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News Release

DECEMBER 2011

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 (US Copyright Office registration number TX0006987479).

To help put this achievement in its proper perspective, there are approximately 96,000 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 16 National Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs (see: http://www.GeneralAviationAwards.org/).  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, Master Instructors have earned their “black belts” in aviation education. They truly represent the crème de la crème of the aviation industry!

Questions regarding the Master Instructor Programä may be directed to 303-485-8136 or MasterInstrs@aol.com For more information about the Master Instructor Programä and to locate other Masters, please visit the “Find a Master Instructor” section of www.MasterInstructors.org To learn more about the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE), visit http://SafePilots.org/ The International Aerobatic Club (IAC) can be reached through their website at http://IAC.org/

Aviation educators who earned the “Master” title during December are:

Richard William “Rich” BARCLAY, Master CFI (Renew:  30Nov11)
Elbert  CO
E-mail:   FFRichDana@msn.com

Richard W Barclay, a 3-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Rich is a flight and ground instructor as well as a Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) with Independence Aviation ( http://IA-KAPA.com/ ) at Centennial Airport (APA).  He specializes in Cirrus, Diamond, and other technically advanced aircraft training.

Cleon Joseph BITER, Master Instructor Emeritus (1Dec11)
Longmont  CO
E-mail:  CJBiter@gmail.com

Cleon J Biter, a 7-time Master and charter SAFE member, 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.  An American Meteorological Society certified consulting meteorologist, Cleon is also a flight instructor with Air West Flight Center at Vance Brand Airport (LMO).  Additionally, he serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA’s Denver FSDO area.

Anthony “Tony” JOHNSTONE, Master CFI-Aerobatic (Renew:  10Dec11)
Winfield  KS
E-mail:  KnifeEdgeAkro@yahoo.com

Doctor Anthony Johnston, a 2-time Master and a member of IAC as well as SAFE, recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation.  Tony specializes in aerobatic, spin, and tailwheel transition training as the chief instructor of Knife Edge Aerobatics at Strother Field (WLD) in Winfield, Kansas.  He also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA’s Wichita FSDO area.

Craig Michael PATTERSON, Master CFI (Renew:  30Nov11)
Midland  TX
E-mail:   CPatterson@Midland.edu
Craig M Patterson, a 4-time Master, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Craig is the chief flight instructor as well as an associate professor of aviation with Midland College’s Part 141 professional pilot preparation program ( www.Midland.edu/~Pilots ) at Midland Airpark (MDD).  He also serves as apilot examiner and FAASTeam representative in the FAA’s Lubbock FSDO area.

Timm PREUSSER, Master CFI (Renew:  7Dec11)
Kleinwallstadt  Germany
E-mail:   TimmPreusser@t-online.de

Timm Preusser, a 7-time Master and SAFE member, recently renewed his Master CFI accreditation.  Timm is the chief instructor for the Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association (COPA) in Europe as well as the chief flight instructor and president of the Darmstadt Flying Club (www.FlyDFC.com).  He also serves on COPA’s board of directors and is a Cirrus standardized instructor.

J Anthony SHARP, Master Aviation Educator (Initial:  7Dec11)
Elizabeth City  NC
E-mail:   JASharp@mail.ECSU.edu
Anthony Sharp, a 1st-time Master and a SAFE member, recently earned his Master Aviation Educator (MAE) accreditation.  Anthony is a professor and the director of the Aviation Science program at Elizabeth City State University (http://www.ECSU.edu/Aviation/index.cfm).  A professional member of the University Aviation Association (UAA), he also serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA’s Greensboro FSDO area.

Brian Nathaniel WILLETT, Master CFI-Aerobatic (Initial:  7Dec11)
Gilbert  AZ
E-mail:  Brian.Willett@cox.net

Brian Willett, a 1st-time Master and a member of IAC as well as SAFE, recently earned his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation.  Brian is an instructor with APS Emergency Maneuver Training (www.APSTraining.com), a Part 141 flight school at Mesa’s Williams Gateway Airport (IWA).  A retired Air Force instructor pilot, he specializes in aerobatic, upset recovery, and spin training.