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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. |
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FAA DPE Tells All
A Podcast for SAFE Members
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by David St. George, SAFE Chair
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David St George
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SAFE is actively promoting CFI/DPE collaboration this year in an effort to stimulate and enable CFI professional development. This will be well represented at Sun 'N Fun with CFI Pro Seminars and presentations at the FAA Forums. We're hoping for a SAFE-sponsored gathering of CFIs and DPEs as part of the show; stay tuned to SAFE eNews for details.
Please respond to SAFE's need for volunteers to help staff the organization's booth at both Sun n' Fun this year. We have some fun surprises for the show and you can meet your board while having fun. Thanks for all you do for SAFE.
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Nominations Open for SAFE Board
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The SAFE Governance Committee is seeking nominations for three board member positions. Each position is for a 3-year term starting at the end of July 2017. New Board members are seated at the Annual Members Meeting to be held during AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, WI.
You may nominate yourself, or someone else, provided your nominee is agreeable to run for the specified term and meets the requirements listed below.
The prospective candidate should provide no more than a two page resume highlighting any non-profit or other Board experience, fundraising or marketing experience, or other personal experience or expertise that would qualify him or her for serious consideration as a Board candidate, including participation activities, awards, or recognitions received in the aviation industry. All nominees must be current SAFE members.
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Volunteers Needed for Sun 'n Fun, AirVenture
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Volunteers to help staff the SAFE booth at this year's Sun 'n Fun airshow are still needed. Booth staff are asked to sign up for at least one two-hour stint. A SAFE Board representative will be on hand at all times to provide information about the organization.
"SAFE is a volunteer organization," said Chair David St. George. "It's our members who make it work, and we're asking those who can to
sign up now for the Sun 'n Fun booth. A
number of free daily passes to the shows are expected to be available for volunteers, and will be distributed on a first-volunteer, first-serve basis."
The booth location for SAFE at this year's Sun n' Fun will be space A-59 in Hangar A.
Sun n' Fun is scheduled for April 4-9 in Lakeland, Florida. Looking ahead, AirVenture for 2017 is set for July 24-30 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
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Additional CFI Clients Expected After May 1
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An increase in the number of clients for CFIs is expected after May 1, when the FAA's BasicMed procedure, also called the Driver's License Medical rule, goes into effect for pilots not operating for compensation or hire. Whether that increase in business will be a trickle or a flood is yet to be seen.
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Instructor with numerous eager students at Moisant Flight School circa 1920s
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SAFE Board Member Mike Garrison has arranged for Dr. Michael Adelberg, a local AME, to present and answer questions from CFIs and other pilots at the April 20 FAASTeam Safety Seminar at FlightSafety in Vero Beach on April 20.
AOPA and other industry groups have long pushed for the change, citing the cost and regulatory burden on non-commercial pilots as yet another 'block' causing pilots to stop flying and the active pilot population to fall, from a high of 827,071 in 1980 to 590,039 in 2015.
"We're hopeful that many of the estimated 500,000 lapsed pilots under 70 years of age will take advantage of this streamlined procedure," said SAFE Chair David St. George. "Most of those who do take advantage of this change will need an FAR Part 61.56 flight review at the least, and many will no doubt want additional instruction, perhaps pursuing an instrument rating or a commercial pilot certificate."
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Slow Flight Controversy Update
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SAFE and other members of the FAA's Airman Certification Standards Working Group expect to review the latest versions of several ACS documents by the first half of February.
"SAFE expects these revisions to the ACS will include much-anticipated modifications to the slow flight and stall tasks", said Donna Wilt, SAFE Board member who serves on the ACS working group. "As many know, the FAA and the flight training community have had extensive discussions on this subject."
SAFE provided extensive input and suggestions to the FAA on ACS tasks, including specific requests that tasks be modified to ensure the training and evaluation of these important pilot skills. The documents expected to be out soon include the FAA's revisions to the Private Pilot-Airplane ACS and the Instrument-Airplane Rating ACS, along with the initial version of the Commercial Pilot-Airplane ACS.
"Of course we'll let SAFE members know as soon as there is new information to report," she said.
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Michigan Aviation High School Grows 750 Percent
"Proof of Aviation Education Value" says SAFE |
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Aviation education, which uses the thrill and challenge of flight to encourage students to learn science, technology, engineering and math, is growing nationwide. One of the best recent examples is Western Michigan Aviation Academy, a public charter high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which has grown by 750 percent, from 80 students to 600 in just six years.
