|
|
| SAFE represents more than 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. |
|
Sun 'n Fun Is Next Month
Make Your Plans Now
|
|
by David St. George, SAFE Chair
|
|
 |
|
David St George
|
|
Hey members and friends, welcome to another great issue of the SAFE e-news. Get ready for an amazing Sun 'N Fun coming up soon; see us at Booth A-59, and please volunteer to help at the booth. Members can use the discount code SAFE012 for reduced entry to the show. Come see Patty Wagstaff gracing our SAFE booth on Thursday April 6th at 9:30. Patty is a long-time SAFE supporter and wonderful example of how with proper aerobatic training "there are no unusual attitudes!"
Master Instructor Ken WIttekiend (DPE) will be presenting at the AOPA tent 3PM on Thursday April 6th, just before the Flight School Business Social. The show "Questions for the DPE; Demystifying the Testing Standards" will be very appropriate for all future flight test applicants *and* especially useful for CFIs who want the inside scoop on test preparation. You can also meet National CFI of the Year (SAFE member) Chuck Gensler at this event. Many SAFE members will be presenting at the forums too. Lots of fun for everyone...see you there!
|
Meet SAFE Member Patty Wagstaff at
Sun 'n Fun SAFE Booth on April 6
|
|
Long-time SAFE member and ardent supporter Patty Wagstaff has confirmed a Thursday, April 6 celebrity appearance at the SAFE booth at Sun 'n Fun 2017.
The three-time US National Aerobatic Champion winner will be at the SAFE booth in Hangar A, space A-59 starting at 9:30 AM, and will be available to talk to and answer questions from SAFE members.
"I remember Patty as an up-and-coming airshow performer learning from all the famous performers at the Sussex Airshow in NJ, including Leo Loudenslager, Bob Hoover and Daniel Heligon," said David St. George, SAFE Chair. "She went on to master her craft and has won gold, silver and bronze medals in Olympic-level international aerobatic competition." St. George also said she is also owner of the Patty Wagstaff Aerobatic School in St. Augustine, FL, so she is a well-experienced CFII who knows first-hand the tribulations of real-world working CFIs.
|
SAFE Member Discount for Sun 'n Fun Available; Volunteers Needed
|
|
Sun 'n Fun 2017 will run from April 4-9 in Lakeland, Florida, and volunteers to staff the SAFE booth are still needed.
An online
sign-up page is now available for SAFE members to volunteer to help at our booth for a few hours while you are at the event.
A few free one-day passes for Sun 'n Fun are available to volunteers on a first-volunteer, first-service basis.
Current SAFE members will again this year receive a discount of 5 percent on regular daily admission and 30 percent on weekly admission tickets if purchased in advance online. Enter code SAFE012. Regular rates this year are $37 for adults, $15 for children 11-17, and weekly passes are $150 and $60, respectively. Children 10 and under are free. Have your SAFE membership card ready at the event.
An event spokesperson said that pilots who fly their airplane to Sun 'n Fun 2017 will be eligible to win daily prizes worth $500 by completing a Pilot Registration Card on arrival, A winner will be chosen daily at the start of that day's airshow.
The current list of daily seminars, workshops and exhibitors for Sun 'n Fun
is available here.
.
|
|
|
|
The
free SAFE Toolkit,
an app for smartphones, has been updated with the latest FAA-required FAR Part 61.65F endorsements and hour requirements for preparing and recommending students for flight tests. It is available in the iPhone App Store and on Google Play.
"Every DPE will be impressed with your comprehensive and accurate prep work when using this app," said David St. George, SAFE Chair. "This app also provides amazing mobile weather and flight tracking, all in one place."
SAFE is making the Toolkit free for everyone as part of its mission to enhance aviation safety and increase professionalism in flight training.
|
|
Despite ACS, Checkrides With No Electrical System Still OK, FAA Says
|
|
|
Yes, an applicant for a Private Pilot checkride may still take the practical test in an airplane without an electrical system. An FAA Information for Operators (InFO) notice last month clarified that question.
According to the FAA, the new Airman Certification Standards (ACS) erroneously said that "installed" navigation systems must be used to test navigation skills. An FAA spokesman said the mistake was not intended to exclude use of portable navigation systems, such as a yoke-mounted GPS unit.
The practical test knowledge element PA.VIII.F.K7, "refers to installed navigation equipment and displays," said the InFO notice issued February 13. "The FAA has determined this ACS element should also be revised to broaden the navigation equipment and displays open to oral questioning. The reference to 'installed' will be removed from this knowledge element in the next revision of the ACS."
