Strategies

For CFIs, Aviation Educators

March 2025

JOIN SAFE ($55)

CONTRIBUTE to SAFE

SUBSCRIBE to SAFE Strategies

EMAIL SAFE

Sun'n'Fun; April 1-6

Visit SAFE At Booth 80-81

30% Discount On Weekly Ticket (See discount page)

And For Free Admission, Volunteer At SAFE Booth

Join the fun in Building B, spaces 80 and 81, SAFE will be there with surprise gifts and bling for members. Bring a friend, share your professionalism and instructor camaraderie.

👈 CFI Roundtable (and FREE Ice Cream) at Prop 75 Sat at 16:00

SAFE members are also eligible for a limited number of FREE day passes simply by volunteering in two-hour increments at the SAFE booth to chat with other members and talk aviation during the show. The one-day free tickets are limited, though, so volunteer now and enjoy chatting with other CFIs and pilots.

K-12 Grants, SAFE Scholarship Winners

SAFE Members Get $100 Off Delta Zulu Headsets

⬆️ The year after SAFE was founded in 2010, the Board of Directors voted to ⬆️ encourage enthusiasm for aviation through small grants to schoolteachers for innovative ways to include aviation in class lessons. Here are some pictures from one of last year's winners. This program was converted to CFI scholarships. ⬇️

In 2023, SAFE rededicated the scholarship program to current flight students who are going for their own instructor certificate. The first recipient, Cheyenne Neff, graduated and is now instructing in Ellenville, NY and flying a PC12 professionally part-time.

Discounted Lightspeed Helps Fund Our Scholarships.

Lightspeed's partnership with SAFE also provides $100 off the cost of a new Lightspeed Delta Zulu through the coded SAFE checkout. Lightspeed also donates 10% of your purchase price to the SAFE scholarship fund. The company further donates four headsets annually for SAFE raffles at Sun'n Fun and Oshkosh. Thank you, Lightspeed!

Visit go.lightspeedaviation.com/SAFE to sign up and simultaneously claim your $100 discount and support SAFE.

The free SAFE Toolkit has all your Sun'n Fun 2025 information. After Sun'nFun, you'll find the SAFE Toolkit has virtually everything needed by professional CFIs (or pilots), including endorsements, experience required and test codes. It also contains SAFE's Check-Ride Ready™ for flight test applicants, which allows a CFI to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything for the student's checkride.

General admission tickets are $50, although SAFE members may buy them for $45. Youth tickets $20.

Weekly admission this year is $180 but SAFE early-bird members pay only $140 . Children 12 and under are free.

Auto parking is $20 per day, $80 for weekly. Camping packages range from $318 to $468.

Initial CFI Evaluations

Crush your initial FAA CFI checkride with techniques and tips from actual DPEs conducting initial CFI evaluations. Hint: make sure you satisfy the requirements of 91.XXX.

Pilot Killer: Induced Drag

Now that the FAA has restored slow flight as a practical test standard, CFIs must be able to explain that induced drag exponentially increases in the "region of reversed command." Deep in the induced drag area, like taking off soft-field, (or the Sager Dance" in the film) you must lower the aircraft's pitch attitude and accelerate to enable a climb. This is very counterintuitive! For safety, this has to be a trained habit; practice "Minimum Controllable Airspeed (MCA) to be safe.

Extended Envelope Training

Loss of Control (LOC) accidents occur when a pilot is forced out of his "comfort zone" of familiar flight. The resulting startle from a suddenly unfamiliar flight attitude usually leads to lock-up or inappropriate responses. As a result, LOC is the #1 cause of fatal inflight accidents. Extended Envelope Training, builds full control capability and extends the range of familiar flight. The result is greater skill and confidence resulting in more precise everyday flight and a margin of safety for "surprises!"

Staying Safe In Multi-Engine Training

Multi-engine safety requires an understanding of multi-engine aerodynamics and a commitment to proficiency. Two engines are supposed to create redundancy and safety but we see too many flat-spin accidents caused by the second engine when one fails. These accidents are avoidable with proper understanding and thorough training.

The Dreaded Cross-Controlled Stall

Many pilots and flight test applicants have inaccurate or incomplete knowledge of turning aerodynamics. This leads to a fear of turning stalls and especially "cross-control!"

This short webinar (a powerful CFI tool) walks the viewer through turning stalls to the left and right and a full cross-controlled stall. For full understanding and safety, these should only be initially practiced with a qualified FAA flight instructor.

