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SAFE represents nearly 1,200 of the industry's top aviation educators in 49 states and nine foreign countries, including the majority of Master Instructors and numerous General Aviation Awards winners in all four awards categories. |
SAFE Record Member Growth in 2016;
2017 Forecast: More Growth, More Safety
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by David St. George, SAFE Chair
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David St George
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I'd like to thank all new and renewing SAFE members for an amazing 2016 with record growth and many new programs. We eagerly look forward to our continued growth and progress in safety for 2017.
Our focus is again mirrored in the
NTSB Most Wanted list
targeting Loss of Control but with an emphasis on aviation education, which has been SAFE's focus from our founding in 2009. As professional educators, we need to step up our game to provide superior training to create and sustain superior pilots. Watch for SAFE to again lead our profession in 2017 with new training tools, programs and FAA advocacy.
Let's all commit to a SAFE and happy New Year together building aviation educator professionalism!
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Unique Flight School Takes Off in UT
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A "flying car" flight school has been established in Nephi, Utah, near the city of Provo, to train purchasers of the 2-place
Pal-V autogyro-car
built by the Dutch company Pal-V.
An FAA private pilot certificate for rotorcraft will be required for purchasers.
Pal-V says it takes about 10 minutes to convert the tricycle gear car to an aircraft and a ground run of just under 600 feet will get the vehicle airborne. A full tank of unleaded fuel in the 540-pound useful load aircraft will last about 2.5 hours.
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Clients Asking You About ADS-B?
Here's How To Be An Expert
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As the January 1, 2020 deadline approaches for mandatory installation of ADS-B Out equipment, more students and aircraft owners are expecting CFIs to be able to answer their questions about it. Briefly, the three most common questions are:
"Where will ADS-B be required?"
The simple answer is, anywhere a Mode C transponder is required today. It will NOT be required in most Class G, D or E below 10,000' MSL.
There are exceptions
, including those for aircraft certified without electrical systems.
"How does ADS-B work?" As tempting as it might be to reply, 'it's magic,' it would be more responsible to refer the questioner to any of the hundreds of web sites that explain ADS-B operation in varying degrees of complexity. One excellent place to start is Garmin's free ADS-B Academy.
"What equipment is available at a reasonable cost?" Any published answer to this question is probably already out of date, since manufacturers are working to introduce ADS-B Out equipment. AOPA has an excellent ADS-B Out Selector that is kept updated with the latest offerings.
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SAFE's Newest Sponsor: Flight Training Technologies, LLC
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Amy Labus-Olson
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Flight Training Tech (FTT),
created by CFII and Master of Education Amy Labus-Olson, is the
newest sponsor for the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE)..
FTT maintains a web-based flight training management system for small business flight schools and independent CFIs to manage student pilots in a private pilot ASEL program. Features include calendar/scheduler, flight and ground curriculum based on the FARs and ACS with lesson setup tool, program requirements and endorsements checklist, task completion chart, flight training logbook, CFI records logbook and aviation resources.
"It not only contains everything the user needs to know about their flight training program but also tracks their progress in an attempt to make the training process more informative, efficient and safe," said Labus-Olson. "My goal is to keep students and CFIs informed and engaged in their flight training program from start to certified."
Subscriptions are just $25/month for flight schools, $49/year for independent CFIs, and $30 for students per enrollment or program. Currently, FTT only offers the private pilot ASEL program.
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Mandatory Changes Looming for Flight Plan Form |
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The FAA will soon be requiring use of the
international form
when domestic VFR and IFR flight plans are filed. The agency said implementation is planned for this year, and that it will update official guidance for pilots.
The FAA had originally planned to eliminate the domestic flight plan form by October 2015, but then changed the implementation date to this month. The FAA now says it will allow extra time for pilots to learn about using the new flight plan form. Information on how to use the form, also known as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Flight Plan form, is available on the Flight Service website
and u
pdated guidance will also appear later in the Aeronautical Information Manual.
