Free “Flying Tips” CD with Purchases of $100

While supplies last, receive a free copy of the 37-minute “Flying Tips” CD on orders of $100 or more (not including shipping). The CD features 16 audio tips recorded by Rich Stowell on subjects ranging from human factors, to the fundamentals of aircraft control, to flying in the traffic pattern, and more. Shop Now

Risk Assessment during Turnbacks Following an Engine Failure

Several pilots have been asking where they can get a copy of the Canadian Study of stall/spin accidents over a ten-year period where the risk of serious injury or death was assessed as eight times greater when attempting a low-altitude turnback to the runway following an engine failure. The study is now available from my website at http://www.richstowell.com/documents/Transport_Canada_TP13748E.pdf

AOPA Live: “Aerodynamics: The Alpha Factor”

ASI’s Bruce Landsberg discusses “Aerodynamics: The Alpha Factor” with Rich Stowell as part of AOPA Live during AirVenture 2011 (25 minutes).

First Project using Nflightcam and iMovie

On Friday I experimented for the first time with a Contour HD camera by Nflightcam and Apple’s iMovie editing software. The test shots were hand held as I had not figured out the clamps needed or the best mounting points yet.

The flight was EMT Module II, Lesson 1, full and half aileron rolls left and right; the trainee was a law enforcement pilot based in Alaska from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The run time for the snippet is 1:37. Though a rudimentary attempt, I enjoyed the process and am looking forward to improving with more practice and familiarity with the editing software.

A newer generation Nflightcam+ is on its way, which has been modified to eliminate most of the “venetian blind effect” when shooting through the propeller arc. The two cameras will allow videoing two points of view simultaneously. Both cameras have been modified by Nflightcam with headset jacks to record audio directly.

Thanks to Patrick Carter at Nflightcam for providing the camera to play with.

Qref Syllabi, Checkride Checklists Now Free

Training Reform Symposium Continues to Yield Positive Results

As founding members and an early provider of member benefits of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE), Qref recently announced its support for the goals of pilot training reform. Consequently, Qref is now offering PDF versions of its syllabi and acclaimed checkride checklists at no charge.

Acting on a recommendation from the training reform symposium, Qref joins ASA, Sporty’s, and SAFE in providing free syllabi. According to a Qref representative, “We praise ASA’s and Sporty’s lead on this and challenge other courseware providers to similarly offer online versions of their syllabi at no charge. With a wide selection of syllabi freely available, instructors and students should be able to find syllabi that work best for them. All of aviation will benefit from this.”

Qref syllabi address all FAA requirements as well as the reality of learning to fly in today’s complex and highly regulated environment. With a combined thirty years of flight instructing experience, the syllabi have been excerpted from Flight Instructor Notebooks created by Bridgette Doremire and Gene Hudson. Additionally, Qref’s Instrument Rating Syllabus was designed for use with flight simulators, allowing students to practice in a simulator before proving their knowledge and skills in flight, thereby reducing costly flight hours. The free Qref syllabi and checklists for Private, Instrument, and Commercial are available at http://www.qref.com/aviation/lesson-plans/

FMI: www.PilotTrainingReform.org, www.qref.com

Video of Training Reform Symposium Now Online

Safety Panel Available, Others to Follow

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) has announced that the first in a series of high-definition videos of its Pilot Training Reform Symposium is now available for online viewing. Produced by the symposium’s official media partner, Aero-News Network, the Safety Panel has successfully been uploaded. In time, the entire symposium will be available for viewing.

The symposium proceedings were recorded using two HD cameras. Even with a high-speed Internet connection, the massive 62-minute Safety Panel video file alone required the better part of a day to upload. Additional segments are currently being uploaded and will populate a unique 2011 SAFE Symposium channel created on Vimeo.com. Viewers can select a number of options as well, including full screen, like, embed, and share.

Other post-symposium information is being posted to the training reform website as it becomes available. Moreover, the symposium committee is in the process of generating a preliminary report that will soon be publicly released.

Rich’s Website Now Linked to Facebook

McWilliams Earns Primary Smooth Achievement Award

Congratulations to Susie McWilliams, who recently earned an International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Smooth Achievement Award in her Zlin 242L, N110AM. A Santa Paula local and long-time aerobatic student of Master Instructor Rich Stowell, McWilliams earned the award in the Primary category after three days of competition-specific training. Not only did McWilliams qualify on each of the four required Primary maneuvers, but she also qualified separately on three of eight required maneuvers in the Sportsman category. She is now working on the remaining maneuvers for a Sportsman Smooth award.

According to McWilliams, “I think it was a very smart decision for IAC to modify the rules regarding this award to encourage pilots like me during this phase of flight training. I had a very positive experience, and am enjoying my modest bragging rights.”

Susie McWilliams with MCFI-A Rich Stowell after earning her Aerobatic Achievement Award in the Primary Category

Based on a proposal submitted by Stowell in 2010 and endorsed by other Master Aerobatic Instructors, the IAC changed how pilots can qualify for its Smooth Achievement Awards. For Primary, Sportsman, and Intermediate Smooth awards, pilots can now fly the required maneuvers in front of a ground-based IAC judge, or with a qualifying instructor on board the airplane.

