Lara Gaerte, Eight Time Master Instructor CFI, CFII, MEI, DPE
I earned my initial instructor certificate in 1995 and, after nearly 8000 hours of dual given, I am starting my 27th year as an aviation educator. Being a CFI was a deliberate choice at the beginning of my professional flying career. It allowed me to be active in aviation, and also to be a mother and wife and have a more stable home and work balance. As a CFI, I wanted to represent myself in a way that indicated that I was not just collecting hours for my next flying job, but was truly engaged in the development of the pilot I was training. I achieved my Gold Seal certification and felt that it was a step in the right direction, but it was static credential. While it indicated that I had, at some point in my past, been actively teaching with good student success, but it didn’t represent currency. (I know several Gold Seal instructors who are currently inactive.) I wanted something more timely and relevant, and the MCFI accreditation was the logical choice. For me, it represents a continuous, and conscious, choice by an instructor to be the best they can be.
For many pilots, when we sit next to them as their CFI, we are truly the best part of their day. Our instructors have a front row seat to some of the biggest milestones in our life! They are an integral part of our individual aviation journeys, and I hold my aviation mentors in the highest regard. As a CFI, I wanted to be certain that I was worthy of that same distinction for those pilots that I worked with. The Master Instructor program challenges me to not only be the best educator I can be; it also keeps me well rounded as an aviator. The documentation of activities within my Master portfolio is an ongoing gentle reminder to maintain and enhance my knowledge and proficiency through professional development even as I teach, whether training new pilots or helping licensed pilots remain proficient. I continuously seek opportunities to hone my skill set, learn new methods, and give back to the aviation community that brought me forward; to be a better pilot, but also a better human. It is my hope that by living that example, I can give those who come after me a similar goal to challenge themselves to be the best that they can be.