Arlynn McMahon Takes Flight Instruction To New Heights

We've still got a big smile on our face over the few days we spent at this year's Women In Aviation Conference... and not just because ANN's Jim Campbell got to play token male among the thousands of aero-minded women in attendance -- but simply for the positive vibe and the many great people we met, got to know and interviewed.

One of the most memorable was a woman by the name of Arlynn McMahon, the newly minted National CFI of the Year for 2009. Arlynn, founding member of the SAFE movement, is also a chief flight instructor, a ground instructor, and the training center manager for Aero-Tech, a Part 141 Cessna Pilot Center at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport. Arlynn is a Master CFI who specializing in training future and current CFIs, and also carries the distinction of serving as a Designated Pilot Examiner and an FAA Safety Team representative. As noted above, McMahon is also a charter member of the Society of Aviation & Flight Educators.

Arlynn is an active Multi-Engine Airline Transport Pilot as well as an active FAA Gold Seal CFI. She has been recognized by the National Association of Flight Instructors as a NAFI Master Instructor, and is a Cessna Factory FITS Authorized Instructor (CFAI). Her nearly 11,000 accident-free, incident-free violation-free hours range in a variety of Piper, Cessna, and Beech single and cabin-class multis. She has piloted aircraft for: banner tow, aerial traffic, fire patrol, maintenance-ferry pilot and instructor pilot. She served as Aero-Tech's Air-Taxi line pilot from 1981 to 1997 and as 135 Chief Pilot/Director of Operations from 1981 to 1995 for CE414 & BE58. Arlynn has enjoyed flying as PIC in Alaska, Canada, throughout the Caribbean, Central America and in each of the 48 Contiguous States in general aviation aircraft.

A flight instructor since 1980, she has logged over 7,000 hours of dual given. She is an active FAA Accident Prevention Counselor and was the 1991 FAA Regional Flight Instructor of the Year. Arlynn specializes in teaching Aeronautical Decision-Making and Cockpit-Risk Management to the aircraft owner/non-professional pilot.

In the 43-year history of the GA Awards program, we've learned that only seven women have earned the national recognition of CFI Of The Year, while Arlynn is the first woman in 14 years to earn this honor.

Aero-TV Learns A Few Things From the 2009 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, Arlynn McMahon

FMI: www.wai.org, www.aerotech.net, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews