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.

Stowell Creates “Teaching Spins” for SAFE & FAASTeam

Forum Aimed at CFIs and DPEs Delivered in December

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) recently delivered the second of eight planned “Seminar-in-a-Box” (SIB) products for use by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam). Entitled, Maneuvering at Low Altitude: SPINS, the SIB was created by 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year Rich Stowell, a noted expert on the subject who has logged nearly 32,000 spins with students. AvWeb contributed a video reconstruction of a common stall/spin accident as well.

FAA AFS-800 has identified stall/spins as a causal factor in two of its top ten fatal accident classifications. According to Stowell, “Improved stall/spin awareness and its associated safety dividend depend on the training provided by instructors, so I was delighted to participate in a project for SAFE and the FAASTeam aimed at CFIs and DPEs.”

Stowell Named Honorary Member by Natural Resource Pilots

The International Association of Natural Resource Pilots (IANRP) granted Rich Stowell honorary member status during its recent, biennial conference. The plaque presented to Stowell, who was attending the conference as a seminar speaker, reads, “for his dedication toward safety and education through specialized training for the natural resource aviation community.”

A Master Instructor and 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year, Stowell is a noted expert in the field of spin and emergency maneuver training. He has been providing safety training to pilots with state and Federal fish and wildlife, parks service, and law enforcement agencies for fifteen years. Natural resource pilots regularly train with Stowell through CP Aviation in Santa Paula, CA. He has also traveled to locations in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, and Minnesota to work with natural resource pilots in their own environments, which typically involves tracking wildlife while maneuvering at low altitude and slow airspeed.

IANRP members operate aircraft in the field of renewable resources with specialties that include the use of aircraft for forestry, wildlife, and fisheries applications, as well as for the enforcement of natural resource regulations. IANRP provides the means for these pilots to share their wealth of experience and knowledge with others.

FMI: http://www.ianrp.org/

IANRP President Jeff Faught (l.) & Rich Stowell