The FAA expects the next version of the ACS to be issued in June 2017.
|
|
|
|
SAFE Members Win 2017 CFI Of The Year, FAASTeam Rep Awards
|
|
The three winners of the General Aviation Awards for 2017 were announced in February. The annual awards are sponsored jointly by the aviation industry and the FAA.
This year's winners include CFI of the Year Charles Orville Gensler, of Parker CO; FAASTeam Safety Team Rep of the Year Mark Alan Ducorsky of Lakeland FL and National Aviation Technician of the Year Brian John Carpenter of Corning, CA. Both Gensler and Ducorsky are SAFE members.
Charles Orville Gensler
2017 CFI of the Year, retired from the US Air Force in 2000, then embarked on a second career to bring GA pilot training closer to the level of proficiency offered by the military and airlines.
He served as Chief Flight Instructor of the
Aspen Flying Club
,
then
co-founded
Independence Aviation
in Denver and served as its Chief Flight Instructor for the next six years, helping grow the business from three CFIs and two airplanes to more than 18 instructors and 13 aircraft. He continues to instruct at Independence Aviation as Chief Flight Instructor Emeritus.
 Mark Alan Ducorsky,2017 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year,. He is a Master CFI and an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.
Since 2013, Ducorsky has served as the Lead Representative for the FAASTeam in Orlando FSDO and always obtains far more recurrent training than required. In the past year, he accomplished two Instrument Proficiency Checks, gave and received numerous Wings training flights, graduated from a three-day multi-engine instrument refresher course, gone soaring more than 60 times, and participated in Upset Recovery training.
|
CloudAhoy Giving 33% Off For SAFE Members
|
|
|
SAFE members are now eligible for a 33% discount on CloudAhoy 5.0, the latest version of the post-flight debriefing tool.
Flight tracks, altitude and other parameters are captured during flight
with
the CloudAhoy program on ordinary Android or iOS phones. Back on the ground, the flight is graphically analyzed and displayed in 3D on full-size computer screens.
"Suppose you flew a right 360 degree turn," explains Chuck Shavit, company co-founder. "CloudAhoy automatically segments the flight, making it easy to focus on any maneuver. It graphically shows you your bank during the turn, as well as your airspeed and altitude variations."
|
|
SAFE Blog Entries
|
|
Use Safer (Smarter) Pilot Tools by David St. George.
"I am always amazed at the reluctance of pilots to spend money on proven beneficial training. This is true in flight but also on ground training, where the relative costs are almost insignificant. A new camera or GPS is easily justified for inflight use, but a training course online or EFB subscription is often ruled too expensive." He cites examples, including education tools offered by ForeFlight, the Pilot Workshop, Modern Pilot, Sporty's or ASA, all of which are offered at substantial discounts for SAFE members.
Effective CFI: Attitude Control Is Aircraft Control
by Charles McDougal. Long-time CFI and former FAA Designated Pilot Examiner McDougal penned this for SAFE members and other CFIs still stewing over the "pitch or power" arguments that were epidemic several years ago. Citing his 15 years as a DPE giving private pilot checkrides, he says that "The concept that attitude control is what we are doing in the airplane at all times, notwithstanding the need for power changes, must be reviewed on every preflight briefing and reinforced during every flight less, at least pre-solo."
Give A FRAT
, by David St. George. With today's technology, flight planning is almost effortless. Contact to the web and a service will plan your route and altitude for you, incorporate wind and weather, suggest alternates and even file your flight plan. Incredible! But, says St. George, the it's the speed and convenience of all this wonderful techno-wizardry that are exactly the problems. "Have you actually engaged all this data on a personal level?" asks St. George, "or have you merely downloaded it on your tablet?" He suggests a free Flight Risk Analysis Tool (FRAT) that asks hard questions about your ability and provides a second opinion to make you a safer pilot.
|
Members: Which FAA Regulations Are Most Outdated?
|
|
|
The January 30 directive from President Trump ordering that Federal agencies eliminate two existing regulations for every new regulation could force the FAA to review its regulations, including FAR Parts 61, 91 and 135. According to FLYING Magazine editor Stephen Pope, "the good news is that the Federal Aviation Regulations are rife with duplication and rules that are no longer necessary."
