LONGMONT, Colorado (8 March 2010) – In each of the past 47 years, the General Aviation Awards program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have recognized a small group of aviation professionals in the fields of flight instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics, and safety for their contributions to aviation, education, and flight safety. This awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and more than a dozen industry sponsors.

The FAA administrator will present the national awards in July during a “Theater in the Woods” program at EAA AirVenture 2010 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Included in the prize package for all four national winners is an all expense paid trip to Oshkosh for the recipient and a guest to attend the awards presentation and other GA Awards activities.

“These awards highlight the important role played by these individuals in promoting aviation education and flight safety,” said JoAnn Hill, General Aviation Awards Committee chairperson.  “The awards program sponsors are pleased that these outstanding aviation professionals will receive the recognition they so richly deserve before their peers in Oshkosh.”

2010 NATIONAL CFI OF THE YEAR: Master CFI and SAFE Charter Member Jeffrey Robert Moss of Los Angeles, California, is the 2010 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year.  Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Jeff’s passion for aviation began at the tender age of seven.  While on a family trip, Jeff remembers looking out the terminal window at a huge PanAm Boeing 747, the aircraft that would take the family from Miami to Los Angeles.  Once on board, he made his way up the spiral staircase and onto the flight deck.  He sailed past the flight engineer and proclaimed, “Hi Mister Captain, I’m Jeffrey Moss, I’m seven years old and I’m here to learn everything!”  Thus, his love affair with flying began.

When Cirrus introduced the first general aviation aircraft to have a full glass Avidyne cockpit, Jeff joined the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) and became an early member of the Cirrus Standardized Instructor Program.  He was also one of the first factory trained instructors on the Lancair Certified Columbia 350/400 (now the Cessna Corvalis) and was a co-creator and chief flight instructor for the Columbia Recurrent Training Program.

Today, Jeff holds five single pilot jet type ratings.  He is an independent instructor and mentor pilot on the Cessna Citation Mustang & CJ series, Eclipse 500, Embraer Phenom 100/300 and Hawker Beechcraft Premier IA.  He specializes in training piston pilots for their initial single pilot jet type rating.  He trains mostly out of Santa Monica (SMO), Van Nuys (VNY) and Burbank (BUR) airports.  He continues to work extensively as an aviation educator and is a sought after aviation speaker.  His company, Flying Like the Pros ( www.FlyingLikeThePros.com), produces computer-based avionics training programs.

2010 NATIONAL FAA SAFETY TEAM REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR: Master CFI and SAFE member Thomas P Turner exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism in the field of aviation safety and education. Tom’s involvement in aviation began while a US Air Force officer by earning his initial pilot certification in 1985 and becoming a certificated flight instructor in 1988.  Today, he holds an airline transport pilot certificate with an AMEL rating as well as CFI, CFI-I, and MEI.

Since 1996, he has been an outspoken aviation safety advocate while also organizing and conducting safety programs for WINGS credit nationwide.  He now serves as a FAASTeam Lead Representative in the Wichita area where he conducts WINGS seminars, writes prolifically, and maintains aviation safety websites.  He has also earned Basic, Advanced, and Master-level WINGS accreditation through the FAA’s Pilot Proficiency Program.

Currently, Tom is the executive director of the American Bonanza Society ( www.Bonanza.org ) which represents approximately 10,000 Beech aircraft owners, mechanics and enthusiasts around the world.  He is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Society as well as all technical and educational member support functions.  His typical day at the Society’s Wichita office includes reading and writing e-mails, strategic planning, editing and managing the monthly ABS Magazine and website,  working with regulatory agencies and other associations, developing educational and technical support materials, and assisting members with piloting and technical questions.

2010 NATIONAL AMT OF THE YEAR: Neil Nederfield of Fairfield, New Jersey, has been an airframe and powerplant (A&P) technician for 45 years and has held inspection authorization (IA) for 15 of those years.  Neil and his son Sean own C & W Aero Services, an FAA Certified Repair Station, located at Essex County Airport (CDW) in Caldwell, New Jersey.

A four-year tour in the United States Navy launched this Viet Nam veteran’s career in aviation maintenance.  Neil attended schools for aviation airframe sheet metal and paint corrosion control and then served with VA72 aboard aircraft carriers from 1965 to 1969 working on Douglas A-4 Skyhawks.  After an honorable discharge as a Petty Officer 2nd Class, he continued to work in aviation maintenance.  Following ten years of employment at C & W Electronics, Neil became the owner and manager of C & W Aero Services at Essex County Airport in 1983.

