Volume 10 | February 2019
SAFE eNews
The Monthly Bulletin of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
SAFE is a 501(c)(3) educational, not-for-profit professional organization building aviation educator excellence and aviation safety. Our 1,800 members include many of the best-known, best-credentialed and most experienced CFIs and many Designated Pilot Examiners in the US and internationally.
SAFE Board Members were at Cirrus CX-19, with the Collier Trophy on display. From L-R are Mike Garrison, Florida DPE; SAFE Board Chair Eric Hake of Texas, and 41-year DPE and 2008 FAA National CFI of the Year Hobie Tomlinson. All are long-time Cirrus Instructors.
SAFE Sponsors
Starr Companies Logo
Partner With SAFE
Controllers Deserve Respect, Admiration
Aviation suffered a tremendous blow in the shut-down. Safety was starting to suffer despite ATC personnel working six unpaid 10-hour days for weeks at a time. IACRA continued functioning, but pilots were unable to get certificates and temporaries were expiring. FSDOs and other FAA offices were closed and the FAA Academy in OKC was shuttered, halting the flow of controllers in training. So no more controllers or pilots at a time of great need, Ouch!

"Nobody won," said David St George, SAFE Executive Director, "Our friends and co-workers in ATC had our backs even as their own Government officially disrespected them for 35 days. That's unacceptable. Controllers deserve our respect and admiration."

And though the shutdown is at least temporarily over, St George warned members that FAA paperwork transactions will continue to be delayed, perhaps significantly, and programs that were stopped are only slowly rebuilding. The FAA's online workaround for expiring student pilot certificates is still active as of January 30. The FAA issued a blanket extension for DPEs on Jan 28th and SAFE is working directly with the FAA on an extension for pilot temporaries.

SAFE kept members up to date during the crisis through its FaceBook Page. SAFE Media will continue such updates if another shutdown occurs, as has been threatened. Remember, you can always see SAFE's complete social media feed with this one url: bit.ly/SAFEnow. And make sure you are signed up here to receive eNews every month.
Ten SAFE, NAFI CFIs Win $10,000
WINGS Sweeps To Continue Through 2022
The WINGS Industry Advisory Committee announced the winners in the 2018 $10,000 Paul and Fran Burger "Point of Sale" sweepstakes. WIAC selected ten SAFE and NAFI CFIs to share this year's grand prize. Future annual contests through 2022 will be open to all CFIs, for the purpose of encouraging them to promote the FAA WINGS safety program.

SAFE member winners are John Rockcastle of FL $1,500; Charles Skelton of CT $1,500; Shyam Jha of AZ $750; Ron Timmermans of FL $500 and Denis Breslin of CA $750 . NAFI member winners are Robert Thompkins of Germany $1,500; Christopher Sandor of OR $1,500; Milford Russell of MI $750 and Travis Tharp of FL $500.

The WINGS sweepstakes is privately funded by retired executive Paul Burger and his wife Fran.
Will LOC Remain On NTSB List?
"Great Reveal" To Be Live-Streamed Feb 4
The official unveil of the NTSB's Ten Most Wanted List for 2019-2020, originally set for January, will now occur on February 4. It will be broadcast on the agency's YouTube channel starting at 10 AM from the National Press Club.

It is unknown whether the Board will keep Loss of Control-Inflight (LOC-I) as a top 10 priority safety item for the 2019-2020 period. SAFE contributed its expertise in exploration of LOC-I, testifying at NTSB hearings and elsewhere.
SAFE is Run By Our Members!
Please Volunteer or Nominate to SAFE's Board
What an opportunity! We need professional aviation educators eager to help direct SAFE's operations and outreach.

Eager flight educators are encouraged to apply for one of the three volunteer SAFE Board of Directors positions that will be voted on by the membership in May. Raise your professional credentials and help enhance aviation safety through education


SAFE's Board of Directors sets Society policy and through Executive Director David St George oversees the organization's operations and growth. "We have some amazing projects "ready for take-off,'" he says.