Stowell a Key Part of Training Reform Symposium

Rich Stowell and several other hard working volunteer-members of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) put on what many in the aviation media have been calling a watershed event in Atlanta last week: the General Aviation Pilot Training Reform Symposium.

Symposium Committee Members Doug Stewart, Bob Wright, Pat Knight, & Rich Stowell pose with Event Planner Debbie Peterson (center)

The two-day event marked the official start to a multi-year process of broad reform that has not been attempted since the Civilian Pilot Training Program more than seventy years ago. During a keynote speech, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said he was “delighted to be [in Atlanta] with the movers and shakers of the flight training community” and that FAA is eager to have help from industry on its five-year plan to transform general aviation safety—a plan that includes risk management, training and education with an expanded focus on flight instructors, and outreach and engagement with general aviation stakeholders.

More than 150 such stakeholders pre-registered for the event. Registrants had collectively logged 820,000 hours of flight time and 390,000 hours of instruction given. They also included 10 National Flight Instructors of the Year and an estimated 60 Master Instructors. Representatives from 46 flight schools, 42 aviation/trade associations, 20 university aviation programs, fourteen courseware providers, eleven OEMs, and five insurance companies registered as well. Significantly, FAA AFS 800 manager Mel Cintron and AFS 600 manager Van Kerns were among other regulatory representatives who attended the symposium from start to finish.

Stowell was among eleven National GA Awards winners in attendance

SAFE is preparing a post-symposium report featuring the recommendations generated during six breakout groups. The report will be disseminated to stakeholders for action against a published timeline. Information generated since the symposium is being posted to the training reform website as it becomes available, and a significant portion of the proceedings will soon be available for viewing through the Aero-News Network’s Aero-TV.

Stowell moderated the Curricula Reform Panel and lead the Curricula Breakout Session

For more information:

Symposium Website:

• Symposium Output page (Presenter PowerPoint slides, etc.)
• White Papers, etc.

Keynote Address by FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt:

AVweb Podcasts:

• Symposium Committee Chair Bob Wright explains to AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli how the SAFE Symposium aims to broaden the reach of risk management and safety awareness initiatives. Listen now (4 MB, 4:25 run time)
• AVweb’sPaul Bertorelli interviews FAA AFS 800 head Mel Cintron during the Pilot Training Reform Symposium. Listen now (4.6 MB, 4:25 run time)
• AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli interviews SAFE Chair Doug Stewart during the Pilot Training Reform Symposium. Listen now (4.6 MB, 4:28 run time)

Online Articles:

• Flying magazine, Industry Descends on Pilot Training Reform Symposium
• Aero-News Network, Symposium Yields First Dividend
• AOPA eBrief, Building a better flight training experience, Symposium participants share insights
• Over the Airwaves, GA’s Most Serious Problems Recognized
• AVwebinsider Blog, Can Fatal Accidents be Reduced?
• AVweb, GA Problem is GA Solution: Instructors

Stowell Earns MCFI Designation for 7th Time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rich Stowell, now a seven-time Master and a member of IAC as well as SAFE, recently renewed his Master CFI-Aerobatic accreditation through Master Instructors LLC.  Rich is an aerobatic instructor specializing in emergency maneuver training and spin recovery at Santa Paula Airport (SZP) and Cascade Airport (U70).  The 2006 National CFI of the Year, he is also a noted aviation author and serves as a FAASTeam representative in the FAA Van Nuys FSDO area.
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Master Instructors LLC takes great pride in announcing a significant aviation accomplishment on the part of Richard L Stowell, the 2006 National CFI of the Year and resident of Santa Paula, California.  Recently, Rich’s accreditation as a Master CFI-Aerobatic was renewed by Master Instructors LLC, the international accrediting authority for the Master Instructor designation as well as the FAA-approved Master Instructor Programä.  He first earned this national professional accreditation in 1999, has held it continuously since then, and is one of only 12 worldwide to earn the credential seven times.

To help put these achievements into proper perspective, there are approximately 93,000 CFIs in the United States.  Fewer than 700 of those aviation educators have achieved that professional distinction thus far. The last 15 national Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs while Rich is one of only 51 California teachers of flight to earn this prestigious “Master” title and one of only 24 nationwide to earn the aerobatic accreditation. In the words of former FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, ”The Master Instructor accreditation singles out the best that the right seat has to offer.”

The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA. Candidates must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community, and must pass a rigorous evaluation by a peer Board of Review. The process parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base while increasing their professionalism.  Designees are recognized as outstanding aviation educators for not only their excellence in teaching, but for their engagement in the continuous process of learning — both their own as well as their students’. The designation must be renewed biennially and significantly surpasses the FAA requirements for renewal of the candidate’s flight instructor certificate.

For more information about the Master Instructor Program and to locate other current Master Instructors, visit the Find a Master Instructor page.