C & W Aero Services ( http://CWAero.com/ ) is a fixed base operation and FAA Certified Repair Station specializing in aircraft modifications, painting, annual / 100-hour inspections, avionics installations, and heavy sheet metal repairs.  They are also a factory authorized service center for Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Mooney Airplane Company, and New Piper Aircraft as well as most major avionics manufacturers.  Neil and his son Sean are co-owners of the company while their wives, Gail & Jennifer respectively, share the responsibilities for office management.  C & W Aero employs 11 full time and two part time workers.

2010 NATIONAL AVIONICS TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR: Kirk H Peterson has been selected by the General Aviation Awards program as the 2010 National Avionics Technician of the Year.  He currently holds a Federal Communications Commission license with Radar endorsement, an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Technician Certificate with inspection authorization (IA), a Repairman Certificate, and has over 25 years of avionics maintenance and repair experience.

For the past 20 years, Kirk has been employed by the University of North Dakota’s John D Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences ( http://www.Aero.UND.edu/ ).  He is the avionics manager of an FAA Part 145 repair station that maintains over 100 aircraft ranging from Supercubs to turbine helicopters and turbine aircraft that are used by UND’s flight training department.  Kirk is responsible for maintaining UND’s state-of-the-art avionics lab.  The avionics shop has grown from one person in 1990 to its current staff of three full-time avionics technicians and three part-time repairmen.

Kirk mentors UND student interns each semester and assists academic professors with demonstrations of and training in avionics systems.  He works closely with the FAA at the Fargo FSDO and the FAA Aircraft Certification Office in Chicago to gain approval and documentation of installations and modifications to the UND aircraft.

SAFE is a proud sponsor of the General Aviation Awards Program — Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

A resident of Fairfield, CT, David instructs at Bridgeport’s Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR). He also flies a search and rescue helicopter, Eagle One, as a member of the Fairfield Police Department. He is also an AOPA Airport Support Network representative as well as a FAASTeam lead representative in the FAA’s Windsor Locks FSDO area.

Read David’s Member Profile

According to SAFE Chair Doug Stewart, “This is a highly ambitious and novel program for such a young organization. But member-centricity and member involvement are two of our founding precepts.” In addition to increasing the ranks of the organization, recruiters become eligible for prizes donated by several aviation sponsors:

• The number one recruiter receives a Zulu ANR headset provided by Lightspeed Aviation
• The number two recruiter receives a Garmin Nuvi 765T Car GPS provided by Avionics Specialists LLC
• The number three recruiter receives The Ultimate FIRC Package consisting of:
  • FAA-approved Online FIRC provided by Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA)
  • The book “Stall/Spin Awareness” provided by Master Instructor Rich Stowell
  • The book “GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook” provided by Master Instructor Max Trescott

In addition to the grand prizes, SAFE will also hold a random drawing for all GAME PLAN™ recruiters during its annual dinner-meeting scheduled in Oshkosh, WI on Thursday, July 29th. The membership drive is scheduled to run from March 1st through July 5th, 2010.

Started in early 2009, SAFE is a dynamic organization made up of many of the aviation education industry’s leaders. For more information on SAFE and The GAME PLAN™, please visit http://www.safepilots.org/game-plan/

END

FMI:
http://www.lightspeedaviation.com/
http://www.avspec.aero/
http://www.asa2fly.com/
http://www.richstowell.com/
http://www.maxtrescott.com/

We have been in the Carribean for a week flying with Bahamas Habitat. If you want to follow along, check out our website www.flightassist.org and click on the various links. We are carrying a SPOT tracker which allows you to see where we’ve been. By switching to the Hybrid view, you can zoom in and actually see the runways. It is really amazing! We are due to fly to Haiti tomorrow if the weather allows. We will add some of the videos we’ve been shooting as soon as possible.

