SAFE eNews

The Monthly Bulletin of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators

The handsome young man perched atop that classic 1954 Piper Apache is CFI "Pilot Pete" Weber, current star of ABC's hit reality TV show, " The Bachelor . " In case you've been flying too much, that show is the OMG reality version of the old Dating Game , where a covey of breathtaking women vie for one top-shelf bachelor. The current racier version is very popular, ABC says.

SAFE is posting this network publicity photo because it was the best CFI-related photo we could find around the office this month.

Bachelor fans can catch CFI Weber’s journey to find love Monday nights on  ABC .

A hefty percentage of pilots (41%) answering an AOPA eBrief poll on flight training plans last month said an instrument rating was in their plans this year. Another 28% said a Commercial certificate was their goal, and 12% of readers wanted to earn a Private Pilot certificate.

Nine percent of respondents were ready to go for an ATP, and about eight percent wanted a rotary wing certificate.

"It looks like another good sign as far as full employment for CFIs," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. The survey was contained in a recent eBrief, which is issued by digital publisher SmartBrief under the AOPA banner. Murphy said the company's audience comprises "senior executives, thought leaders and industry professionals," a group with money to make their upgrade dreams come true.

SAFE CFI-PRO™

Adds New Speakers at I69

June 10-11 Two Day Workshop Filling

Speakers at the SAFE CFI-PRO(tm) workshop at Sporty's Academy June 10-11 will include ‘Spin Doctor’ Rich Stowell presenting flight control fundamentals to help CFIs better understand and teach basic aerodynamics.

"SAFE-member DPEs have “told us repeatedly these critical skills are weaker in today's pilots from a lack of CFI focus,” said St. George. Nearly half of all aviation fatalities each year are blamed on Loss Of Control Inflight (LOC-I).

Other presenters scheduled are Mike Vivion, with 30 years of Alaska back-country flying, applying CFI Ethics and Professionalism In The Real World. Tom Turner from the Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program will reveal how to effectively teach emergency procedures in training situations. TWA Captain, 40,000-hour pilot and 2008 CFI Of The Year Hobie Tomlinson will relate what he's found in his lifetime of teaching multiengine students, and SAFE Board Chair Eric Hake, former 'employee #1' at ForeFlight will share his advice on how CFIs can keep up with evolving technology.

Master CFI John Dorcey will explain the delicate art of preparing initial CFI applicants and SAFE Executive Director David St. George will present the core SAFE Extended Envelope Training and show how this works for both student pilots and experienced pilot-clients. A printed booklet of SAFE Extended Envelope Training maneuvers will be given to participants.

Tuition for the two full days at Sporty’s is $375,and lodging is available in Batavia or next-door Cincinnati. Registration is open to all CFIs and almost-CFIs interested in professional improvement.

As of January 13th, ACS-based FAA Knowledge Tests will display the new ACS codes on the test report. CFIs need to access the ACS to decode these and properly endorse their students for a Practical Test Per CFR 61.39. This article from Gleim covers some details (and SAFE members get 25% off all Gleim Manuals with FREE shipping!)

Some SAFE members last month also reported taking an online survey from knowledge test contractor PSI on relevance and importance of knowledge test areas, The short-notice survey was available until yesterday.

"Basically, we will use the data gathered (from pilots) to update the FAA exams and ensure they are a good representation of what is currently relevant, important, and safe (in the real world)," said Brooke Dresden, a Psychometrician with PSI Services in response to SAFE questions.

It could mean a change in knowledge tests in the future, emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain subject areas. SAFE will continue to monitor these efforts to improve administration of knowledge tests by PSI.

SAFE is seeking members willing to accept a leadership mantle for the organization, join the "inner circle" and take a hand in SAFE leadership. Oh, and it involves some work, too.

"We are asking qualified SAFE members to apply early for this year's three open Board of Directors positions," said SAFE Executive Director David St George. "We need serious people who have a commitment to SAFE and a passion for educational excellence. That passion must include a willingness to pitch in and work on SAFE projects."

SAFE's nine-member Board has three year sequenced terms, opening three seats each year. Incumbents are term-limited, a requirement from SAFE's founders who were wary of an entrenched Board subverting the will of the membership.

