| Society of Aviation and Flight Educators eNewsletter |
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| SAFE Fundraiser! |
$20 donation for a chance to fly a P-51!
A perfect way to start the New Year right!
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| SUBSCRIBE to eNEWS | 
Or text SAFE to 22828 (messaging and data
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SAFE represents nearly 700 of the industry's top aviation educators in 49 states and nine foreign countries, including the majority of Master Instructors and numerous General Aviation Awards winners in all four awards categories. SAFE is also leading the Pilot Training Reform Initiative.
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| The Year Ahead for SAFE | | |
Great things are happening -- plan now!
With SAFE not yet into it's third year of existence, we can look back and say that we sure have accomplished quite a bit during our short time on the block. However, SAFE prefers to look ahead to where we are going rather than behind to see where we have been. After all... aren't the two most important questions a pilot can ask: Where am I? And what's next? And if you are a member of SAFE perhaps the next question is... How can I help my organization?
One of the simplest and easiest ways to assist SAFE is to help promote our fundraising raffle of an orientation flight in "The Little Witch", a gorgeous P-51 Mustang. Have you printed out a poster and put it up in your Flight School or FBO? It only takes a few moments to do that! And if SAFE members got one entry for themselves and also got one friend to get an entry we would be more than 2/3rds of the way to our fundraising goal.
Another area where SAFE can use some help is in the promotion and development of the FAASTeam's CFI / DPE Forum series. Hopefully you are aware that SAFE, at the request of the FAASTeam, has been creating a series of quarterly presentations designed to facilitate an opportunity for all aviation educators and evaluators to join forces in order to standardize and employ best practices during pilot training and evaluation. This goal can best be achieved as a "team" working together. This is an opportunity to regularly bring vast amounts of knowledge and experience together to be shared and improved.
If you have not yet been to one of these enthusiastically received presentations -- you are missing out. Please make it a point to attend the next one in your area, and bring along some of those new instructors with you. Also, if you are a skilled presenter / facilitator who would like to join our roster of presenters, or if you would like to share in the creation of media for future presentations, please be sure to contact me. Topics for future presentations include: Takeoffs; CFIT; Flight Instructor Responsibility; Preflight - errors leading to loss of control; ADM issues - leading to loss of control; and Airworthiness Issues - leading to loss of control.
If you are looking ahead for future SAFE social events, please be sure to put the SAFE Annual Sun N Fun breakfast, scheduled for Friday, March 30th starting at 8:00 AM, and the SAFE Annual Dinner and Membership Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, July 26th, at AirVenture ("Oshkosh") starting at 6:30 PM on your calendars.
It's going to be another GREAT year for SAFE as we move ahead to accomplish our mission of creating a safer aviation environment through enhanced education! I encourage each and every one of you to take an active part in this endeavor.
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SAFE Offers "Flying Tips" CDs to New and Renewing Members
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Incentive Provides 37 Minutes of Practical Information to Pilots
SAFE is very happy to announced that it will provide new and renewing members with complimentary copies of the 37-minute CD, "Flying Tips." Produced and donated to SAFE by GoldSealFlight.com, the CD features sixteen audio tips recorded by SAFE member and Master Instructor Rich Stowell on subjects ranging from human factors, to the fundamentals of aircraft control, to flying in the traffic pattern, and more.
The next 200 aviation educators to join or renew with SAFE will receive three free copies of the CD each. According to SAFE Executive Director Doug Stewart, "We are grateful to Gold Seal for personalizing the CDs with the SAFE logo, and hope that our new and renewing members will pass the extra copies along to their students."
For more information, please see Join/Renew SAFE Membership
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| The 21st Century Flight Instructor | | |
Exploring and Defining Flight Instructor best practices
Welcome to The 21st Century Flight Instructor. This ongoing series of articles will provide a mechanism to evaluate and publish best practices in flight instruction. Some of those best practices will include a look to the past; some will be improvements on how we currently instruct. Some will be new techniques altogether, adapted to aviation from other fields.
The brainchild of SAFE member Robert Hadow, topics will be announced here in eNews along with an invitation to participate in corresponding Forum threads. Robert will generate articles from the ensuing discussions, which will be uploaded to the SAFE Library.
Robert has offered that as soon as we discover a better writer, he's fired! In the meantime, we encourage you to engage our self-described "mediocre pilot, average flight instructor, and expert pot-stirrer" as Robert uses his experience as a flight school owner/operator and FAASTeam Lead Representative, coupled with acerbic wit, to present thought-provoking challenges.
Flying -- especially instructing -- has given much to a lot of us. We can now give back by using the SAFE Forum to discuss topics, explore ideas, and ultimately, develop best practices for 21st Century Flight Instructors.
The first article is below -- Enjoy!
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| Teaching Flight at Critically Low Airspeeds... or not! | | |
The 21st Century Flight Instructor
by Robert Hadow
SAFE is 100% behind the FAA's goal of reducing fatal accidents. Better instruction is one way to reach the FAA's target of a 10% reduction in annual fatal accidents. For some of us, better instruction might mean changing the way we were taught. And sometimes it might mean teaching differently from the way the FAA envisions.
