Accreditation Program Aims to Reach More Qualified Aviation Educators
Master Instructors LLC (MI LLC) recently announced that it has overhauled its entire website and established a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Responding to a survey of Master Instructors as well as feedback from members of the Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) Board of Review, program administrators Sandy and JoAnn Hill are now expanding MICEP’s visibility and appeal to more aviation educators. Numerous Masters volunteered to assist with the upgrades, including producing the program’s first in a series of promotional videos (visit http://YouTu.be/DequUQiQ9uQ ).
According to Sandy Hill, “The time has come to be more proactive with the program, to actively reach out to more of the nation’s and world’s qualified aviation educators and challenge them to become Masters.” Hill continued, “At the same time, we are working to streamline the application process while maintaining the same rigorous standards our Masters have come to expect from this challenging-yet-rewarding program.” MICEP is converting from paper-based applications to a more efficient online process. The Hills plan to have the changeover completed and in place before Oshkosh AirVenture 2013.
The Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) is a family of six diverse, voluntary accreditations available to qualified aviation educators. The program is based on a system of advanced professional standards and rigorous peer review. It identifies and recognizes educators who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence and professional growth in, as well as service to, the aviation community while establishing professional standards to which all aviation educators should aspire. According to a 2010 survey of all Masters, most reported a 10 to 40 percent increase in income as a result of earning their accreditations.
The Master Instructor accreditation program, highly acclaimed and recognized by industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), was conceived in 1995. Currently, there are approximately 97,000 FAA certificated flight instructors in the United States. More than 1600 initial and renewing Master Instructor candidate’s portfolios have been reviewed since the program’s inception. Fewer than 800 aviation educators have achieved the accreditation thus far. The last 18 National Flight Instructors of the Year or FAASTeam Representatives of the Year were Masters who have earned the prestigious “Master” title (visit: http://www.GeneralAviationAwards.org/).