Save the date! SAFE's Meet and Greet At Sun'n'Fun 2024 will be Sat., April 13, coinciding with the spectacular Sun'n'Fun night airshow. Heavy hor d'oeuvres are on the menu. SAFE Lifetime Members will be honored with free admission; SAFE supporting members get a discount.

SAFE K-12 grants brought aviation to NYC intermediate students introduced to aviation through SAFE K-12 grants. The kids flew card stock airplanes and hopefully learned about aviation careers. Teacher Loriann Puccio says, "it was a great success." SAFE awards four such grants each year for elementary and secondary schoolteachers.

Live FIRCs Are Available! SAFE Partners With Aviation Seminars For Live FIRCs; SAFE Members Get $100 Discount.

Don't use Hopium or any of its derivatives, current SAFE blog warns. New pilots are easily lulled into magical thinking, a difficult topic for CFIs to teach.

A CFI's First 100 Hours, a blog by SAFE member Samantha Pennington, points out essential things in training that get left behind or swept under the rug.

SAFE's Mentoring Connection Group on Facebook has reached a milestone 500 members. The group has veteran CFIs answering questions and giving advice to newer instructors. It's the modern and more factual version of the old line shack, where new pilots learned from old pilots. SAFE members who want to become mentors should complete the online application on SAFE's mentoring home page.

Six CFIs named as regional winners in AOPA Flight Training awards. They include Norm Rathje of TX, Lin Caywood of MD, Ernest Boys of IL, Margaret Watt of CA, Kurt Beisten of FL and Kerry Constable of AZ. Flight schools named were Code 1 Flight Training of TX, Air Ventures Flying School of RI, Pilot Flight Training Courses in IL, Mike Smith Aviation in CA, Aviator Zone Academy in FL and Copper City Aviation Services in AZ. National winner will be announced at Sun'nFun 2024.

Airman Knowledge Tests all continue to trend upward, says DPE Jason Blair, likely continuing peak pilot production levels. Private writtens topped 45,000 last year; Instrument about 24,000; Commercial 15,500; ATP 24,000 and CFI 12,000.

Survival After A Crash. SAFE SPECIAL SECTION. Three high-time SAFE members respond to a query from a Houston pilot worried about survival gear on a trip to Duluth. Their recommendations may surprise you. Or not.

Live FIRCs are back! SAFE partners with Aviation Seminars; SAFE members get $100 discount,.Schedule of 2024 FIRCs here and FIRC Signup here. You must know your SAFE member number for the $100 discount.

Redbird is asking CFIs to participate in a survey on flight training. So is the Flight School Association of North America, on instructor pay.

2024 CFI Hall of Fame nominations open; deadline April 30.

Place on your calendar now: Sun'n'Fun is April 9-14;, AirVenture 2024 is July 22-28. SAFE will at both, as usual. Please stop by the SAFE booth.

Is Basic Med forever? Yes, unless you develop any of three specific conditions that will require an AME visit. A 1.5-minute video by the Federal Air Surgeon explains.

Trouble Over Paradise. Remember the Caravan at PBI where a non-pilot took over? A new 15-minute video tells the full story; interviews pilot, ATC, has other CFI-useful items.

Prop Prices Pop. Hartzell Aviation's props now cost more, in some cases double. Hartzell was bought last year by Arcline Investment Management.

SAFE Links to CFI Resources. Fresh tools to help any CFI better teach neophyte pilots.

Density Altitude:

• High Aspirations, ASI video, 14 min. Free.
• Into Thin Air, ASI video, 12 min. Free.
• The Triple H Effect, ASI video, 4:20 min. Free.

Emergencies:

• Power Loss, new FAA AC 20-105C, free.

ADM:

• Risk Stacking, ASI video, 14:30 min. Free.
• WXWise: Go/No-Go. ASI video, 9 min. Free.

Landings:

• Avoiding Hard Landings, ASI Video, 4 min. Free.
• Avoiding Gear-Up Landings, ASI video, 6 min. Free.

Instrument:

• Mitigating Airframe Icing, latest installment of ASI's Beyond Proficient series. Free.

United Airlines needs pilots badly enough they spent big bucks on a 60-second recruiting spot. It's vaguely reminiscent of the old Marines "looking for a few good men" TV ad. but with women and minorities included.

Ever wanted to Fly Write, using ADS-B tracking maps to create outline pictures? It ain't as easy as it sounds. This 12.5 minute video explains how.

Hal Shevers, founder of Sporty's Pilot Shop, retires.

A charging station for electric air taxis will be installed at John Wayne Airport in Southern California. Atlantic Aviation will install at all their locations.

Cirrus unveils Gen7 SR series; changes include a redesigned instrument panel like the Cirrus Vision Jet.

SAFE Mentors In Action

Eric Hake, former Board chair for SAFE and founder of The Modern Pilot LLC, earned his initial Master Flight Instructor designation in January. Eric was Foreflight's first employee and later ventured out to found The Modern Pilot LLC, which helps pilots master the Foreflight.

Barbara Filkins, Fillmore CA is SAFE's second newest Master Instructor, completing her requirements in December. She instructs at California Aeronautical University and is researching how automation will shape pilot training.

Mark Szpak, Prescott AZ has received his 4th accreditation as a Master Instructor. He has been a CFI since 2012.

SAFE member CFIs get

1/3 off any ForeFlight subscription. Potential annual savings: $133+

Platinum Cirrus Training Center provides flight training, aircraft rentals and aircraft sales at Houston's Southwest Airport KAXH.

SAFE member CFIs get $100 off Zulu3 and Tango Wireless ANR headsets or $75 off Sierra ANRs.

SAFE members get 20% off select merchandise by clicking here.

SAFE members receive a 20% discount on all King Schools Training products. Use code SAFE.

SAFE member CFIs qualify for a $100 rebate on Bose A30 or ProFlight Series 2 aviation headset.

SAFE members get a 20% discount on ASA products. Use code Mdc4SAFE32024.

SAFE members get a 25% discount on all Gleim products, excluding kits, ATP, FIRC, IARC or sim hardware. Call to inquire.

SAFE members get 20% off the Artful Flying book by Michael Maya Charles. Use code: SAFE20.

SAFE members get 20% off all books and CDs by Max Trescott, the well-known CSIP and author of several guides on using advanced avionics.

SAFE members get 5% off any Qref checklist. Use code SAFE5.

SAFE member CFIs can get the best insurance for CFI Liability at competitive rates.

SAFE is a 501(c)(3) educational, not-for-profit professional organization building aviation educator excellence and aviation safety. Our more than 5,000 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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