"The Best Of The Best"
The National Association of Flight
Instructors (NAFI) takes pride in announcing a significant aviation
accomplishment on the part of these very special aviation
educators. Recently, they were all accredited as Master
Instructors by NAFI, their professional aviation education
association.
To help put this achievement in its proper perspective, there
are approximately 90,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 500
of them have earned Master accreditation thus far. As a measure of
the prestige conferred by this title, the last eleven FAA National
Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs. In addition,
the FAA has approved the accreditation as an alternate means for
CFIs to renew their flight instructor certificates.
The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation
recognized by the FAA that is earned by a candidate through a
rigorous process of continuing professional activity and peer
review. Much like a flight instructor's certificate, it must
be renewed biennially. This process parallels continuing
education regimens used by other professionals to enhance their
knowledge base while increasing their professionalism. Simply put,
the Master Instructor designation is a means by which to identify
those outstanding aviation educators, those "Teachers of Flight,"
who are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to excellence,
professional growth, and service to the aviation
community.
Through their dedication to excellence, Master Instructors have
earned their "black belts" in aviation education. They truly
represent the crème de la crème of the aviation
industry!
Aviation educators who earned the "Master" title during October
are:
RENEWALS
Darrel LeRoy Dilley, Master
CFI
La Salle, CO
E-mail: DLDilley@aol.com
Darrel Dilley recently renewed his Master CFI
accreditation. Darrel is an independent flight instructor who works
with Blue Sky Flyers at the Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY). He
also serves as an EAA Flight Advisor and is a FAASTeam
representative (safety counselor) for the FAA's Denver FSDO.
John Hudson Lewis, Master CFI
Houghton, MI
E-mail: JHLewis@up.net
John Lewis recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. John owns
Agate Beach Aviation (www.AgateBeachAviation.com)
at Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) where he specializes
primary and instrument flight and ground instruction. He also
serves in the Civil Air Patrol's Michigan Wing.
Donna Martha Stevens, Master
CFI
Chesterton, IN
E-mail: DonnAir_Aviation@hotmail.com
Donna Stevens recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Donna
is the owner and chief flight/ground instructor of DonnAir Aviation
(www.DonnAirAviation.com)
at Porter County Airport (VPZ) in Valparaiso. She also serves as an
Aviation Safety Counselor for the FAA's South Bend FSDO.
Steve Thaddeus Thibodaux, Master
CFI
Bellbrook, OH
E-mail: SteveWOW@donet.com
Steve Thibodaux recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.
Steve owns Wings on Wheels ( www.Wings-on-Wheels.com
) and specializes in glider instruction at Red Stewart Airfield
(40I) in Waynesville. He also teaches for Sinclair Community
College serves as a safety counselor for the FAA's Cincinnati
FSDO.
INITIALS
Bruce Alexander Batelaan, Master
CFI
Naples, FL
E-mail: Bate02@hotmail.com
Bruce Batelaan recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Bruce
is the chief flight instructor for Europe-America Aviation (www.EAA-Fly.com), a
Part 141 flight school and Diamond Brilliance Flight Center at
Naples Municipal Airport (APF). He also serves as an Aviation
Safety Counselor for the FAA's South Florida-Miami FSDO.
Gregory George "Greg Flanik, Master
CFI
Bay Village, OH
E-mail: Greg@TopgunCleveland.com
Gregory Flanik recently earned his Master CFI
accreditation. Greg is an instructor pilot and program manager with
Top Gun Flight Training Academy (www.TopGunCleveland.com)
at Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL). He specializes in primary and
instrument flight training in technically advance aircraft.
Randall Hempen Harris, Master CFI
Rockford, IL
E-mail: Randall97@hotmail.com
Randall Harris recently earned his Master CFI accreditation.
Randall is the chief flight instructor with Poplar Grove Airmotive
at Poplar Grove Airport (C77). He specializes in primary,
instrument and tailwheel training and is the local AOPA Airport
Support Network representative.
Guy Anthony Rouelle Jr, Master CFI
Montpelier, VT
E-mail: Guy.Rouelle@state.vt.us
Guy Rouelle recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Guy is
the chief pilot of the Vermont Agency of Transportation as well as
a flight and ground instructor at the Montpelier (MPV) and
Burlington (BTV) airports. He also serves in the Civil Air Patrol
and is a pilot examiner for the FAA's Portland FSDO.
Kenneth Francis "Ken" Wittekiend Jr, Master
CFI
Burnet, TX
E-mail: Ken@EagleTraining.net
Kenneth Wittekiend recently earned his Master CFI accreditation.
Ken is a co-owner of Eagle Training Solutions (www.EagleTraining.net),
a flight school at Burnet Municipal Airport (BMQ) specializing in
advanced instrument training. He also serves as an Angel Flight
pilot and is a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's San Antonio
FSDO.