Designation Recognized By The FAA For CFI Renewal

Eight flight instructors completed the Master Instructors course to receive the prestigious designation in the month of August. The title has been earned by fewer than 700 of the 91,000 CFIs currently active in the country. The last 17 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

Aviation educators who earned the "Master" title during August are:

Mark Richard Adams, Master CFI, El Paso, TX & Germantown, TN
Mark R Adams, a 5-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Mark is a FedEx Airbus flight standards check airman in Memphis as well as an independent El Paso-area flight instructor specializing in Cessna 300 / 400 training.  He also served as chairman of SAFE and is a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Albuquerque FSDO area. E-mail: AdamsMark@earthlink.net

Randall Loren "Randy" Brooks, Master CFI-Aerobatic, Arlington, TX
Randall L Brooks, a 1st-time Master as well as a member of IAC and SAFE, recently earned his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation.  Randy is the vice president of training and business development with APS Emergency Maneuver Training at Arlington Municipal Airport (GKY).  He specializes in spin and recovery training as well as formation aerobatics. E-mail: Randall.Brooks@APSTraining.com

Theodore "Ted" Corsones, Master CFI, Naples, FL & Rutland, VT 
Theodore Corsones, a 3-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Ted is an independent flight and ground instructor providing primary through advanced aviation training in Vermont and Florida.  Additionally, he is an instructor, treasurer, and chief financial officer for Mooney's MAPA Safety Foundation. E-mail: TedC@Corsones.com

Bernard Francis "Barney" King, Master CFI, Salina, KS
Bernard F King, a 7-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  A retired US Army aviator, Barney is the program lead for Kansas State University's Professional Pilot Program at Salina Municipal Airport (SLN).  He currently specializes in glider training and Part 141 airplane progress checks. E-mail: KingB@KSU.edu

James Edward "Jim" McCord Jr, Master CFI, Santa Rosa, CA
James E McCord, a 1st-time Master and SAFE member, recently earned his Master CFI accreditation.  Jim is an independent flight instructor with North Coast Air at the Sonoma County Airport (STS).  Additionally, he also serves on the Sonoma County Aviation Commission and is a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Oakland FSDO area. E-mail: JimMcCordCFI@gmail.com

Gordon Kenneth Penner, Master CFI-Aerobatic, Cincinnati, OH
Gordon K Penner, a 3-time Master as well as a member of IAC and SAFE, recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation.  Gordon is an independent flight instructor specializing in emergency maneuver, aerobatic, tailwheel, and glider training at Stewart Airfield (4ØI) and Caesar Creek Gliderport (2OH9).  He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Cincinnati FSDO area. E-mail: Penner.GK@gmail.com

Dominick "Dom" Ruscitti, Master CFI, Rockford, IL
Dominick Ruscitti, a 2-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  A retired United Airlines pilot, Dom specializes training and mentoring owner pilots transitioning into single-pilot very light jets as well as initial single pilot jet type ratings and recurrent jet training. E-mail: DRuscit@aol.com

Sanford Cresap "Cres" Wise III, Master CFI, Bonaire, GA
Sanford C Wise III, a 1st-time Master and SAFE member, recently earned his Master CFI accreditation.  Cres is an assistant chief flight instructor at the Robins Air Force Base Aero Club (WRB) where he specializes in primary and instrument training.  He also serves as check pilot examiner for the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol as well as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA's Atlanta FSDO area. E-mail: Cres_Wise@hotmail.com

(Images provided by Master Instructors. Top: Adams, Brooks, Corsone. Middle: King, McCord, Penner. Bottom: Rusciti, Wise.)

FMI: www.MasterInstructors.org