"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.

There are approximately 91,000 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.

Aviation educators who earned the "Master" title during October are:

RENEWALS

Raymond Wilbur "Ray" Brown, Master CFI ( Renew: 1Oct07 )
Avon Lake, OH & Clermont, FL
E-mail: raytopgun@yahoo.com
Raymond Brown recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Ray is the chief CFI and president of Top Gun Flight Academy (www.topguncleveland.com) at Burke Lakefront (BKL) and Ann Arbor (ARB) airports. He has served as NAFI's Sun 'n Fun Chief Flight Specialist for 10 years and is a FAASTeam rep with the FAA's Cleveland FSDO.

Shane Scott De Weese, Master CFI (Renew: 30Oct07)
Hollister, MO
E-mail: office@wingsoftheozarks.com 
Shane DeWeese recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Shane owns and operates Wings of the Ozarks flight school (www.wingsoftheozarks.com) located at Graham Clark-Taney County Airport (PLK) in Lookout Point. He also serves as AOPA's Airport Support Network representative for Taney County Airport.

William Ralph "Bill" Gross, Master CFI ( Renew: 30Sep07)
Salina, KS
E-mail: bgross@ksu.edu
William R Gross recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Bill is a professor of aviation and chief flight instructor for Kansas State University's Part 141 aviation program (http://www.sal.ksu.edu/aviation/index.html) at Salina Municipal Airport (SLN). He also serves as a designated pilot examiner (DPE) and a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Wichita FSDO.

Julie Anne Hubner, Master CFI (Renew: 30Sep07)
Bow, WA
E-mail: jhubner@startouch.net
Julie Hubner recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Julie is a flight instructor specializing in primary and tailwheel training with Corporate Air Center (www.corporateaircenter.com) at Burlington / Mount Vernon's Skagit Regional Airport (BVS). She also serves as a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Seattle FSDO.

Dale Robert Wilson, Master CFI (Renew: 25Oct07)
Ellensburg, WA
E-mail: wilsond@cwu.edu
Dale R Wilson recently earned his Master CFI accreditation for the 5th time. Dale is a professor of aviation specializing in aviation related college courses at Central Washington University (http://www.cwu.edu/~flight/) and Bowers Field (ELN). He also serves as a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Spokane FSDO.

INITIALS

James Joseph "Jim" Ambrose, Master CFI (Initial:  15Oct07)
Camillus, NY
E-mail: jambros1@twcny.rr.com
James J Ambrose recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Jim is an independent flight and ground instructor specializing in primary and instrument training in the Syracuse area. He also serves as chief flight instructor for the Syracuse Flying Club (www.syracuseflyingclub.com) at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR).

FMI: www.nafimasters.org/