One of SAFE's bedrock principles - that members must always retain control of the organization - requires that three Board members be elected each year to serve a three year term on the nine-member Board. Each position begins at the end of July 2019 at Oshkosh. New Board members are seated at the Annual Members Meeting to be held during AirVenture 2019, July 22-29 in Oshkosh, WI.
SAFE's Guide To Flight Training Scholarships
Get 'Em While They're Hot!
AOPA last month announced more than $1,000,000 in flight training scholarships for 2019, all with an application deadline of April 2, 2019. They are:

AOPA High School Flight Training Scholarship , with 80 individual awards of $10,000.
AOPA Teacher Flight Training Scholarship , up to 20 awards of $10,000 each for teachers, funded by the Ray Foundation. AOPA membership is required.
AOPA Primary Flight Training Scholarship , unspecified number of awards from $2,500 to $7.500.
AOPA Advanced Rating Scholarship , unspecified number of awards from $3,000 to $10,000 for acquisition of advanced certificates and ratings.

In addition, Sporty's Pilot Shop has partnered with the family of famed aviation journalist Richard L Collins for a $2,500 aviation writing prize . The contest is open to any pilot under 24 years of age, including student pilots. The winning article will be published in Air Facts, the online magazine originally launched by Leighton Collins, Richard's father, in 1938. Deadline is March 1, 2019.

As a service to members, SAFE has compiled a partial list of the many aviation flight training scholarships available this year. We limited this list to those scholarships that provide for actual flight training, whether individually or as part of a degree program, e.g. ERAU.

FAA Removes FDC NOTAMs
Relief For Pilots Suffering NOTAM Bloat
CFIs, it's time to update the curriculum.

The old scoop was that FDC NOTAMs were included in standard FSS briefings until published in the Notices To Airmen Publication (NTAP). Once published, those NOTAMs were dropped from the standard FSS briefing. FDC NOTAMs deal with changes in approaches, flight restrictions and chart revisions such as a tall tower built near an airport.

Now, the FAA has agreed to take FDC NOTAMs out of the paper NTAP, considerably decreasing the publication's bulk. Sections of FDC NOTAMs deleted will be Section 1, Airway NOTAMs; Section 2, Airport, Facility and Procedural NOTAMs and Section 3, General NOTAMs. The FSS says that all FDC NOTAMs will be available by request during FSS briefings, whether by computer or voice.

The FAA's NOTAM search page continues to offer all NOTAMs.

SAFE's Free Teaching Tip, February Edition:
"Teach Your Student to Fish"
Well-prepared SAFE members often install the free SAFE Toolkit App on their phones or tablets so they can quickly look up a regulation or consult an Advisory Circular to answer a student's question. Virtually every FAA publication normally used by students or CFIs is available with a few taps on the SAFE Toolkit app.

"But unless you're pressed for time, why not hand the device to your student and tell her to find the answer?" asks Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "Give her some direction, of course, but when it's over you'll have not only the answer but a student who better understands where to find answers. In other words, teach her to fish rather than giving her a fish."

Among the hundreds of free, single-click access publications helpful for CFIs and students in the SAFE Toolkit are:

Redbird Is Newest SAFE Sponsor
But We Go Back A Long Ways...
Redbird Flight Simulations, a company that in the last 10 years has captured an overwhelming chunk of the GA simulator market, is SAFE's returning sponsor.

It's practically a family reunion. Redbird and SAFE shared a nest about ten years ago, when SAFE co-founder Doug Stewart developed aviation scenario training in the new Redbird. Stewart later developed the first scenarios used in the SAFE Pilot Proficiency Project , now a hands-on hit at each year's AirVenture under the l eadership of EAA.

The company's newest top-of-the-line simulator is the $199,900 Redbird AMS for turbine operators. and is designed to be cockpit-specific. Of course. On the piston side, the hugely popular MX2 is $58,800, which the company points out is less than the cost of an SUV.

"SAFE introduced scenario-based training in the Redbird and was the earliest CFI group to recognize the huge value of GA simulators. We've collaborated with Redbird for years on various events," said David St George, SAFE Executive Director. "Creative instructors are daily discovering ways to help CFIs use these machines effectively and increase the efficiency of flight training. For instance, check out the way Mike McCurdy has leverged Redbirds.
2019 AOPA Fly-In Locations Unveiled
And Yes, SAFE Will Be At Every Single One!
Latest FAA Hot Button: Wrong Surface Landings
Readback Of Landing Clearances Correct, But...
One of the latest FAA hot buttons involves pilots performing a Wrong Surface Landing (WSL) at a towered field. A WSL, almost always landing on the wrong runway, occurs at the rate of about one every other day across the country. Airports with parallel runways see the majority of pilot transgressions.

