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 more than 3,100 members include many of the best-known, best-credentialed and most experienced CFIs as well as many FAA Designated Pilot Examiners.
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Aviation Performance Solutions
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A Key SAFE Benefit
Master Instructor Program
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Master Instructors LLC is a partner organization to SAFE that independently evaluates and awards a family of Master designations to those who " demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence and professional growth in, as well as service to, the aviation community."
The Master Instructor designation was developed by Sandy and JoAnn Hill, both professional educators, in 1995 and heralded by the FAA as "the best that the right seat has to offer." The Master achievement is widely recognized as the premier accolade for aviators. In addition to industry recognition, earning a Master credentials qualifies a CFI for certificate renewal, discounts on insurance and results in higher CFI income according to participant's reports.
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The world-renowned unusual attitude recovery training company Aviation Performance Solutions requires all their instructors to achieve and maintain this level of excellence for their continued employment with UPRT courses. To date, the company has trained 108,083 pilots.
We encourage every aviation educator to read and follow the SAFE Code of Ethics and also pursue the Master-level of certification in aviation education. |
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SAFE Lifetime Member
WinsTest Pilot Award
Worked On Garmin Autoland
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Lifetime SAFE Member Tom Carr, Garmin’s director of flight operations and chief test pilot,.was recognized in September for his extensive contributions to Garmin’s Autoland system. Carr is the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Iven C. Kincheloe Award. This award “honors test pilots who have made exceptional contributions to an aerospace program and is the most honorable recognition among the society” and was presented by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Tom has over 42 years of experience in experimental flight test and served as Garmin's chief test pilot for 17 years. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with 14 type ratings and is rated for single-engine and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders. His flight experience spans 192 different aircraft types ranging from gliders to four-engine jets. He found time during this busy career to help found SAFE and serve on the board of directors!
As Garmin's chief test pilot, Carr has flown Autoland development flights on the Columbia 400, Piper M600 and the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet and flew as test pilot in hundreds of approaches and fully-automated landings. The full Autoland system received FAA certification in May and is sold under various names by manufacturers using it, including Cirrus, Piper's M600 and the TBM 940.
“From the day Tom started at Garmin, he has dedicated himself to growing our business and developing a team of passionate and talented flight test professionals and in doing so, he has built a world-class flight department,” said Phil Straub, Garmin’s executive vice president and managing director of aviation
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State Of The 'Rona For CFIs?
How Is It At Your Airport?
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SAFE has shared abundance of COVID guidance for CFIs, students and pilots on procedures for staying safe and reopening safely. For FAA Designated Examiners and CFIs, SAFE has made available a liability form to assure the safety of their appointments.
We all have a bit of "COVID fatigue." Humans are social creatures and we are tired of distancing and masks. But until we have a proven vaccine we are still at risk, with infections rates again increasing in some areas of the country. We created a very quick survey to help assess how the flight training industry is doing during COVID.
Please take a moment to fill out this "5 second" survey and let us know how you are doing, whether you feel, safe or compromised and what your school or facility might be doing to help the situation. Thanks. |
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Lakeland FL To Host
Holiday Flying Festival Dec 4-5
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The Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo is the main fundraiser for the Aerospace Center for Excellence, a leader in science, technology, engineering, math, and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, summer camps, and scholarships. Proceeds from the Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show will go to the center.
The show will feature aircraft displays, a short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) competition, a night airshow and a balloon launch. An expansive airplane and car show, live music, and other activities will run both days, including a Sun 'n Run 5K foot race that will benefit Women In Aviation and the Lakeland Aero Club.
On December 5, an AOPA General Aviation Town Hall session with AOPA President Mark Baker will offer pilots an opportunity to hear about the state of GA in these days of COVID-19. Scheduled panelists include Sun 'n Fun/ACE President and CEO John Leenhouts, Baker and EAA President, CEO, and Board Chairman Jack Pelton.
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Hondajet Aircraft Airshow
This Month. See, Feel, Almost Touch
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Honda Aircraft is launching an online airshow so visitors can see and experience the HondaJet much in the same way they might at a live event. The airshow is hosted on HondaJet's web site.
This "virtual airshow" includes a 360-degree virtual tour, walkaround and city-pair videos, and a virtual photo booth that allows users to take a selfie in the HondaJet Elite cabin or next to the very light jet.
Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino said, "we hope (this) will open up the business aviation industry to more people around the world and allow them to explore the benefits of flying private.”