According to FTS Committee Chair Steve Lasday, “The focus of attention from the media, manufacturers, training organizations, civil aviation regulatory authorities, and the public is shifting in a major way onto flight training. It’s time for us to take an intelligent and proactive stance regarding initiatives that could have a significant impact on general aviation.” Lasday continued, “Although a number of larger schools already incorporate some form of safety management into their operations, general aviation as a whole has lagged way behind other segments of the aviation industry.” The goal is to generate deliverables that are flexible enough for even the smallest flight or maintenance operation to adopt.

SAFE’s FTS Committee is currently comprised of five highly experienced individuals:

• Committee Chair Steve Lasday, a former instructor pilot at ERAU and safety manager at an overseas flight training organization, has extensive experience with safety in flight training operations. Lasday has been involved with event reporting system development, Safety Management Systems (SMS), safety education, and event investigation.
• SAFE Chair Doug Stewart is a six-time Master Instructor, the 2004 National Flight Instructor of the Year, and a Designated Pilot Examiner. Stewart also owns and operates a Part 61 flight school.
• SAFE Vice Chair Mark Adams is a three-time Master Instructor, an Airbus Flight Standards Check Airman, Human Factors Subject Matter Expert, and a former Part 141 flight school owner.
• Six-time Master Instructor Rich Stowell is the 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year. He is an authority on stall/spin and upset recovery training methods.
• Michael Maya Charles is a former MD-11 captain and check airman for a major airline, an active flight instructor for over 37 years, and author of “Artful Flying”.

A lot of work product has been generated for other sectors of aviation already; work that the SAFE FTS Committee intends to adapt specifically for the general aviation training environment. The Committee has identified four areas to address initially, in order of priority:

1. Development of a General Aviation Flight Training Safety Audit Program
2. Development of a Safety Management System aimed at flight training operations
3. Enhancement and widespread implementation of General Aviation Flight Data Monitoring Systems
4. Development of a comprehensive Upset Recovery Training package for pilots of light airplanes

Industry leaders, educators, and safety advocates who wish to collaborate with the SAFE FTS Committee are encouraged to submit the contact form provided on the FTS Committee web page.

This past month has brought many parts of the country to a virtual standstill, what with measurable snow in all 50 states. But whereas aviation came to a halt, with airplanes grounded, and airports closed, even in parts of the country where they “never” get snow, SAFE has continued to grow and move forward, sometimes at what seems like “warp” speed. Here’s a rundown on what we’ve gotten done over the last few weeks:

SPONSORSHIP: As you are probably aware, negotiations with Cessna finally came to a successful conclusion, and we now have Cessna as our website sponsor. If you haven’t been there, check out the footer on every web page of the SAFE website ( http://www.safepilots.org) to see their handsome advertisement. In addition to their sponsorship, we are working together on other projects to advance the cause of aviation safety and promote aviation education. Another wonderful company has come on board with SAFE both as a sponsor and as a partner in furthering safety and education, and that is Lightspeed Aviation, Inc.. For starters they are sponsoring our exhibit at Sun N Fun, which will include a contest / drawing, open to all aviation educators,  with a Zulu headset as the grand prize. We will also be working together to create seminars on effective aviation communications, for national dissemination. For this project we will also be partnering with the FAASTeam.

MEMBER BENEFITS: I am also happy to announce that we are not standing still finding more partners for our Member Benefits. Pilotworkshops.com has stepped forward to offer a $100.00 discount on any of their products to all SAFE members. This now brings the number of companies offering benefits to the membership to 22, and we are far from finished in this endeavor.

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT: As I mentioned in last month’s update, the “Member GaMe Plan” has been under development and is now set to launch at the beginning of March. In this plan every one of you will have the opportunity to help SAFE more than double it’s membership. Our goal is to recruit 500 new members by AirVenture 2010, by having our members Get a Member (GaMe).  And if you are one of the top three members to recruit the most new members, you could win a Zulu Headset, a Garmin Nuvi 765T  GPS, or an “ultimate FIRC” package. Look for the full details to be coming to your email inbox at the beginning of March.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: For many of you, your first year of membership is just about over. The first memberships were begun in March of 2009, and many of the original members will find that the time to renew memberships is coming upon us. In preparation for this we have been working on a membership renewal package that should make your renewal process a simple and seamless event. Look for an email in the early part of March announcing how to go about renewing your membership. This email will include a “year in review” listing our many accomplishments over the past year, our plans and initiatives for the coming year, as well as the top five reasons to belong to SAFE. Needless to say it will also include a renewal application.

