating. Hobie - a Wright Brothers Master Pilot and 2012 FAA Flight Instructor of the Year - soloed in 1960, obtained his initial CFI in 1965, was a DPE from 1977 thru 2022, and has been a continually active CFI for 60 Years. He holds ASEL, ASES, AMEL, and AMES Class Ratings at the ATP Level, plus 9 Turbojet Type Ratings, in addition to Advanced & Instrument Ground Instructor ratings. He also holds Airframe & Powerplant, Flight Engineer and Aircraft Dispatcher Certificates and has served in various Air Carrier and Charter leadership roles. He has 42,150 hours, 17,023 Flight Instruction Hours, with 1028 North Atlantic Crossings. Currently 81 years old, his favorite airplanes were the Twin Beech 18 & B757.
| | |
Jason Archer
MCFI
Master Instructors is pleased to welcome Jason Archer of New Britain, Connecticut to the Community of Master Instructors for the first time. Jason is a seasoned educator and well-kmown speaker with over 20 years of pedagogy working in flight schools, planetariums, science centers, universities and aviation museums. With more than 3500 hours of dual given in over 30 aircraft models, he is a Gold Seal Instructor, 2021 CFI of the Year for the BDL FSDO, a 2021 AOPA Distinguished Flight Instructor and the 2018 FAASTeam Rep of the Year for the BDL FSDO. As the Chief Flight Instructor for Berkshire Aviation at the Great Barrington Airport (KGBR) Jason specializes in stick and rudder, primary, tailwheel, and instrument training in addition to flight simulation curriculum. With a degree in Astronomy, he is Director of the Glastonbury Planetarium where he lectures on astronomy and aerospace content. Jason holds a CFI-I, CFI-G, MEI, AGI, IGI, SES certificates.
| |
Elaine Kauh
MCFI
Master Instructors is pleased to announce that Elaine Kauh of Janesville, Wisconsin, has received her Eighth Designation as a Master Instructor. Elaine is a CFI-I and professional pilot specializing in Tailwheel and High-Performance aircraft training. She holds a number of roles as an Aviation Educator, including Adjunct Instructor at Fox Valley Technical College, helping students learn the art and science of flight instruction. She is also an Instructor for EAA’s Pilot Proficiency Center VFR and IFR Redbird Workshops. An active aviation author and speaker, Elaine creates content for IFR magazine and Pilot Workshops, and is co-host of the new podcast Aviation Intrigue.
| |
|
Michael Miley
MCFI
Master Instructors is honored to welcome the newest member of the Master Educator Community. H. Michael Miley, Mike, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has received his First Accreditation as a Master Instructor. Mike is an adjunct faculty member at the College of DuPage, where he teaches aviation management, ground school, and sUAS courses, ensuring students receive industry-aligned instruction. As a board member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, he advocates for advancing flight instruction standards through lifelong learning and professional development.
| |
|
Ray Spengler Jr
MCFI
Master Instructors is honored to announce that Raymond F “Ray” Spengler Jr, of Longview TX has been awarded the title of Master Flight Instructor for the tenth consecutive time (20 years). Currently a SAFE member and former member of the SAFE board, Spengler is a current board member of the FSANA DPE National Review Board. Ray serves in the Texas Wing of the CAP and as the FAASTeam lead safety representative in the Northeast Texas area. He is the president of Skypark Aviation LLC, a Cessna Pilot Training Center located at the KGGG.
| | |
| Toward More Knowledgeable CFIs... | |
New Instructional Aids/ Info
New FAA video series "From The Flight Deck" has actual runway approach, taxiway footage, plus graphics to identify hot spots and other hazards. There are 141 videos to date; more coming.
A new 2:30 ASI video "Completely Avoidable Insurance Claims" identifies most common avoidable insurance claims and tells how to avoid them. (see story above).
WINGS program is often mentioned but seldom completed. If you have students or friends asking, send them here: WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program.
More than two dozen online courses, videos, quizzes and safety seminars on specific IFR topics are available free from ASI.
AOPA's Rusty Pilot seminars, excellent opportunities to recruit learners, are scheduled for April 12 in Portage des Sioux, MO, Broomfield, CO and Smyrna, TN. On April 26, they are set for Pembroke Pines, FL; Frederick, MD; Williamsburg, VA; and Glencoe, MN..
Helpful CFI Information
The US Treasury Department will no longer require domestic businesses created for aircraft ownership to report ownership information.