Besides SAFE membership, requirements for a Board member include at least some CFI experience. A background in professional communication, interaction or services is a "huge" plus, St George said. Monthly SAFE Board meetings are by telephone or Internet conference call, with a presence required at the annual membership meeting at each year's AirVenture.

The SAFE nominations committee will announce the candidates in the Spring, with the member election held in early Summer. New Board members will be installed at the annual SAFE member meeting at Oshkosh 2020.

If you aspire to a board position or know a qualified applicant eager to help SAFE raise CFI professionalism,, please access the Application For Board Membership. A SAFE Board member will be in touch soon. If you need more details, let's talk!

Online behemoth Amazon is continuing its SMILE program, allowing members of a charitable 501(c)(3) organization (yes, SAFE) to contribute to that organization with every purchase, at no expense to the purchaser.

 

Any item approved for the Amazon SMILE program returns a small percentage of the sales price to SAFE. It's very small, but every little bit helps. SAFE is registered for this program on Amazon SMILE.

 

To start contributing to SAFE at no cost to you, sign up today at Amazon SMILE and select Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) from the dropdown list of charities.

The first of five new ongoing special news programs produced by the Aero-News Network will focus on flight training and its problems.

ANN publisher Jim Campbell says the program, named 'Airborne - Flight Training', will launch soon and expects to webcast bimonthly for a month or two while the program undergoes a 'shake-down.' Then a regular weekly schedule should emerge by early spring.

According to Campbell, this first of the new program series will examine the "growing, as well as turbulent, world of flight training." Campbell said the new program will cover the vast interests of the industry… from new and continuing flight students, to the business of flight training itself, and the effect of regulatory changes by the FAA and its Canadian equivalent, Transport Canada.

ANN is a web-based broadcaster.of aviation news.

Surveys show that one of the biggest fears of former pilots returning to flying is catching up with "the new stuff." AOPA has a single source for CFIs faced with helping rusty aviators return.

It's called "Rusty Pilot Resources," and is available on the AOPA Web site. It includes a downloadable Rusty Pilots Resource Guide, an easy cockpit and study reference easily adaptable to lesson plans by CFIs, as well as a list of Q&A with the most common questions asked by lapsed pilots..

"With the new Drivers License Medical, many pilots are re-entering the wonderful world of aviation," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "This AOPA collection of goodies can be a big help for CFIs helping the pilots regain currency and proficiency."          

Declaring the 80 percent dropout rate in aviation training "avoidable," SAFE has endorsed the "Select Your Own Professional" message being spread by the organization's Executive Director at each of the three AOPA Fly-Ins in 2020.

The talk by David St George will be available at AOPA Fly-Ins at San Marcos TX May 29-30, Casper WY June 19-20 and Rochester NY September 11-12. The outreach hopes to convince student pilots and those who haven't yet started their training that their choice of CFI and even DPE can make a big difference.

"Social media forums are full of horror stories of inept and uncaring CFIs and demon DPEs seemingly determined to ruin motivation and fail applicants," SAFE said in a statement. "If the process is not working, there is no reason to keep a CFI like that." We have so many great CFIs out there, pick a educator and evaluator.

SAFE urges all potential pilots to take charge of their own flight training by selecting their own 'caring professional,' with emphasis on the 'professional.'

"Since you pay the bills, you want to pick a professional with solid credentials and a track record of success. A solid professional educator will make your flight training enjoyable and successful. And remember, the DPE is your choice too," said St George. "Every qualified applicant begins an FAA flight evaluation with 100% and perfection is not the standard." David's talk at the San Marcos AOPA 2020 Fly-In is Tuesday at noon at the big yellow AOPA tent.

Contrary to popular belief, John and Martha may NOT have been first to produce well-done aviation education videos.

"Catherine Cavagnaro, who is carrying on the aviation education work of the beloved Bill Kerschner, found this 1955 film series called The Secret Of Flight, in which Dr Alexander Lippisch explains the science behind flight," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "For its time, it was a remarkably well-done audio-visual series. I was particularly enthralled with Dr Lippisch's show-and-tell on aerodynamics."

