Four Nominees Vying for Three Seats

Elections to fill three of SAFE’s nine Director positions are scheduled to run May 15-25, 2010. Detailed information about the election process will soon be made available to members via e-mail. In the meantime, please take a few minutes to learn about this year’s candidates for your Board.

The entire SAFE Board of Directors is democratically elected by the membership.

Congratulations Phil!

Congratulations Mike!

SAFE Partners Come Through Again in 2010

Several key SAFE partners have stepped forward again this year to provide great prizes and premiums during the upcoming Sun-N-Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, FL. Take advantage of these wonderful opportunities:

Zulu ANR Headset Giveaway — Open to all aviation educators!

• Participate in the “Communications Quiz” during Sun-n-Fun for a chance to win a new Zulu ANR headset sponsored by Lightspeed Aviation and valued at $850!
• The winner of the Zulu headset will be chosen at random from those who score 100% on the quiz
• Stop by the SAFE booth for details — Booth E-6, near the Trade-a-Plane Hangar “A”

Other Great Sun-n-Fun Premiums — Exclusively for SAFE Members!
When you join SAFE or renew your membership during Sun-n-Fun, you’ll be eligible to receive coupons for great premiums from the following SAFE partners:

• Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.
  • FREE Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic
  • Bring your coupon and purchase receipt to Hangar “B”, Booth #59 to receive your FREE FIRC from ASA (valued at $124.95)
• Gleim Publications, Inc.
  • FREE Private Pilot Syllabus & Hat, plus a Special FIRC Discount
  • Bring your coupon and purchase receipt to Hangar “B”, Booth 38-39 to receive your FREE premiums and discount from Gleim
• Sporty’s
  • FREE AirFacts DVD, “Flying Weather” & a copy of Volume 1 of Sporty’s Complete Pilot Training Course
  • Bring your coupon and purchase receipt to Hangar “C”, Booth 90-91 to receive your FREE DVDs from Sporty’s
  • SAFE members — give Sporty’s your business cards when you pick up your DVDs and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a complete set of Sporty’s AirFacts DVDs (35 titles on 9 DVDs, valued at $99)

For a map to SAFE’s booth, to sign up for the SAFE Sun-n-Fun breakfast, or to see the schedule of seminars given by SAFE members, stop by the SAFE at SNF 2010 page.

Gordon K. Penner, a member of SAFE as well as the International Aerobatic Club, recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation with Master Instructors LLC. Gordon is an independent flight instructor specializing in aerobatic, tailwheel, and glider instruction at Red Stewart Airfield (40I) in Waynesville, OH, and Caesar Creek Gliderport (2OH9).  He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA’s Cincinnati FSDO area.

We returned from Haiti a week or so ago, and I’ve been playing catch-up ever since. The trip was both amazing and exhausting. We burned 650 gallons of 100LL and moved 1700 pounds of medical supplies along with a missionary and a surgeon. Most of the details are on the website, www.flightassist.org along with photos and videos.

There is still a tremendous need for help in Haiti, so we may try to return in the fall with a group of volunteers to assist with a specific need.

Radek Wyrzykowski, recipient of the SAFE 2009 Outstanding Contribution and Service Award for creating SAFE’s first generation website, has also developed a volunteer mentor program to help instrument pilots improve their proficiency — and pilots love it! When a web site launched and offered to help others start local chapters, it took off “like a storm,” Wyrzykowski says. He talks with AVweb’s Mary Grady about how the IMC Clubs work, who can benefit from them, and how to start a chapter at your airport.

Listen to the Podcast (File Size 8.8 MB / Running Time 9:34)

Congratulations Al!

SAFE was happy to see the recent release of the new Instrument Practical Test Standards. “This new PTS fills a pre-existing void in testing applicants for the instrument rating. It provides guidance not only for testing in the Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) that we are finding with increasing prevalence within the GA fleet, but now also provides a matrix with which examiners can objectively quantify SRM skills. It further mandates the incorporation of scenarios within the framework of the practical test”, said Stewart.

Stewart continued, “But we were dismayed that the Flight Instructor-Instrument Practical Test Standards were not updated concurrently with the Instrument PTS. Failing to do that would create obvious gaps between the training that new instrument instructors might receive and the instruction that they will have to provide under the new Instrument PTS.” Consequently, Stewart contacted Mr. Dippi on behalf of SAFE to find out if plans were in place for a new CFI-I PTS.

“It is encouraging to know that  AFS 630 is in the process of making the necessary changes to the Flight Instructor – Instrument PTS so that it reflects the standards to which all instrument instructors are required to teach,” said Stewart.