"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 600
of them have earned Master accreditation thus far. As a measure of
the prestige conferred by this title, the last twelve 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.
Aviation educators who earned the "Master" title during March
are:
RENEWALS
Charles Barckey "Chip" Vwesaw, Master
CFI
Kenai, AK
E-mail: CVersaw@AKFly.net
Charles Versaw recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.
Chip is the chief flight instructor and owner of Alaska Flying
Network (www.AlaskaFlyingNetwork.com),
a Cessna Pilot Center located at Kenai Municipal Airport (PAEN). He
specializes in primary and instrument flight and ground
training.
Hobart Caleb "Hobie" Tomlinson, Master
CFI
Huntington, VT
E-mail: HobieTW@att.net
Hobie Tomlinson recently renewed his Master CFI
accreditation. Hobie is an independent flight instructor as well as
a charter pilot and director of safety for Heritage Flight at
Burlington International Airport (BTV). He also serves as an
FAASTeam representative and pilot examiner for the FAA's Portland
FSDO.
Nicholas Gregory "Greg" Soter, Master
CFI
Orem, UT
E-mail: Greg@Soter.net
Gregory Soter recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Greg
is a flight and ground instructor specializing in instrument and
CFI training with Utah Valley State College's Aviation Science
Department, a Part 141 flight school at Provo Municipal Airport
(PVU). He also serves as a FAASTeam representative for the Salt
Lake City FSDO.
Ernest Paul "Rusty" Sachs, Master
CFI
Norwich, VT & Oshkosh, WI
E-mail: RSachs@eaa.org
Rusty Sachs recently earned his Master CFI accreditation for the
7th time. Rusty is NAFI's executive director and serves as a pilot
examiner as well as a FAASTeam representative for FSDOs in
Portland, Maine, and Milwaukee. He was one of the first aviation
educators to earn this accreditation and has held it continuously
since 1997.
Richard Wayne "Dick"
Rochfort, Master CFI
Baltimore, MD
E-mail: Mail@RWRPilotTraining.com
Richard Rochfort recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.
Dick is an independent flight instructor (www.RWRPilotTraining.com)
specializing in Malibu, Mirage and Meridian checkouts for the
Malibu Mirage Owners & Pilots Association. He also serves as a
FAASTeam rep (safety counselor) for the FAA's Baltimore FSDO.
Timothy Douglas "Tim" Perez, Master
CFI
Griffin, GA
E-mail: TimPerezATP@yahoo.com
Timothy Perez recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Tim is
an independent CFI specializing in flight reviews and instrument
proficiency checks at Tara Field (4A7) in Hampton, Georgia. He is
also a pilot for Metro Engineering and the Army Aviation Heritage
Foundation while also serving as a FAASTeam rep for the FAA's
Atlanta FSDO.
Charles Ray "Chuck" McGill, Master CFI
San Diego, CA
E-mail: ChuckMcGill@sbcglobal.net
Charles McGill recently renewed his Master CFI
accreditation. Chuck owns and operates Safe Flight International
(www.SafeFlightIntl.com)
at Montgomery Field Airport (MYF). He specializes in instrument,
recurrent and mountain flying training in technically advanced
Mooneys and Cessna Centurions.
Arthur Herman "Art" Hayssen, Master
CFI
Santa Rosa, CA
E-mail: Burnside@comcast.net
Arthur Hayssen recently renewed his Master CFI
accreditation. Art owns North Coast Air (www.NorthCoastAir.com)
at Sonoma County Airport (STS) and is director of aviation
technology at Santa Rosa Junior College. He also serves as an
airport commissioner as well as a FAASTeam representative for the
FAA's Oakland FSDO.
George Cameron Finlay, Master CFI
South Orange, NJ
E-mail: George@principiainc.com
George Finlay recently renewed his Master CFI
accreditation. George is an independent CFI providing technically
advanced aircraft and instrument training at several northeastern
New Jersey airports. He also served on the board of directors of
New Jersey's Morristown Aviation Association.
