Master Instructors LLC and its Board of Review tell ANN that they take pride in announcing a significant aviation accomplishment on the part of some very special aviation educators. Recently, they were all accredited as Masters by Master Instructors LLC, the international Master Instructor accrediting authority.

To help put this achievement in its proper perspective, there are approximately 92,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 700 of them have earned Master accreditation thus far. As a measure of the prestige conferred by this title, the last 14 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 April are:

RENEWALS

Wanda Jean ZUEGE, Master CFI
Custer WI
E-mail: ATP1682@yahoo.com
Wanda Zuege, a 2-time Master, recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Wanda is the chief flight and ground instructor as well as owner of Am I High Aviation (www.AmIHighAviation.com) at Stevens Point Municipal Airport (STE). She also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Milwaukee FSDO area.

Hobart Caleb "Hobie" TOMLINSON, Master CFI
Huntington VT
E-mail: HobieTW@att.net
Hobart C Tomlinson, a 4-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Hobie is a charter pilot and an independent flight instructor as well as director of safety for Heritage Flight (www.FlyHeritage.com) at Burlington International Airport (BTV). He also serves as a FAASTeam representative and pilot examiner in the FAA's Portland Maine FSDO area.

Richard Loren "Rich" STOWELL Jr, Master CFI-Aerobatic
Venture CA & McCall ID
E-mail: Rich@RichStowell.com
Richard L Stowell recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation. Rich is an aerobatic instructor specializing in emergency maneuver training and spin recovery (www.RichStowell.com) at Santa Paula Airport (SZP). The 2006 Nat'l CFI of the Year, he is also a noted aviation author and serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Ventura FSDO area.

Nicholas Gregory "Greg" SOTER, Master CFI
Orem UT
E-mail: Greg@Soter.net
Gregory Soter, a 3-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Greg is an instructor specializing in instrument and multiengine training in Utah Valley University's Aviation Science Department at Provo Municipal Airport (PVU). He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the Salt Lake City FSDO area.

Raymond Francis "Ray" SPENGLER, Master CFI & Master GI
Sonoma CA
E-mail: Ray@SkyparkFlying.com,
Raymond F Spengler recently renewed his Master CFI and Master GI accreditations. Ray is the president of Skypark Aviation ( www.SkyparkFlying.com ), a Cessna Pilot Center at Sonoma Skypark Airport (0Q9). He serves as the Civil Air Patrol's California Wing Group 5 commander as well as a FAASTeam rep for the FAA's Sacramento FSDO.

Charles Arthur "Charlie" SKELTON, Master CFI
Branford CT
E-mail: RBOCAS@comcast.net
Charles A Skelton, a 6-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Charlie is the president of Yale Aviation, a flying club located at Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), where he specializes in primary and instrument training. He is also the chief pilot for CAS Aviation and serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Windsor Locks FSDO area.

Arthur Herman "Art" HAYSSEN, Master CFI
Sebastopol CA
E-mail: Art@NorthCoastAir.com
Arthur H Hayssen, a 5-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Art is the chief flight instructor and owner of 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 a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Oakland FSDO.

Paul GRETSCHEL, Master CFI
Coram NY
E-mail: Paul@PACKAviation.com
Paul Gretschel, a 3-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Paul is the president and owner of PACK Aviation (www.PACKAviation.com) at Islip's MacArthur Airport (ISP). He also serves with the USCG Auxiliary, the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) and is a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Farmingdale FSDO area.

Thomas Michael "Mike" GARRISON, Master CFI
Leawood KS
E-mail: MGarrison8@sbcglobal.net
Michael Garrison, a 4-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Mike is an independent flight instructor specializing in instrument, multiengine, and Cirrus training at Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC). He also serves as a designated pilot examiner and a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Kansas City FSDO area.

Linda Margaret DOWDY, Master CFI
Bethel MN
E-mail: LinDowdy@visi.com
Linda M Dowdy recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Linda owns and operates Sim Flite Minnesota (www.SimFliteMinnesota.com), a simulator facility specializing in instrument and GPS training. She is also active in the Minnesota 99s and serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Minneapolis FSDO area.

INITIALS

Megan Roberta SAYRE, Master CFI
Bennett CO
E-mail: Megan@DaedalusAviation.com
Megan R Sayre recently earned her Master CFI accreditation. Megan is the director of operations and chief flight instructor at Daedalus Aviation, a Part 141 Cessna Pilot Center at Denver's Front Range Airport (FTG). She is also a frequent speaker for Metro State College's aviation program and serves as a FAASTeam representative in the Denver FSDO area.

Charles Henry "Chuck" EBBECKE, Master CFI
Mullica Hill NJ
E-mail: Ebbecke@comcast.net
Charles H Ebbecke recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Chuck is an independent flight instructor who also works as a director and instructor with the Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association (MAPA) Safety Foundation. The FAA's 2009 Eastern Region CFI of the Year, he also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Philadelphia FSDO area.

Timothy James "Tim" BUSCH, Master CFI
Atkins IA
E-mail: Tim@IowaFlightTraining.com
Timothy J Busch recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Tim is the chief flight instructor, owner, and manager of Iowa Flight Training (www.IowaFlightTraining.com) providing flight and ground instruction at several Cedar Rapids-area airports. He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Des Moines FSDO area.

FMI: www.MasterInstructors.org