A total of 13 videos, each under 29 minutes, are available free, encompassing most of today's basics for aviators. They include titles such as Laws of Fluid Motion, History of Early Flight, Discovery of Dynamic Lift, Stability and Control, Propulsion, Problem of Drag and The Induced Drag.

Last year, an article from AOPA covered Cavagnaro's discovery of the videos.

Drone operators careless about where they let their machines fly will be dismayed to know that authorities in the UK are installing a drone-detection system that can not only identify unauthorized UAV but track it to it's operator. Heathrow is the first to install the counter-drone system.

Bloomberg reports the system uses a holographic radar system, like the one used at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

Under a new law passed by irate legislators, the drone operator can face up to five years in prison. The new law is a response to the 2018 coordinated drone disruption of Gatwick airport, which affected 110,000 passengers and 760 flights during the holiday travel season. More recently, police  arrested climate protestors  who attempted to close Heathrow Airport using illegal drone flights.

(An artist's depiction of Uber air taxi base in a city)

A new aviation world is on its way. The first public test of an autonomous air taxi was conducted late last year in Raleigh, N.C.

Meanwhile, ride provider Uber is making good on its 2017 promise for an affordable riding share service with all-electric drone-type aircraft. adding the FAA, NASA and a number of billion-dollar comp anies on board. “We’re entering the next phase of Elevate, which is all about the preparation of cities for these incredible vehicles which... are well along the path of certification,” said Mark Moore, Uber Air's director of aviation engineering. The company says it will launch its service in Los Angeles, Dallas and Melbourne in 2023.

The FAA is likewise signaling progress. Head of the FAA's unmanned aircraft integration office Jay Merkle said that there are six different UAV-type aircraft are "well along" in their type certification process.

Business aircraft flights in North America and the Caribbean in December soared almost 7 percent year-over-year as weekend activity surged by nearly 23 percent, according to TraqPak data released yesterday by Argus . The company predicts that flying in January will increase 5.8 percent from a year ago.

All operating segments were in the black, with fractional activity leading the pack with an 11.9 percent rise from December 2018. This was followed by 7.7 percent and 5.3 percent gains in Part 135 and 91 flying, respectively.

Likewise, all business aircraft categories logged year-over-year increases last month, led by midsize jets at 8.9 percent. Next in line was light jets, up 7.6 percent; large-cabin jets, up 7.2 percent; and turboprops, up 4.3 percent.

Notably, there were several double-digit, year-on-year increases in individual categories in the charter and fractional segments in December. Part 135 midsize and large-cabin jet flying jumped 10.3 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, while fractional light and midsize jet activity soared 12 percent and 16.8 percent, respectively. The only decreases in individual categories were in the fractional space, with turboprop and large-cabin jet flying down around 5 percent each in the segment.

Aviation education legend, SAFE charter member and Alexander 'Sandy' Hill passed away January 24 at his home in Longmont CO after a long illness.

The SAFE Master Instructor Program will continue unaffected by his death.

SAFE Executive Director Emeritus Doug Stewart said, “Sandy and his wife JoAnn have done so much to raise the bar for aviation educators. Their untiring work to bring attention to the importance of the role that aviation educators play in making for safer skies was inspirational in the creation of the SAFE Vision and Mission statements. He will be sorely missed by all of us."

Sandy and JoAnn, both retired schoolteachers, started their aviation education careers in the late 1970s working as staff instructors for AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation (now Air Safety Institute). They served as directors of NAFI for more than 25 years, including more than a decade as vice presidents and directors of education, but left that organization in 2008 to help found SAFE.

"Sandy and JoAnn formed and managed the  Master Instructor Program, which in 2020 celebrates 25 years and over 1800 MCFI certifications," said David St George, SAFE executive director. "Together they also revitalized the  General Aviation Awards program in the early 2000s and motivated our industry ever-greater professionalism and excellence. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family at this difficult time." 

This YouTube video highlights the professional aviation contributions of Sandy and JoAnn throughout their careers.

Services were held January 28 in Longmont CO with a Marine Guard ceremony. Burial was in Fort Logan National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations for the Semper Fi Fund.