SAFE supports aviation education in all its forms, and the organization's membership includes schoolteachers. SAFE's vision statement is Promoting Excellent In Aviation Education, and encourages schoolteachers in its membership.
"We believe that one of the reasons for the decline in the number of GA pilots is that young people haven't been exposed to aviation," said Kevin D Murphy, SAFE Communications Director. "That's why SAFE so strongly supports aviation education in the classroom, as a motivation for the students to learn not only the three R's but also Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)."
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Garmin Offers GTN Classroom Instruction
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Flight instructors and other pilots who want to learn everything about Garmin's latest glass avionics products now have
two-day classroom sessions
available. Most classes will be held at Garmin's headquarters in Olathe, Kansas, from March through October, 2017, on a schedule listed here.. 
The company will offer training sessions for panel-mounted navigators, flight display systems and integrated flight decks. A two-day course for the GTN 650/750 and G500/600 focuses on the transition from analog gauges to glass and costs $625, including lunch, dinner and a factory tour. Additional practice on the equipment is available.
The G500/600 and GTN 650/750 course will also be offered at:
- Vero Beach, Florida, in February
- Salem, Oregon, in June
- Frederick, Maryland, in September
- Chandler, Arizona, in November. The remote courses will be $795
In addition to the classroom courses, Garmin offers several eLearning programs online, including avionics and weather radar operations.
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Runway Condition Codes Revamp
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A SAFE member taxis a PC-12 after landing
on a runway rated a FICON 4
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Add another item to your training syllabus, especially for commercial and instrument students: changes in the runway condition notices to airmen (FICONs). The new format is expected to improve the quality of runway information, especially during snowy/icy conditions of winter.
The current Runway Condition Assessment Matrix defines how runway conditions should be judged by airport officials, correlated with expected braking action by aircraft. The scale ranges from 0, which means braking minimal to non-existent, to 6 for dry pavement and normal braking action. Runways are divided into thirds, with each third reported separately unless less than 25 percent of a runway is contaminated.
The complete matrix is available as a PDF.
A sample FICON provided by the FAA for Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Rutland reads:
!RUT 01/032 RUT RWY 31 FICON 5/5/5 100 PRCT WET OBSERVED AT 1701121106. Decoded, this FICON reported all three segments of the runway as code 5, which is defined by runway frost or wetness and 1/8 inch or less of slush, dry snow or wet snow. The braking action for aircraft should be normal and pilot reported braking action would be good.
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January/February 2017 FAA Safety Briefing Available
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The January/February 2017 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on aviation risk management and aeronautical decision making. Featured content follows the framework of the PAVE checklist, covering a pilot's decision making process to mitigate risks in terms of the: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External Pressures.
Feature articles include:
Risky Business - The What, How, and Why of Risk Management (p. 8)
- Say Ahh - A Pilot's Guide to Self-Assessing Risk (p. 12)
- Is My Aircraft Right for Flight? - The Importance of Preflight Prep (p. 16)
- The Wild (Not So Blue) Yonder - Mitigating Risk in the Flight Operating Environment (p.20)
- Are We There Yet? - How External Pressure Can Affect Your Flight (p.23)
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New SAFE Blog Entries
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"The aviation industry needs more compassionate, effective CFI professionals who can efficiently educate our students and create safe pilots while still having fun in the process," says SAFE Chair David. St. George.
FAA Basic Med Has Finally Arrived,
by David St. George. This short blog entry summarizes basic aircraft and operating requirements for using the FAA's new Basic Medical, aka Driver's License Medical. It contains links to both a PDF of the entire FAA rule, and a link to FAA Basic Medical FAQ.
It's All About Safety
, by CFI Paul Beaulieu, owner of Perception Aviation. This experienced flight instructor uses Maslow's Hierarchy to help explain how CFIs can influence safety through the quality of the training they provide. He discusses the preparedness and expertise of the trainer, the quality of the material and the readiness of the learner to learn.
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Master Instructor Activity
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Castner, a 2-time Master and SAFE member, is an FAA certificated advanced ground instructor and teaches ground schools that focus on the science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM)
aspects of aviation using her airport as a living lab. She co-owns, operates, and manages New Jersey's
Alexandria Field Airport (N85)
Joel D Weaner of Jacksonville FL, an 8-time Master and SAFE member, renewed his Master CFI accreditation in December. Weaner owns and operates Beach Bannersat Jacksonville's Craig Municipal Airport(CRG).
He also provides aerial advertising services, aircraft rental, and tailwheel flight training. He is a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Orlando / North Florida 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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