FORUMS AREA: Last month I mentioned that the FORUMS area was just about ready to go “live” and almost before I could click “send” on that update, the FORUM was up and running. This is a “members only” portion of the website that can have fantastic value for all of us. It is an area where we can discuss important training issues, ask questions, get answers, and in so many other ways network with each other. Thus I am a little disappointed to see that not all of you have registered to use this wonderful SAFE tool. Why not head over to http://www.safepilots.org/networking/discussion-forums/ and register now!

LIBRARY: For any of you who might have clicked on the Library page on the website in the last day or two, you would have noticed that the library has gone “live”. Just please be aware that this is the very mere beginning of a most incredible resource. The Library Editorial Review Committee (LERC) has been very busy setting up the categories and listings for the library, and this is no easy project. So what you are seeing on the website right now, is just the “tip of the iceberg”, the start of a major “work in progress”. Please be patient as this outstanding member benefit grows and takes shape. The next step will be to build the library with content submitted by SAFE authors. With the wealth of talent and knowledge within the SAFE membership, this library has the potential to become one of the greatest sources of information for the entire aviation education community.

STANDING COMMITTEES: 

                GOVERNANCE: One of the responsibilities of the Governance committee is to conduct nominations and elections for the Board of Directors. Today was the last to day to submit nominations to the nominations chair, Sherry Rossiter. In correspondence from her, the committee has not been flooded with nominees, but has enough that they will now be starting the process of interviewing the nominees so that they can present a slate of six nominees to the Board of Directors at their next monthly meeting, scheduled for March 10th. The next step in the process will be to set up the elections, so that every member of our organization will have an opportunity to help decide who sits on the Board of Directors.

         FINANCE: After soliciting for members to volunteer for the Finance committee, I had the honor to select Dr. Parvez Dara, and Stan Burkes to fill the member positions on the committee. Per the by-laws, the Treasurer, Larry Bothe serves as chairman, and I fill the last seat on the committee. The committee got right to work, and has already drafted the budget for our coming fiscal year.

AD HOC COMMITTEES:

            FLIGHT TRAINING SAFETY COMMITTEE: Prior to the last Board of Directors meeting held on Feb. 10th, member Steve Lasday came forward to suggest the formation of a committee to deal with the many issues of Flight Training Safety. As Steve said; “flight training will very soon be receiving intense scrutiny from the public, media, governmental groups, and, perhaps most importantly, regulatory agencies. This focus demands that SAFE have a voice, as concerns such as these are one of the core reasons of SAFE’s existence. We have to be at the pointy edge of the spear on this, or else we’ll end up being subjected to ultimately rather undesirable results.” Considering that Steve is not only so motivated and passionate about this topic, but also somewhat of an expert, having extensive experience with safety in flight training operations. event reporting system development, Safety Management Systems (SMS), safety education, and event investigation, the Board asked, and Steve accepted, that he chair this very important committee. Other members appointed to the committee include Rich Stowell, Michael Maya Charles, Mark Adams, and myself. 

The Committee has identified four areas to address initially, in order of priority: Development of a General Aviation Flight Training Safety Audit Program; Development of a Safety Management System aimed at flight training operations; Enhancement and widespread implementation of General Aviation Flight Data Monitoring Systems; and Development of a comprehensive Upset Recovery Training package for pilots of light airplanes. If you share a passion for these topics, and truly have the time to invest in being a part of this strategic committee, please let me know.

For me, this is a big step forward, as SAFE is finally reaching that stage where we can now start to move beyond the logistical requirements of creating infrastructure, and start to truly advocate to fulfill our mission and vision statements. As part of that effort, I will be going to Wichita next week to be a part of the FAA Small Aircraft Directorate public meeting to hear “Recommendations for General Aviation for the Next 20 Years” based on the Part 23 – Small Airplane Certification Process Study. This study has looked at not only the certification and maintenance of the GA fleet, but the operations as well. I look forward to being able to have input representing the viewpoint of those of us who spend the majority of our time in the right seat of an airplane.