Linda Margaret Dowdy, Master
CFI
Bethel, MN
E-mail: LinDowdy@visi.com
Linda Dowdy recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Linda
owns and operates Sim Flite Minnesota (www.SimFliteMinnesota.com),
a simulator facility at Anoka County Airport (ANE) specializing in
instrument and GPS training. She is also active in the Minnesota
99s and is a Wings of Mercy pilot.
Alberto Bernabeo, Master CFI
Bologna, Italy
E-mail: Alberto.Bernabeo@gmail.com
Alberto Bernabeo recently renewed his Master Instructor
accreditation. Alberto is a flight and ground instructor for Flight
Safety International where he specializes in instrument, flight
instructor and airline transition training. He holds both USA and
Italian ATP certificates and serves as a type rating examiner.
Richard Kurt Barnhart, Master
CFI
Farmersburg, IN
E-mail: R-Barnhart@IndState.edu
Kurt Barnhart recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Kurt
is an associate professor of aviation at Indiana State University's
Department of Aerospace Technology in Terre Haute. He specializes
in simulator and instrument ground training while also serving as
an advisor to the university's flight team.
INITIALS
Wanda Jean Zuege, Master CFI
Custer, WI
E-mail: WZuegeATP@sprintpcs.com
Wanda Zuege recently earned her Master CFI accreditation. Wanda is
an independent flight and ground instructor specializing in primary
and instrument training at Stevens Point Municipal Airport (STE).
She also owns Am I High Aviation (www.AmIHighAviation.com),
a company that provides aircraft rental and weekend ground
schools.
Matthew David "Matt" Meyer, Master
CFI
Cincinnati, OH
E-mail: MDMeyer14@yahoo.com
Matthew Meyer recently earned his Master CFI
accreditation. Matt is a Sporty's Academy flight instructor at
Clermont County Airport (I69) as well as a first officer with PSA.
He specializes in advanced, flight instructor and glider training
and is a coach with the local National Intercollegiate Flying
Association (NIFA) team.
Jeffery Brian "Jeff" Melau, Master CFI & Master
GI
Rhinelander, WI
E-mail: JMelau@NorthernSkiesLLC.com
Jeffery Melau recently earned his Master CFI and Master Ground
Instructor accreditations. Jeff is the chief flight instructor at
Northern Skies Unlimited (www.NorthernSkiesLLC.com),
a flight school located at Tomahawk Regional Airport (TKV). He
specializes in primary and instrument flight and ground
instruction.
Robert Henry "Bob" Lussow, Master
CFI
Tomahawk, WI
E-mail: RLussow@NorthernSkiesLLC.com
Robert Lussow recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Bob is
the president of Northern Skies Unlimited (www.NorthernSkiesLLC.com),
a flight school located at Tomahawk Regional Airport (TKV). He also
serves as an Angel Flight pilot and is a FAASTeam representative
for the Milwaukee FSDO.
Adrian Allen Eichhorn, Master Ground
Instructor
Alexandria, VA
E-mail: Adrian.Eichhorn@JetBlue.com
Adrian Eichhorn recently earned his Master Ground Instructor
accreditation. Adrian is an independent instructor with the
Beechcraft Pilot Profficiency Program (BPPP) and provides training
at Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO). He is also a first officer
with JetBlue and serves as an FAASTeam representative with the
Washington FSDO.
Clifford Floyd "Cliff" Chetwin, Master
CFI
Littleton, CO
E-mail: Kestrel.Ent@prodigy.net
Clifford Chetwin recently earned his Master CFI accreditation.
Cliff is an independent Denver area flight instructor specializing
in mountain flying at Centennial Airport (APA). He also serves as a
FAASTeam rep for the FAA's Denver FSDO and recently retired as the
National Park Service's Intermountain Region aviation manager.