But did you know that in 80 percent of WSL incidents, the pilot's read back of the assigned runway number is correct? More surprising details about WSL incidents are available free in this new FAA four-minute video .

"Many CFIs assign good safety-related videos on the internet to their students as assigned viewing," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "This one is worth considering before a student's first operation at a parallel-runway towered field."
SAFE Adds Knowledge Test Guide
Available in SAFE Public Resource Section
SAFE often monitors and helps answer questions from CFIs who don't understand the FAA's complex requirements for training and requirements for knowledge tests in certain situations. A recent question asked, "If applicant A holds a current CFI-I and AGI and wants to take the IGI written, is a recommendation be required?"

The answer in this case is "no," but different combinations of existing certificates and ratings can often cause confusion. SAFE has added the "what's needed" table from FAA's official AC 8080.6H to the public resource center (open to all), this provides professionals the last word on which knowledge tests to administer and whether a sign off is needed for each. This is also will be added to our SAFE Toolkit App

"Yet another service to keep SAFE members on top in any knowledge situation ," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications.
VOR Shutdown Update For CFIs
Some Pilots Believe FAA Is Shutting Down All VORs
Yellow indicates VORs that may be decommissioned by 2025.
While VORs continue to be decommissioned as part of the FAA's NEXTGEN plan, not all pilots are aware of the change or believe that ALL VOR stations will be shut down for a GPS-only world.

"SAFE CFI members know about the plan,of course," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "But if you want to know which of your local VORs is scheduled for the chopping block, it's easy to find out."

The FAA plans call for only a 30 percent reduction in VOR stations by 2025, leaving 585 of the original 896 VORs as a Minimum Operational Network (MON). With the remaining VORs, pilots at 5,000 AGL or more will be able to navigate with VOR in the event of a GPS outage and reach to an airport within 100 nautical miles with a conventional (non-GPS) approach.

On the chart above, all VORs are shown; those in yellow are scheduled for decommissioning.
Cirrus CSIPs Gather For Education
New Cirrus Vision Jet Center In Knoxville TN Is Host
Many SAFE members, including Jim Ratliff (left), and SAFE Board Chair Eric Hake, appeared at the 2019 Cirrus Aircraft CX symposium in Knoxville, TN in early January (see banner photo above).

Cirrus holds the education event for its CSIP instructors every year, this year in Knoxville at the company's new Vision Center. Attendance nets Cirrus instructors five credits toward renewal of their CSIP status.

Cirrus Aircraft won the prestigious Collier trophy for their new Vision Jet last year, beating out competition that included the military F35, Boeing 737 MAX and the NASA/JPL Cassini Project.
Plug-In Training: Subaru Invests In Sun Flyer 2
Rolls-Royce Is Building An All-Electric Speed Demon
A private investment fund linked to Subaru Corporation made a "major" investment in George Bye's electric airplane in Denver last month , confirming the automotive giant's interest in GA training airplanes.

Dollar amounts and conditions of the purchase were not disclosed, but you could someday be instructing in an all-electric Subaru 120V.

Earlier last month, Rolls-Royce announced it's building a three-engine, all-electric airplane intended to beat the world speed record for that class, currently 210 mph. They intend to call the new airplane the 'Accell"and say it could exceed 300 mph.

Both manufacturers say they expect certification for their aircraft by the end of next year. While that's doubtful, given the history of new aircraft certification, it's a strong hint that a fleet of plug-in electric training aircraft may be on a runway near you sooner than you think.
What's Your Experience With Drones?
SAFE's Poll Of The Month
While flying, have you ever encountered a drone that you considered a hazard?
Never have encountered a drone.
Yes, it was a serious hazard!
Yes, but I didn't consider it a hazardous situation.
The SAFE House News
with SAFE Executive Director David St George
Hi SAFE Members and Supporters!