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"It's A New Day," Says SAFE, As Part 23 Final Rule Issued
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Remember airplane categories, such as normal, utility and aerobatic? For new aircraft designs certificated after mid-2017, they'll be going away.
In December, 2016, the FAA issued new performance-based, industry-consensus Part 23 standards in place of the traditional 'prescriptive' manufacturing methods that have hindered development of new designs and technologies and caused light aircraft certification costs to soar.
"It's a new day for innovation in GA aircraft," said David St. George, SAFE Chair. "The FAA's complete re-write for FAR Part 23 removes many of the barriers that have kept us using 1950s technology and raised prices for GA equipment unreasonably high."
The new FAR Part 23 has four levels of risk, designating airplanes with 0 to 1 passengers, 2 to six passengers, 7 to 9 passengers and 10 to 19 passengers. Performance levels will depend on aircraft speed, from low speed, meaning cruising or maximum speeds of less than 251 KTAS, or high speed, meaning airplanes with cruising speed or maximum speeds greater than 250 KTAS.
The new rules will go into effect Aug. 30, 2017.
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CFI Insurance: How Do I Protect Myself?
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SAFE member Sean, renewing his SAFE CFI Non-Owned Aircraft Liability Insurance last month, asked a question many working CFIs wonder about. He writes, "All the planes I fly have either flying club insurance or on an open pilot policy, but I'm guessing that it protects the club or the owner more than me. I don't know how much of a redundancy my CFI coverage is. Your thoughts?"
"The most important coverage is for property damage and bodily injury. Most CFIs get the standard limit of $1,000,000 each occurrence with a sub-limit of $100,000 per passenger for injury.
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Need A Job? Consider CFI + ATC
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Have you heard? The FAA needs new air traffic controllers, and SAFE says that flight instructors can be ideal candidates for the hundreds of new controller jobs to come open in the next few years. Salaries rise to more than $172,590 per year.
A massive FAA recruitment campaign last year hired more than 1,400 new controllers, and although 2016 hiring is done, observers believe ATC understaffing - termed 'critical' by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) - will necessitate additional hiring soon.
"For instance, take the case of CFI Josh Haviland (pictured, right), a controller in the Seattle TRACON," said David St. George, SAFE Chair. "In 2011, he and two other controllers saved a VFR-only pilot in a Mooney who was disoriented and trapped above an overcast." For that action, Haviland and two other controllers won the coveted National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) 'Archie' award.
The VFR-only pilot was in the clouds when he reported running out of gas. Haviland, the only flight instructor among the three controllers, immediately suggested the pilot go to best glide speed and level his wings.
(Hear recent real-life audio of another pilot-controller, Dwayne McLean of Jacksonville helping a VFR-only pilot on the east coast.)
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Driver's License Medical Rules Expected This Month |
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Responding to a SAFE query, the FAA said it expects its proposed rules for the so-called "driver's license medical" to be unveiled the first part of this month. The rules must be finalized no later than July 15, 2017.
Elimination of the bi- or triennial official medical examination requirement for non-commercial flight operations is expected to encourage lapsed pilots to return to the skies, boosting opportunities for flight instructors.
Under the reform, pilots who have held a valid medical certificate any time in the decade prior to July 15, 2016, may not need to take another FAA medical exam. The 10-year lookback period applies to both regular and special issuance medicals. Pilots whose most recent medical certificate was revoked, suspended, withdrawn, or denied will need to obtain a new medical certificate before they can operate under the reforms. Pilots who have never held an FAA medical certificate, including student pilots, will need to go through the process one time only.
After meeting the initial requirements to fly under the reforms, pilots will need to visit a state-licensed physician at least once every four years and take a free online course on aeromedical factors every two years. Additional details on the reform are
available on AOPA's web site.
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Bizjet Training Market Ahead: More Cessnas, Fewer Bombardiers
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A report in Flight International quotes U.S.-based bizjet reseller Jetcraft as predicting that sales of Cessna business jets will overtake the current market leader Bombardier in the next 10 years, giving the Textron brand a market share of nearly 25 percent worldwide. Bombardier's share of the market will sink to just over a fifth of business aircraft sold.