NOTAMS - long under fire - are set to be replaced by a brand-new, cloud-based, commercially operated NOTAM service. The FAA has selected a vendor for this new service and the first phases should come online by early fall.
Root Cause Analysis of Pilot Deviations is a free online course on the FAASTeam website. Provides WINGS credit.
Can you log IFR approaches if.... That question is often batted around CFI offices. If you'd like to know, FAA InFO 15012 was issued in 2015.
Are Discovery Flights worthwhile? New article by Doug Abramowitz views pros and cons, identifies pitfalls and avoidance techniques.
Rusty Pilot live seminars will be held April 5 at Sun'n Fun in Lakeland FL. On April 12 the live seminars will be in Portage des Sioux MO, Williamsburg VA, Broomfield CO and Smyrna TN.
President Donald Trump is calling for certificate revocation for the pilot of a Flexjet Challenger 350 involved in a runway incursion at MDW last month.
ATP Flight School is giving away an Airbus A320 type rating and an ATP program, not just once but continuing every quarter to randomly selected alumni.
Did you see the recruiting notice for 100 private pilots to spend one day PAID for flying simulators? Forget it. The recruiting firm has stopped applications. No word on the research itself.
FAA charting notice on February 10 officially changes name of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
FAA is requiring ADS-B for most aircraft operating near DCA; the military helicopter in the accident had not transmitted ADS-B out data for at least two years.
Industry News for CFIs
FAA postpones medical changes - again. Incomplete applications will again be deferred rather than denied immediately.
ATC privatization is off the table, for now. The House Transporation and Infrastrue Committee dismissed calls to privatize ATC, focusing instead on rebuilding the FAA.
New Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is doubling down on his threats to "pull the certificates of pilots found to blame for causing aircraft incidents." Just when we thought we had a kinder and gentler FAA.
Skyfarer Academy is offering 1:1 online ground training with live CFIs. The company plans flight instruction in AZ, CA, FL, TX and WA.
Landing fees based on ADS-B data are now prohibited in Montana. Rep. Shane Klakken's bill would block use of ADS-B data for charging fees for aircraft under 9,000 pounds.
FAA is deploying the Runway Incursion Device (RID) at 74 towered airports. The system provides real-time alerts for controllers of runway incursions..
| |
Want To Make A Difference?
Mentor New CFIs
Join SAFE's Mentor Connection
| | |
The SAFE Mentorship Connection group needs you - as an experienced CFI -.to help newer CFIs learn the ropes and improve their instructional professionalism. Zoom sessions are on Tuesdays from 7:00 pm Eastern (23Z) and last up to two hours.SAFE Mentorship Connector director Dorothy Schick hosts each meeting.
Weekly roundtable discussions with the CFI Study Group on CFI topics often have prominent guest speakers, most recently CFI Bootcamp's Mike Shiflett. The 20 or so CFIs and CFI-wannabes who attend each study session can get into one-on-one conversations with DPEs.
| |
SAFE Sponsors
Please shop at these merchant supporters of CFI professionalism.
They make possible your SAFE privileges and benefits.
| | SAFE members get 1/3 off any ForeFlight subscription. Potential yearly savings: $133+ | | SAFE member CFIs get 25% off all Gleim Aviation products except kits, ATP, FIRC, IARC or sim hardware. Call 800-874-5346 for the discount. | | |
Buy a pair of "Delta Zulus" and Lightspeed Aviation donates $100 discoung and 10% toward the SAFE "CFI Scholarship Fund!"
More Information
| |
SAFE members get 20% off select merchandise. | |
Platinum Cirrus Training Center provides flight training, aircraft rentals and sales at KAXH. | |
SAFE member CFIs qualify for a $100 rebate on Bose A30 or ProFlight Series 2 aviation headset. | |
|
SAFE members get a 20% discount on ASA products.
| |
|
SAFE members get 10% off any MyGoFlight product.
| |
SAFE members receive a 20% discount on all King Schools Training products. | | SAFE members get 20% off all books/CDs by Max Trescott, Cirrus Platinum CSIP and author of several guides on using advanced avionics. | | SAFE members get 5% off any Qref checklists. Use code SAFE5. | | SAFE members get 20% off the Artful Flying book by Michael Maya Charles. | | |
SAFE is a 501(c)(3) educational, not-for-profit professional organization building aviation educator excellence and aviation safety. Our 7,000-some members include many of the best-known, best-credentialed and most experienced CFIs as well as many FAA Designated Pilot Examiners.
Join SAFE now Give To SAFE (Tax Deductible)
| | | | |