ANPRM: Two weeks ago I sent out a notice that SAFE was soliciting comments so that we could draft an official response to the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making that the FAA has announced would be addressing issues raised by the Colgan Air accident in Buffalo. To date I have received 10 very well thought out and worded comments. These will certainly aid us as we prepare the SAFE response. However we can certainly use some more comments. There are many different viewpoints relative to the FAA’s proposed changes, and we would like to know what you think. So keep those cards and letters coming, folks! For more information go to: http://www.safepilots.org/2010/02/05/safe-solicits-member-input-to-respond-to-faa-anprm/

SUN N FUN: News having to do with Sun N Fun, is that we have set the time and date for our Annual Sun N Fun Breakfast. It will be on Friday, April 16th, at 8:00AM. I am trying to secure the same venue as we had last year, but have not had confirmation as of this writing. As we did last year, we will have a sign-up sheet on the website for those of you who plan to attend. Also, as I mentioned in the last update, we will not be as hard to find as we were last year. You will find us at space E-6, just east of Hangar A. We will be in a 20 X 30 tent this year, right on a main thoroughfare. We’ll have some flutter flags standing tall to help you find us. Go to http://www.safepilots.org/events/safe-at-snf-2010/ to see a map of where we’ll be. As I mentioned earlier we will be conducting a contest / drawing sponsored by Lightspeed Aviation, with a Zulu headset as the grand prize. Needless to say we are going to need SAFE volunteers to help staff the tent, and administer the contest. If you will be attending Sun N Fun this year, please try to set aside a morning or afternoon to lend a hand, and let me know when you could help, so that I can start to put together a schedule of exhibit volunteers.  Also, if you will be presenting any seminars at Sun N Fun please let us know, so that we can post them on the website.

BROCHURE: Last week I sent out an “urgent appeal” for photos to use as we create our new brochure. The response to that appeal was absolutely overwhelming. I received over 125 photos in less than two days. It was feast or famine for our graphic designer as she now was faced with the problem of having to choose from so many great photos, rather than not having anywhere near enough. But she has done that, and the final draft will be on it’s way to the membership committee for final approval before going to the printer. However, with so many photos of SAFE members now in our archives, we are going to go ahead and use many of them to upgrade and enhance the website header. My sincere gratitude to all of you who participated in this fantastic show of member support!

INSURANCE: Jim Anderson, our underwriter from Starr Aviation tells me that he is hoping for approval from Chubb executives this week to move forward with the legal department and then finally file with all the states. It would appear that he is “on spot, on speed” in getting us our insurance program before the first quarter of the year is over. As was said: “ this is like turning the Titanic, but once we clear the iceberg it should be smooth sailing.”

INTERNATIONAL LEARN TO FLY DAY: ILTFD is May 15th, three months away, but I am already pursuing several partnerships and initiatives so that SAFE members will be able to take an active part in a day set aside to exposing as many people as possible to the joys and rewards of learning to fly. Stay tuned for more news on this exciting project in the next update.

That just about sums up what we have been doing for the last four weeks. It’s been a very busy time, and we have accomplished quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean that we can now sit back and relax.In fact we are just starting to get warmed up, and there is still so much to do.  Remember too, that we are entirely driven by volunteers. The only paid staff is our webmaster. So once again I will remind you that we can use your help. Being “all about our members” means not only that we are here to serve the membership, but that the membership is encouraged to take part in all that we do. Please take a contributing part in our initiatives. Even if you don’t have the time,  or inclination to serve on a committee, you can at least take the time to write a response to the ANPRM;  you can register and participate in the forum discussions; you can make a submission to the library; you can vote for the Board members of your choice;  and once the “Member GaMe Plan” is active you can go out and recruit several of your peers to our GREAT organization.

Until the next update may your days be happy and SAFE!

Doug Stewart 

Chairman

Society of Aviation and Flight Educators

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1.     Click on the "Tools" tab at the top of the browser, likely on the right hand side of the page.

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4.     Inside the box that shows "Internet", "Local Intranet", "Trusted Sites", and "Restricted Sites", click on "Internet".

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According to Cessna Pilot Centers Manager, Julie Filucci, “Cessna has long recognized the important symbiotic relationship between building airplanes and teaching people how to fly them. This is embodied in the philosophy behind our Cessna Pilot Centers, the Safety Stand Down Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic Cessna developed last year, and now in our relationship with SAFE.”

“I look forward to our partnership with Cessna”, Stewart said, “and in having their support as we move ahead, together, to improve the safety of flight through quality aviation education.”

To see the Cessna footer that appears at the bottom of each SAFE webpage, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.