So which rule or rules in FAR Part 61, dealing with training and certification of pilots, do you believe are duplicates or not necessary? Send recommendations to SAFE at
communications@safepilots.org
. Your comments may be used in a future edition of SAFE eNews.
|
SAFE Member Machado Suggests Reviving 'Limited' CFI Certificate
|
|
The LFIC was available from 1956 to 1962 to non-instrument-rated private pilots. The prospective LFIC needed a minimum of 200 hours, ability to meet commercial pilot skill standards and had to demonstrate the ability to teach appropriate maneuvers as well as demonstrate that students could fly safely under their supervision. At that time, if the LFI held his certificate for one year and trained five pilot applicants successfully, he could convert his LFIC to a permanent Certified Flight Instructor Certificate (CFIC), now a two-year CFI certificate.
"The FAA intended the LFIC to be nothing more than a means of evaluating the competency of those who might eventually apply for a CFIC," said Machado. "The LFIC was eliminated when the FAA became satisfied that their examiners could successfully assess a CFI candidate's competence directly. It's important to keep in mind that the LFIC wasn't eliminated because LFIs produced less qualified students, either."
|
Job Opening: Flying Car Test Pilot
|
|
Getting weary of endless turns-about-a-point and wide traffic patterns? Try this instead: be a test pilot for one of the two flying car companies owned by Google head Larry Page and headquartered next to Google's main campus in Mountain View, CA. The companies are Kitty Hawk and Zee.Aero.
The
want ad
says the successful applicant for test pilot "will conduct flight testing of innovative prototypes, with an eye toward making them as robust as possible." Duties specified include "...organizing and conducting full-system tests of prototypes in the shop and in the field, debugging system issues that arise during testing, and providing actionable feedback to the rest of the engineering team."
|
Pilot Workshops.com Online Training
$199 New Member Fee Waived for SAFE Members
|
|
 Pilot Workshops, which produces online proficiency training, waives their usual $199 new member fee and drops their monthly membership cost from $29 to just $19 for SAFE members. The offer is available only through the
members-only link on the SAFE benefits page
. Click on the Pilot Workshops.com logo.
"As a corporate member of SAFE, we are happy to provide you with our best pricing," said a company spokesman. "We're also offering our Pilot Tip of the Week email for free."
|
Auburn University Flight Training Facility Upgraded
|
|
A new 23,000 square foot Aviation Education Facility has been approved for Alabama's Auburn University flight training program and is scheduled for completion in July 2018. The $8.7 million cost of the project will be funded through a combination of state, gifts and university general funds.
The school's two undergraduate aviation degree programs, Aviation Management and Professional Flight, will occupy the two-floor building. The new building will feature a flight simulator laboratory, debriefing rooms and flight dispatch as well as departmental spaces.
The program has been operating from a building constructed in 1950 and a trailer.
|
|
Master Instructor Activity
|
|
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 Banners
at Jacksonville's Craig Municipal Airport
(CRG) where he also provides aerial advertising services, aircraft rental, and tailwheel flight training. He is also a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Orlando / North Florida FSDO.
Clifford Floyd "Cliff" Chetwin
, of Santa Fe, NM, renewed his Master Instructor designation in February. He is a 6-time Master CFI and a charter SAFE member.
Chetwin is president of Kestrel Aviation LLC and a nationally acclaimed aviation safety lecturer. He retired from the National Park Service as regional chief pilot and aviation program manager.
He also serves as the lead representative for the FAASTeam in the FAA's Albuquerque FSDO.
Chitiea is a 10-time Master CFI and charter SAFE member, as well as a published aviation author, corporate pilot, chief pilot, and owner of
Colorado Skymaster LLC
at Centennial
and Front Range
airports. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative and a designated pilot examiner
for the FAA's Denver FSDO.
Judy Ann Phelps
of Santa Paula CA renewed her
Master CFI Aerobatic certification in January
Phelps is a 6-time Master and charter member of SAFE. She was the 2011 National CFI of the Year, and is a member of IAC. Phelps specializes in aerobatic and emergency maneuver training with
CP Aviation
at California's Santa Paula Airport, and serves as a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Van Nuys FSDO.
Richard L "Rich" Stowell, Jr
.
of McCall, ID, renewed his Master CFI - Aerobatic accreditation in February. Stowell, a founding member of SAFE, is a 10-time Master CFI-Aerobatic and is nationally known for his emergency maneuver and spin recovery training at Idaho's Cascade Airport. He is often referred to as "The Spin Doctor."
Stowell is a SAFE charter member and was honored as the 2006 National CFI of the Year and the 2014 National FAASTeam Representative of the Year. He was one of the first aviation educators to earn his Master designation when the accreditation program was first introduced by then-FAA administrator Barry Valentine at Oshkosh AirVenture 1997.
|
|
Fly SAFE!
David St. George, Chair
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
|
|
|
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 |
|
|