Everyone in aviation is breathing a sigh of relief with the end of the government shutdown. Aviation took it on the chin. what with ATC working for no pay and students unable to test. Temporary certificates were expiring, as were DPE authorizations. Fortunately, a blanket extension is in effect for DPEs but only until May 1.

But there is NO blanket extension for pilot certificate Temporaries. If you or your students are on a stale Temporary, get it extended ASAP at your local FSDO to avoid a lapse in privileges.

The busy spring season is approaching and we have so many amazing events for you. SAFE will have a not-just-a-double but a TRIPLE booth at Sun 'N Fun! in April, We'll be broadcasting live from the booth on both YouTube and FaceBook.

Then, we'll be at all the AOPA Fly-Ins this year. Wouldn't you like to volunteer to help run the booth at one of those events? Please join the fun and volunteer here (we guarantee fun).

Also, don't forget the tremendous opportunity available to serve on our SAFE board of directors. Please nominate a qualified individual to help guide SAFE's policies and programs.

I apologize for the web confusion as we update the SAFE website. This process has been slow and painful. For now, ALL member services are on the old website, but I also hope you'll take a look at the new web presence we are building. You can always find the latest news and announcements at our unified SAFE Media Outlet: bit.ly/SAFEnow or on our Facebook page. Thanks. Fly SAFE and often.
David St. George, Executive Director
Please don't forget to designate SAFE as your aviation charity when shopping Amazon Smile. It costs you nothing but helps advance SAFE's outreach to improve CFI professionalism. Sign up now at http://smile.amazon.com .


"The Master Instructor accreditation singles out the best that the right seat has to offer."
* FAA Administrator Jane Garvey
Master Instructor Achievements
The Master Instructor designation is a national FAA-recognized professional accreditation and parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to increase their professionalism. The designation must be renewed biennially and significantly surpasses the FAA requirements for renewal of the candidate's flight instructor certificate. Of the 101,000 flight instructors in the US, fewer than 800 have earned the Master Instructor designation, and most are SAFE members.
Andrew David Chitiea , MCFI Emeritus
Andrew D "Drew" Chitiea , an 11-time Master CFI and a charter member of SAFE, was granted Master Instructor Emeritus status January 20 through  Master Instructors LLC .

The award was in recognition of his many years of excellence, professional growth, service to the aviation community and quality aviation education. Drew is a widely published aviation author, corporate pilot, chief pilot and owner of Colorado Skymaster at Centennial and Front Range airports. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative and a DPE for the FAA's Denver FSDO. 

Drew was one of the first aviation educators to receive the Master designation when it was introduced by then-FAA Administrator Barry Valentine at Oshkosh AirVenture 1997. 
Mark Frederick Miller, MAE

Mark F Miller, a first time Master CFI and a SAFE member, earned his initial Master Aviation Educator accreditation in January, 2019 through  Master Instructors LLC.

Mark works with Las Vegas's Part 121 Allegiant Air   as a line check airman as well as an A320 series and MD80 and DC-9 series captain. 

Additionally, he serves as a flight and ground instructor with Bellingham's Whatcom Young Aviators   and Command Aviation's flight school .
Steven Thomas Garvine, MCFI

SAFE member Steven T Garvine, of Bozeman MT, earned his initial Master CFI accreditation January 15 through  Master Instructors LLC . 

Steven is the chief flight instructor with Summit Aviation's Part 141 / 61 flight school  at Bozeman's Yellowstone International Airport, where he provides private pilot through CFI / MEI flight training. 

Additionally, Steven serves as an adjunct faculty member with Montana State University's Gallatin College where he offers courses in commercial pilot ground school and flight instruction theory.
Linda Fritsche Castner , MAE
Linda F Castner, a triple Master CFI and SAFE member, renewed her Master Aviation Educator (MAE) accreditation in January 2019 through Master Instructors LLC .

A recent inductee into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame, Linda is an FAA certificated advanced ground instructor and teaches ground schools for elementary and secondary students that focus on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics aspects of aviation. As an FAA-certificated pilot, she uses her airport as a living lab and teaches similar STEM programs around the country. 

Linda co-owns, operates, and manages New Jersey's Alexandria Field Airport .