The forecast predicts a total of 7,879 deliveries of business jets over the next 10 years. That figure is 10 percent fewer than last year's forecast, which Jetcraft President Chad Anderson blamed on less favorable US dollar exchange rates and lower commodity prices hitting the purchasing power of emerging market economies.
On the upside, he said, is a belief that the US economy still has ample room to grow and that the current trend of companies buying back shares will shift to robust capital expenditures, supporting a better climate for aircraft sales.
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Laser Attacks on GA Continue, CFIs Called to Help
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Laser attacks on aircraft continue, with nearly 3,000 reported through May 28, 2016, a 33 percent increase over the same period in 2015. (Reliable stats are available only through May 28). At that rate, reports LaserPointerSafety.com, there will have been more than 8,500 such attacks reported in 2016.
Apparently, far too many laser hobbyists are either ignorant of the hazard they pose or just don't care, and SAFE is asking CFIs to help spread the word.
"Laser attacks like these blind pilots, usually at very low altitudes, often on approach at night," said SAFE Communications Director Kevin D Murphy. "CFI's can help curb these attacks by letting other pilots know of the tools available to help law enforcement find and arrest the perpetrators." A video produced by the FBI
shows the effect of laser illumination of the cockpit of an aircraft.
Stepped up penalties and enforcement have had little effect. In 2012, Congress increased penalties from a possible $11,000 fine for intentionally lasering an aircraft to as much as five years in prison and $250,000.
An overview of the problem
was carried by Business and Commercial Aviation Magazine in January, 2016.
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New SAFE Blog Contributions
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Who's In Charge Here?
The definition of pilot-in-command, and who may log PIC time, is one of the most confusing parts of the FARs. In this SAFE post by James Williams, reprinted from the current FAA Safety Briefing magazine, you'll (probably) find the answers to your questions.
How Can We Fix Our 80% Aviation Dropout Rate?
It's amazing our industry has survived this long, says SAFE Chair David St. George. He cites an AOPA study that reports the number one element most valued by students is excellent instructors.
Bad Flight Instructors
, by well-known aviation educator Rod Machado, starts by acknowledging that most CFIs do a fantastic job. "Unfortunately, not all do," he continues, "and when they don't, they cause a lot of damage to the flight training industry." Are you a bad CFI? Read this blog entry and find out.
CFI Pro!
The average number of hours before a successful private pilot checkride currently is 105, according to IACRA data. Yet there's an experienced (and busy) CFI who is regularly turning out fully safe, competent pilots in 40-45 hours. What's his secret? Find out in this blog entry by St. George.
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Master Instructor Activity
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Two top professional aviation educators renewed their Master Instructor designations in November through
Master Instructors, LLC
. The designation identifies outstanding aviation educators who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community. The two are Shane Larrel Vande Voort of Pella, IA and Andrew 'Drew' Marinelli of Youngstown, OH. "Through their dedication to excellence, Masters have earned their "black belts" in aviation education," said Sandy Hill, administrator of the Master Instructor program. "They truly represent the crème de la crème of the aviation industry."
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Shane Vande Voort
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The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA.
Shane Vande Voort is a six-time Master CFI and President/Chief Flight
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Drew Marinelli
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Instructor of
Classic Aviation at the Pella Municipal Airport (KPEA). He specializes in Cirrus and other technically advanced aircraft training. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative and a designated pilot examiner (DPE) in the FAA's Des Moines FSDO.
Andrew "Drew" Marinelli, a
six-time Master CFI and SAFE member,
is an independent flight and ground instructor with Precision Aviation Services at Youngstown's Elser Metro Airport (4G4) where he specializes in flight reviews, primary, and instrument training. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Cleveland FSDO.
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Fly SAFE!
David St. George, Chair
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
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Copyright SAFE, Inc. 2017. All rights reserved. SAFE, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Public Charity Editor@SafePilots.org -- Safe@SafePilots.org -- www.SafePilots.org |
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