FAA Has Approved The Curriculum For CFI Renewal

Five instructors have received for the first time or renewed their Master Instructor designation in the month of September.

Master Instructors LLC said in a news release that all were accredited as Masters by Master Instructors LLC, the international Master Instructor accrediting authority.

The last 19 National Flight Instructors of the Year or National FAASTeam Representatives 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. 

Aviation educators who earned the "Master" title during September 2014 are:

David Paul St George, Master CFI Ithaca, NY    
David St George (pictured), a 9-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  David is the Part 141 chief flight instructor with East Hill Flying Club  at Ithaca's Tompkins County Regional Airport (ITH) specializing in advanced training.  He also serves as a designated pilot examiner and a FAASTeam representative in the Rochester FSDO area. E-mail: DavidSaintGeorge@gmail.com

Michael Gerard "Mike" Gaffney, Master CFI Bedford, TX
Michael G Gaffney, a 6-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Mike is currently the interim general manager of CAE Oxford Aviation Academy in Gondia, India where he specializes in technically advanced aircraft operations.  The 2007 National CFI of the Year, he also serves as a FAASTeam lead representative in the North Texas (Dallas / Fort Worth) FSDO area. E-mail: FlightLogics@gmail.com

William George "Bill" Gregory, Master CFI-Aerobatic Gilbert, AZ
William G Gregory, a 1st-time Master as well as a member of IAC and SAFE, recently earned his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation.  A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Bill is an instructor pilot with APS Emergency Maneuver Training, a Part 141 flight school at Mesa's Williams Gateway Airport (IWA).  A retired USAF instructor pilot and NASA astronaut, he specializes in upset recovery, spin, and aerobatic training.E-mail: Bill.Gregory@APSTraining.com

John Clare-Panton, Master CFI Pueblo West, CO
John Clare-Panton (pictured), a 1st time Master and SAFE member, recently earned his initial Master CFI accreditation.  John serves as chief flight instructor with Peak Aviation Center at Colorado Springs Airport (COS).  A former pilot in the Royal Air Force, he specializes in military and civilian flight and ground training for the full range of single-engine and multi-engine FAA certifications. E-mail: Panton238@q.com

Donald Ellis "Don" Kaye, Master CFISanta Clara, CA
Donald E Kaye, a 7-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Don is an independent San Francisco Bay area flight instructor specializing in avionics, instrument, recurrency, and complex aircraft training. The majority of his teaching is done in higher performance Mooneys, Cessnas, and Pipers. E-mail: DonKaye@earthlink.net

The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA and revered by industry.  It 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.

(Images provided by Master Instructor LLC. Below (L-R) Gaffney, Gregory, Kaye)

FMI: www.MasterInstructors.org