The NTSB has told us that the number one problem in GA is flight at critically low airspeeds. Thus the first challenge: "Teaching flight at critically low airspeeds ... or not!" Additionally, the FAA took slow flight and stalls out of the Instrument Airplane PTS. Perhaps it should be removed from the Private PTS as well?
- Do you agree?
- Or do you have some tricks that turn out pilots with superior skills in slow flight and stalls?
- Do you have words to remember that help pilots prevent the base-to-final stall?
Please provide your feedback in the SAFE Forum by January 31st.
Link to Forum Discussion
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| CFI Insurance and Negligent Instruction | | What is "Negligent Instruction?"
This is one of the "Professional Liability" exposures you face as a CFI. Negligent instruction means the failure or alleged failure of the insured to properly instruct a pilot regarding the safe operation of the non-owned aircraft. Negligent instruction applies to ground and flight instruction given by you. This includes your previous flight and ground instruction.
Your SAFE CFI insurance policy will protect you from a lawsuit or claim of this exposure.
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| New Charges for Digital Charts Proposed | | |
Increased Charges proposed
As more pilots move from paper to electronic charts, The FAA's AeroNav charting division is projecting a $5M budget shortfall. To close that gap, AeroNav is proposing to charge end users as much as $150/year. This new fee, if adopted, could more than double the cost of popular iPad/Droid applications.
The "Alphabet Organizations" (EAA, AOPA, NBAA, etc.) have raised concerns with the FAA and with their membership.
For more information, please see the link below.
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| FAA Proposes Advisory Circular on Stall-Recovery | | |
Airline focused -- but applicable to all pilot training
As part of the continued fallout of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 accident (and initial responses to the Air France Flight 447 accident), the FAA last week released a proposed AC on Stall and Stick Pusher training.
While this AC is focused on airline crews and FTD/Simulator training, it certainly has aspects that affect pilot training at all levels -- emphasis on AOA control, reduced emphasis on minimizing altitude loss, etc. As a reminder, Loss of Control - Inflight (LOC-I) continues to be the number one cause of fatalities in Commercial and General Aviation operations.
The below link will take you to the AC
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| Teaching a proper visual scan | | |
A couple of internet tools to help show the importance of a proper scan.
We all know how important a properly executed visual scan is to safe flight operations -- especially in the VFR environment. The below links are great illustrations to help you teach a proper scan technique -- scan the horizon for a short distance, stop momentarily, and repeat the process. Avoid setting your gaze for more than a few seconds on any single object. This is the old axiom of "keeping your eyes moving and your head on a swivel."
The effect has been attributed to adaptation of neurons in the visual system (Troxler's fading, Wikipedia). For a more detailed discussion, and some great demonstrations you can do with your students, please go to the below links.
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Recent Master Instructor Designations
| | Cleon J Bite r, a 7-time Master CFI and charter SAFE member, was recently granted Master Instructor Emeritus status in recognition of his many years of commitment to excellence, professional growth, service to the aviation community, and quality aviation education. An American Meteorological Society certified consulting meteorologist, Cleon is also a flight instructor with Air West Flight Center at Vance Brand Airport (LMO). Additionally, he serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Denver FSDO area.
Anthon y Sharp, a 1st-time Master and a SAFE member, recently earned his Master Aviation Educator (MAE) accreditation. Anthony is a professor and the director of the Aviation Science program at Elizabeth City State University (http://www.ECSU.edu/Aviation/index.cfm) . A professional member of the University Aviation Association (UAA), he also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Greensboro FSDO area.
 Craig M Patterson, a 4-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Craig is the chief flight instructor as well as an associate professor of aviation with Midland College's Part 141 professional pilot preparation program ( www.Midland.edu/~Pilots ) at Midland Airpark (MDD). He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Lubbock FSDO area.
Richard W Barclay, a 3-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Rich is a flight and ground instructor as well as a Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) with Independence Aviation ( http://IA-KAPA.com/ ) at Centennial Airport (APA). He specializes in Cirrus, Diamond, and other technically advanced aircraft training.  Timm Preusser, a 7-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Timm is the chief instructor for the Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association (COPA) in Europe as well as the chief flight instructor and president of the Darmstadt Flying Club. He also serves on COPA's board of directors and is a Cirrus standardized instructor.  Brian Willett, a 1st-time Master and a member of IAC as well as SAFE, recently earned his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation. Brian is an instructor with APS Emergency Maneuver Training (www.APSTraining.com), a Part 141 flight school at Mesa's Williams Gateway Airport (IWA). A retired Air Force instructor pilot, he specializes in aerobatic, upset recovery, and spin training.  Doctor Anthony Johnston, a 2-time Master and a member of IAC as well as SAFE, recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation. Tony specializes in aerobatic, spin, and tailwheel transition training as the chief instructor of Knife Edge Aerobatics at Strother Field (WLD) in Winfield, Kansas. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Wichita FSDO area.
FMI: Master Instructors LLC
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May your New Year be happy and SAFE!
Doug Stewart, Executive Director
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
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Copyright SAFE, Inc. 2012. All rights reserved.
SAFE, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Public Charity
Editor@SafePilots.org -- Safe@SafePilots.org -- www.SafePilots.org |
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