Ellen Quist
I earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry before making an early-life career pivot to pursue my long-burning interest in aviation. I worked at the local FBO as I built up my ratings, which gave me a broad exposure to many angles of the general aviation world, and am now a freelance CFI/CFII and commercial pilot, instructing and flying with my business, Flyhalf Aero. I have always had a passion for learning, which has benefitted me greatly as I’ve progressed into a teaching role.
Mike McCurdy
I have been a pilot since 1989 and a CFI, CFII, and MEI since 2001. I currently own two flight schools, IFR6 and CHS Flight School.
I am passionate about effective flight training- our flight schools are very successful because we operate on simple principles:
1. Flight training, like every successful business, should be centered on the customer’s needs.
2. The measure of a good flight school is the number of check rides, not the number of customers.
3. As instructors, we teach by what we do as much as by what we say.
4. Our goal is to train people to be pilots, not just to fly an airplane.
I am excited about the opportunity to join the S.A.F.E. Board of Directors. The organization’s Code of Ethics is one of the best I have seen and dovetails perfectly with our approach to flight training here. If chosen as a Board member, I will work hard to keeping S.A.F.E. the premier flight-training organization that it is now.

I am passionate about effective flight training- our flight schools are very successful because we operate on simple principles:
1. Flight training, like every successful business, should be centered on the customer’s needs.
2. The measure of a good flight school is the number of check rides, not the number of customers.
3. As instructors, we teach by what we do as much as by what we say.
4. Our goal is to train people to be pilots, not just to fly an airplane.
I am excited about the opportunity to join the S.A.F.E. Board of Directors. The organization’s Code of Ethics is one of the best I have seen and dovetails perfectly with our approach to flight training here. If chosen as a Board member, I will work hard to keeping S.A.F.E. the premier flight-training organization that it is now.
Michael Phillips
I am a professional aviation educator, a SAFE charter member, had the opportunity to fill a vacant Board seat several years ago, and a Seven-Time Master Instructor. I have been an independent flight instructor for most of my aviation career which has been part of my professional life but not my total focus. In 2005 I made the decision to focus my energy full time as a flight instructor. In the first few years, I was a Chief Flight Instructor and Manager of an FBO before choosing to flight instruct full time.
I am a principle in Aviation Simulator Training Center, instruct in many aircraft from tail wheel thru single-engine turbo-prop aircraft. I am most proud of the fact that I have logged over 12,000 hours of dual given. I am the Master Instructor Continuing Education Program Coordinator, which recently integrated our Accreditation Program with SAFE, and as such I meet with the SAFE Board on a monthly basis.
The diversity of my years in aviation, my passion for excellence, and the role that SAFE has played in my growth as a flight instructor has made my decision to ask for your vote, as a member of the Board, another way to give back to those of us that have chosen Aviation Education as an integral and important part of our lives.
I am a professional aviation educator, a SAFE charter member, had the opportunity to fill a vacant Board seat several years ago, and a Seven-Time Master Instructor. I have been an independent flight instructor for most of my aviation career which has been part of my professional life but not my total focus. In 2005 I made the decision to focus my energy full time as a flight instructor. In the first few years, I was a Chief Flight Instructor and Manager of an FBO before choosing to flight instruct full time.
I am a principle in Aviation Simulator Training Center, instruct in many aircraft from tail wheel thru single-engine turbo-prop aircraft. I am most proud of the fact that I have logged over 12,000 hours of dual given. I am the Master Instructor Continuing Education Program Coordinator, which recently integrated our Accreditation Program with SAFE, and as such I meet with the SAFE Board on a monthly basis.
The diversity of my years in aviation, my passion for excellence, and the role that SAFE has played in my growth as a flight instructor has made my decision to ask for your vote, as a member of the Board, another way to give back to those of us that have chosen Aviation Education as an integral and important part of our lives.