At Sun ?n Fun ?99 the Flight Instructor headquarters will be located directly across from the EAA tent. Arriving patrons who wish to visit should take the chip-path after passing through the main entrance gate. The Flight Instructor Headquarters will be visible at the end of the entry (chip) path. Look for the banners directly above the tent that read ?Flight Instructor Headquarters? and ?Learn to Fly Ask me How.?
Door prizes will be awarded to flight instructors and student pilots on a daily basis. Aviation personalities, such as Greg Brown, Master CFI and author of The Savvy Flight Instructor, J.C. Boylls, Master CFI and the 1998 National Flight Instructor of the Year, plus many others, will be on hand to meet with all visitors.
The NAFI board of directors and staff will be available as well to answer any questions about the organization, and the contributors to the NAFI Newsletter will be at the Flight Instructor Headquarters to interact with you, the reader.
NAFI brings the Flight Instructor Headquarters to areas around the country for you ? the flight instructor ? and the pilots you serve. If you are a current flight instructor, the Flight Instructor Headquarters is your place to visit during Sun ?n Fun. Make sure you drop by your headquarters and register for a door prize during the Sun ?n Fun EAA Fly-in!
And if you would like to be a Flight Specialist and represent your association during the fly-in, please call NAFI at 920/426-6801, or write NAFI, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 54903-3086.
CFI Hall of Fame now accepting nominations
The evening of October 23, 1998 was truly memorable because NAFI inducted its second group of three individuals into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. The three inductees, William K. ?Bill? Kershner, Marvin Easter, and the late Joe Vorbeck, were shining examples of the epitome of the art of flight instruction.
Bill Kershner capped the evening when he took the stage and explained that throughout his aviation career, flight instructing was the common thread that he always stayed immersed in and loved. As many may already know, Bill has written many books and manuals and has flown for the U.S. Navy. He?s taught literally tens of thousands of new pilots, and the effect one flight instructor can have on a pilot?s life was clearly evident.
If you want to nominate someone for the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, now is the time to prepare your nomination and supporting documentation for a flight instructor who has made life-long contributions to the field of flight instruction. Your nominee may have been someone from whom you have received personal instruction or perhaps the author of your favorite aviation book. Any individual who has made life-long contributions to flight instruction is eligible.
The deadline for accepting nominations is July 1, 1999, and the honorees will be inducted at a banquet to be held at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in October. To request a nomination form, write NAFI, Attn: CFI Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI, 54904.
NAFI schedules FIRC for EAA AirVenture ?99
NAFI will cosponsor a Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC) at the EAA AirVenture ?99 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 26 and 27. It will give you, the flight instructor, a chance to renew your certificate and intertwine flight instruction into the atmosphere of the world?s greatest recreational aviation event for a most unique experience.
The two-day, 16-hour FIRC is a not-for-profit service sponsored by NAFI and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. It will be held adjacent to the AirVenture grounds at the Fox Valley Technical College Aviation Center. For those without local transportation, a shuttle service will be available from NAFI?s Flight Instructor Headquarters on the AirVenture grounds on both days.
The FIRC?s tuition is $175, and NAFI members receive a $25 discount. Included in the tuition are two lunches and refreshments. With the successful completion of this seminar each CFI will receive a temporary flight instructor certificate that is issued on site. The registration deadline is July 1, 1999, and space is limited. Also, participants will need to arrange for their own lodging.
Last year?s AirVenture FIRC featured presenters such as Frank Gatolin of the NTSB. The program integrated many unique topics into the training course outline. NAFI was exceptionally fortunate to have FAA representative Alan Pinkerton on hand during both days of the clinic to answer any questions from the FAA perspective.
For most instructors, attending the FIRC is only the icing on the cake. They spend the rest of the week at EAA AirVenture to take advantage of its more than 500 educational forums and seminars, examine thousands of different aircraft, learn what?s new from exhibitors, and to meet old friends and make new ones.
CFIs who attended last year?s NAFI FIRC found it worthwhile and made these remarks on their evaluation sheets.
?Frank Gatolin is the best...always make sure he is available for the FIRC! I?d rather listen to him than take a break! Good organization and schedules. All visual aids were excellent from all speakers.?
?Excellent topics; good format; well timed breaks; super lunch!?
?Fantastic! This is my 15th FIRC and the best! Thank you.?
?Topics were current. Instructional staff was a good mix of expertise. Topics were relative to teaching ? good.?
The 1999 NAFI FIRC promises to provide a repeat performance. This is the ideal opportunity for EAA AirVenture attendees who want to combine the world?s largest aviation event with renewing their flight instructor certificate. For more information, contact NAFI at 920/426-6801, fax 920/426-6778, or e-mail at [email protected]. Instructors can get housing information by calling EAA?s Housing Hotline at 920/235-3007.
Meet The Masters: Ed Fink
The NAFI Master Flight Instructor Program is a two-year continuing education program that promotes professionalism and development among flight instructors. Those who have entered the program and have earned NAFI?s Master CFI designation truly are dedicated to the profession and art of flight instructing. We think you should get to know these dedicated professionals a little better and, if you are looking for an outstanding flight instructor, they are probably available!
Ed Fink is a professional flight instructor who works at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida. He earned his private pilot?s certificate at Venice Flying Service in 1984 and added certificates and ratings while flying with the Sundowners Search and Rescue Flying Club of Lee County, and the Cub Club of Fort Myers.
As an advanced ground instructor, Ed began teaching private pilot and instrument pilot ground schools at the Lee County Adult/Community Education Program in 1994. Ed earned his CFI in 1995, and is a graduate of West Virginia State College. He has given more than 2,000 hours of primary and instrument flight instruction. In doing this he earned the ?Gold Seal? on his flight instructor certificate in July 1998, and the Orlando Flight Standards District Office appointed him a volunteer FAA aviation safety counselor.
Before earning his instructor?s certificate Ed worked as a full-time training officer for the 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in West Virginia, where he spent 16 years ?jumping out of perfectly good airplanes? and learning a great deal about how to plan, organize, and conduct training.
Ed?s philosophy of education is that each student is unique and each has his or her own style of learning. The teacher?s job is to create an environment that recognizes the student?s individual style and to provide an education program that?s tailored to the student?s individual needs, from the private pilot ground school through certified flight instructor-instrument.
NAFI needs Flight Specialists for Women in Aviation
NAFI will exhibit at the annual Women in Aviation Conference, to be held March 18 through 20 at the Radisson Twin Towers Hotel in Orlando, Florida. NAFI is seeking members who live in the area and would be interested in, or are planning to, attend the conference and volunteer some time working the NAFI exhibit. If you?re interested, please call NAFI headquarters at 920/426-6801, fax 920/426-6778, or e-mail [email protected]
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