The virtual reality tour allows the user to peruse the twinjet’s cabin, flight deck, and exterior, with clickable touchpoints that provide more in-depth information about certain features. For those preferring a guided tour of the HondaJet, the walkaround video offers a narrated view of the interior and exterior. Meanwhile, the city-pair video demonstrates how the jet might be used in a typical day at work.
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Airport Dogs Declining
It's Official. SAFE Declares Dog Decline Days
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Is the traditional airport dog tradition fading away? Apparently so, report SAFE CFIs who took the survey last month.
Only 3 in 10 SAFE members reported an airport dog at GA airports they frequent. Dogs were common at pastoral, laid-back airports of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but their popularity has decreased as FBOs and flight schools strive for modern standards of business conduct.
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Referrals Rise To $50
Online Ground Schools Ups Payment
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The active Online Ground Schools has raised the commission it pays CFIs for enrolling students in the flight training program. The ground school program allows CFIs to keep close tabs on how their students are progressing with the ground school lessons, including quiz results through the ground school. Start with a free CFI sign-up and also get a free instructor webpage!
Online Ground Schools owner Russ Still announced last month that CFIs will be paid a $50 commission for each student enrolled, double the previous rate. The student must enroll in the full course.
The commissions are paid through PayPal. To start receiving commissions, add the email address from your PayPal account to your profile, and then have your students add your email to their "CFI's Email Address" field when they sign up.
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Pilot Shortage?
For those discouraged by the slowdown in aviation since The 'Rona, take heart. Noted airline employment consultant Sheryl Barden says that private charter flights are in demand.
But it's likely that the resurgence of travel and the start of additional age 65 retirements from airlines could occur simultaneously, Barden says, causing "another 'perfect storm to loom, where demand for talent outstrips supply. And another pilot shortage begins."
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Seasonal Reminder:
CO2 is Deadly
NTSB investigator Dr Michelle Watters has published a warning for CFIs and other pilots about a hazard of cooler weather: carbon monoxide.
The gas comes from leaks in the shroud surrounding the piston aircraft's muffler, and is particularly concerning for GA pilots because impairing levels can build quickly in an enclosed cabin with even nonfatal levels leading to tragic consequences.
She cites the 2017 example of a private pilot flying his newly purchased Varga 2150A VFR cross-country. About 80 minutes into the flight, the airplane suddenly entered a spiraling descent from cruise flight. Witnesses observed the airplane flying erratically at low altitude before it impacted an open field near Bowling Green, Ohio. Toxicological testing of the pilot’s blood found 55% carbon monoxide saturation (toxic level is 20 percent).
"CO2 poisoning is unique in flight training, because students don't have any connectable experience with heaters in their personal autos," said David St George, SAFE Executive Director.
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Advanced Preflight Post Maintenance, NTSB Urges |
With both a blog entry and a fact sheet, the FAA is advertising the fact that post-maintenance preflights need more than a tire kick.
A "significant" number of GA fatalities recently have been blamed not only on maintenance personnel who service or install systems incorrectly, but on the pilots who could have prevented the accident by performing a more thorough preflight check, A fact sheet accompanying the blog provides point-by-point checks to make after maintenance on an aircraft.
Maintenance resulting in obvious errors, such as crossed aileron control wires or a bad engine runup are usually caught by pilots. But more subtle maintenance errors can easily escape a cursory preflight.
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"The Master Instructor accreditation singles out the best that the right seat has to offer."
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey
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Master Instructor Achievements |
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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. |
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Donald Kaye of Santa Clara, CA has accomplished his Master CFI for the tenth time, marking 20 years as a Master Flight Instructor.
He is a full-time instructor providing a diverse portfolio of training in a variety of aircraft, with specialties including all models of Mooneys. A multi-engine instructor and ATP with a Citation CE-525S type rating, Don has more than 11,600 hours of total GA time, of which 6,600 hours have been devoted to teaching. He is also a Gold Seal Flight Instructor and recipient of the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA. Candidates must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community, and must pass a rigorous evaluation by a peer Board of Review. To learn more, go to Master Instructors.
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Ken Wittekiend, SAFE member, 8-time Master CFI and FAA Designated Flight Examiner renewed his Master Instructor credentials last month with Master Instructors.
Ken, a former SAFE Board of Directors member, is founder and president of ProMark Aviation Services, a full service flight training company in Burnet TX.
He specializes in tailwheel and float-equipped aircraft instruction, and Beech Bonanza training. He is an FAA Safety Team Representative and Designated Pilot Examiner for the San Antonio Flight Standards District Office with more than 2500 practical tests administered.
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