"The Best Of The Best"

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) takes pride in announcing a significant aviation accomplishment on the part of these very special aviation educators.  Recently, they were all accredited as Master Instructors by NAFI, their professional aviation education association.

To help put this achievement in its proper perspective, there are approximately 90,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 500 of them have earned Master accreditation thus far. As a measure of the prestige conferred by this title, the last eleven 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 October are:

RENEWALS

Darrel LeRoy Dilley, Master CFI            
La Salle, CO
E-mail: DLDilley@aol.com
Darrel Dilley recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Darrel is an independent flight instructor who works with Blue Sky Flyers at the Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY). He also serves as an EAA Flight Advisor and is a FAASTeam representative (safety counselor) for the FAA's Denver FSDO.

John Hudson Lewis, Master CFI  
Houghton, MI 
E-mail: JHLewis@up.net
John Lewis recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. John owns Agate Beach Aviation (www.AgateBeachAviation.com) at Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) where he specializes primary and instrument flight and ground instruction. He also serves in the Civil Air Patrol's Michigan Wing.  

Donna Martha Stevens, Master CFI  
Chesterton, IN
E-mail: DonnAir_Aviation@hotmail.com
Donna Stevens recently renewed her Master CFI accreditation. Donna is the owner and chief flight/ground instructor of DonnAir Aviation (www.DonnAirAviation.com) at Porter County Airport (VPZ) in Valparaiso. She also serves as an Aviation Safety Counselor for the FAA's South Bend FSDO.

Steve Thaddeus Thibodaux, Master CFI  
Bellbrook, OH 
E-mail: SteveWOW@donet.com
Steve Thibodaux recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation. Steve owns Wings on Wheels ( www.Wings-on-Wheels.com ) and specializes in glider instruction at Red Stewart Airfield (40I) in Waynesville. He also teaches for Sinclair Community College serves as a safety counselor for the FAA's Cincinnati FSDO.

INITIALS

Bruce Alexander Batelaan, Master CFI 
Naples, FL 
E-mail: Bate02@hotmail.com
Bruce Batelaan recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Bruce is the chief flight instructor for Europe-America Aviation (www.EAA-Fly.com), a Part 141 flight school and Diamond Brilliance Flight Center at Naples Municipal Airport (APF). He also serves as an Aviation Safety Counselor for the FAA's South Florida-Miami FSDO.

Gregory George "Greg Flanik, Master CFI  
Bay Village, OH
E-mail: Greg@TopgunCleveland.com
Gregory Flanik recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Greg is an instructor pilot and program manager with Top Gun Flight Training Academy (www.TopGunCleveland.com) at Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL). He specializes in primary and instrument flight training in technically advance aircraft.

Randall Hempen Harris, Master CFI 
Rockford, IL
E-mail: Randall97@hotmail.com
Randall Harris recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Randall is the chief flight instructor with Poplar Grove Airmotive at Poplar Grove Airport (C77). He specializes in primary, instrument and tailwheel training and is the local AOPA Airport Support Network representative.

Guy Anthony Rouelle Jr, Master CFI 
Montpelier, VT 
E-mail: Guy.Rouelle@state.vt.us
Guy Rouelle recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Guy is the chief pilot of the Vermont Agency of Transportation as well as a flight and ground instructor at the Montpelier (MPV) and Burlington (BTV) airports. He also serves in the Civil Air Patrol and is a pilot examiner for the FAA's Portland FSDO. 

Kenneth Francis "Ken" Wittekiend Jr, Master CFI 
Burnet, TX
E-mail: Ken@EagleTraining.net
Kenneth Wittekiend recently earned his Master CFI accreditation. Ken is a co-owner of Eagle Training Solutions (www.EagleTraining.net), a flight school at Burnet Municipal Airport (BMQ) specializing in advanced instrument training. He also serves as an Angel Flight pilot and is a FAASTeam representative for the FAA's San Antonio FSDO.

FMI: www.nafinet.org