Six Renewals And Two Initial Designations Announced For Last
Month
Master Instructors LLC and its Board of Review take pride in
announcing a significant aviation accomplishment on the part of
these 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 93,000 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 and industry 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, These Master Instructors
have earned their "black belts" in aviation education.
Aviation educators who earned the
"Master" title during October are:
Raymond W "Ray" Brown, Master CFI. Avon Lake, Ohio
E-mail: RayTopGun@yahoo.com
Raymond W Brown, a 5-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed
his Master CFI accreditation. Ray is president of Top Gun Flight
Training Academy ( www.TopGunCleveland.com ) at
Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL). Soon to receive the
FAA's Master Pilot award, he also serves as a FAASTeam
representative in the FAA's Cleveland FSDO area.
Carla Corrine Dedera, Master CFI, Bonners Ferry. Idaho
E-mail: CDedera@lycos.com
Carla C Dedera, a 4-time Master, recently renewed her Master CFI
accreditation. Carla is a flight and ground instructor with
Northern Air ( NorthernAir.biz/Home ) at Idaho's Boundary County
Airport (65S). She also serves as the company's Part 135 charter
pilot and instructor as well as a Forest Service air tactical and
fire detection pilot.
Edgar Melville "Ed" Fink, Master CFI. Fort Myers, Florida
E-mail: EdMFink@comcast.net
Edgar M Fink, a 7-time Master and a SAFE member, recently renewed
his Master CFI accreditation. Ed is an independent flight and
ground instructor at Page Field Airport (FMY). He also serves with
the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Sundowners Search & Rescue
Flying Club, and is a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's Tampa
FSDO.
Lara Zook Gaerte, Master CFI. Fort Wayne, Indiana
E-mail: CenturyAviation@gmail.com,
Copper35@verizon.net
Lara Gaerte, a 2-time Master and a SAFE member, recently renewed
her Master CFI accreditation. Lara is the FBO manager and director
of Century Aviation's flight school at DeKalb County Airport (GWB).
A specialist in technically advanced aircraft and tailwheel
training, she also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's
South Bend FSDO area.
Peter Frederick King, Master CFI. Bend, Oregon
E-mail: PFKing@webmail.us
Peter F King recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Peter is
the chief instructor for the Cessna Advanced Aircraft Recurrent
Training Program (CAART) and is an independent instructor
specializing in instrument, technically advanced, and glass cockpit
training at Bend Airport (BDN). He also serves as a FAASTeam
representative in the FAA's Portland FSDO area.
Matthew Pope Robbins "Matt" McDaniel, Master CFI. Oak Creek,
Wisconsin
E-mail: Matt@ProgAviation.com
Matthew P R McDaniel, a 4-time Master, recently renewed his Master
CFI accreditation. Matt is the chief flight instructor and owner of
Progressive Aviation Services ( www.ProgAviation.com ) based at
Milwaukee International Airport (MKE). He specializes in
high-performance, recurrent, and transition training nationwide
primarily in customer-owned Cirrus and other TAA aircraft.
Edward William "Bill" Otway, Master Instructor Emeritus. San
Antonio, Texas
E-mail: BillOtway@hotmail.com
William Otway, a 7-time Master CFI, was recently granted Master
Instructor Emeritus status in recognition of his many years of
commitment to excellence, professional growth, service to the
aviation community, and quality aviation education. Bill retired as
the chief CFI with Wright Flyers Aviation ( www.WrightFlyers.com ), a Part
141 Cessna Pilot Center at San Antonio International Airport
(SAT).
Andrew Todd "Drew" Smith, Master Aviation Educator. Lindsborg,
Kansas
E-mail: ATSmith@KSU.edu
Andrew T Smith recently earned his Master Aviation Educator (MAE)
accreditation. Drew is an assistant professor and program lead for
K-State University's Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Training
curriculum ( www.Salina.K-State.edu/Aviation
) at Salina Municipal Airport (SAL). He also serves as a designated
mechanic examiner for the FAA's Wichita FSDO.