SAFE was founded in 2010 to improve aviation safety through better flight instruction. Join Russ Still, Rod Machado, David St. George, and Greg Brown as we discuss the importance of professionalism in the career of a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI). Praise from SAFE members includes "great discussion, very helpful tips and advice!" and "a ton of information that every CFI should have. Congratulations!"

Mark King, MCFI-A

Master Instructors is pleased to announce that Mark King of Santa Paula, California has received his Fourth Accreditation as a Master Instructor-Aerobatic. Mark has been teaching Rich Stowell’s Emergency Maneuver Training Course for over 10 years and is a full-time instructor at CP Aviation in Santa Paula. He also specializes in CFI-Initial Training, CFI Spin Endorsements, Aerobatics and Tailwheel instruction and is an aerobatic competitor flying a Pitts S2B.

Ken Wittekiend, MCFI

Master Instructors is honored to announce that Ken Wittekiend of Burnet, Texas has received his Tenth Accreditation as a Master Instructor, which celebrates more than twenty years of excellence and professionalism as an Aviation Educator. Ken is a professional aviation educator, author, commercial pilot and founder of ProMark Aviation Services, a full-service flight training company based in Burnet.

A former DPE with more than 2500 tests administered, Ken is an active educator and safety advocate. He specializes in floatplane and Beech Bonanza training with more than 12,800 hours of flight experience, including over 8500 hours of flight instruction given.

Paul "BJ" Ransbury, MCFI

Master Instructors is pleased to announce that Paul “BJ” Ransbury of Queen Creek, Arizona has been awarded the Master Certified Flight Instructor-Aerobatic designation for the Eighth Time, recognizing his continued dedication to excellence in aviation safety and loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) mitigation. BJ is the CEO of Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), the global leader in Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT). With a background spanning military, airline, and corporate aviation, he has spent over two decades advancing pilot training strategies to reduce LOC-I, aviation’s leading cause of fatalities.

New Instructional Aids/ Info

AOPA's Flight Training magazine for March/April is out and has numerous good student-oriented articles in addition to the CFI to CFI section, which used to be a separate publication..

The new computer-based color vision tests are required for only first-time medical applicants. Most pilots will not be required to take the test.

Helpful CFI Information

iFlightPlanner, a longtime favorite flight planning software has linked with AOPA to enhance features including cross-country planning, interactions with FSS and inflight safety.

British Columbia researchers have found a 26% chance that space junk - satellites falling out of orbit - will be a danger for aircraft, especially over the US northeast and northwest, and Europe.

Commercial hot-air balloon aviators must have at least a second-class medical for flying passengers.

A new website tracks GA accidents "in real time," according to its founders.

Industry News for CFIs

Sporty's buys PilotWorkshops; assures customers no changes to prices or materials.

The SAFE Mentorship Connection group needs you - as an experienced CFI -.to help newer CFIs learn the ropes and improve their instructional professionalism. Zoom sessions are on Tuesdays from 7:00 pm Eastern (23Z) and last up to two hours.SAFE Mentorship Connector director Dorothy Schick hosts each meeting.

Weekly roundtable discussions with the CFI Study Group on CFI topics often have prominent guest speakers, most recently CFI Bootcamp's Mike Shiflett. The 20 or so CFIs and CFI-wannabes who attend each study session can get into one-on-one conversations with DPEs.

SAFE members get 1/3 off any ForeFlight subscription. Potential yearly savings: $133+

SAFE member CFIs get 25% off all Gleim Aviation products except kits, ATP, FIRC, IARC or sim hardware. Call 800-874-5346 for the discount.

Buy a pair of "Delta Zulus" and Lightspeed Aviation donates $100 discoung and 10% toward the SAFE "CFI Scholarship Fund!"

More Information

SAFE members get 20% off select merchandise.

Platinum Cirrus Training Center provides flight training, aircraft rentals and sales at KAXH.

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.



SAFE members get 10% off any MyGoFlight product.



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

SAFE members get 20% off all books/CDs by Max Trescott, Cirrus Platinum CSIP and author of several guides on using advanced avionics.

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

SAFE members get 20% off the Artful Flying book by Michael Maya Charles.

SAFE is a 501(c)(3) educational, not-for-profit professional organization building aviation educator excellence and aviation safety. Our 7,000-some members include many of the best-known, best-credentialed and most experienced CFIs as well as many FAA Designated Pilot Examiners.

Join SAFE now Give To SAFE (Tax Deductible)