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South Dakota Master Mechanics, Master Pilots, & Master Instructors
- Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award
- Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award
- NAFI Master Instructor Award
Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award
Background
The
award is named for Mr. Charles E. Taylor, the mechanic who built the engines
and maintained the Wright Brothers airplanes. To be eligible for the award,
a mechanic must have at least a total of 50 years engaged in aviation maintenance
and be a certificated mechanic or repairman as long as they have kept their
credentials, with a minimum of 30 years as a FAA-certificated mechanic or repairman;
the remaining 20 years may be accepted if the individual served as a mechanic
in the military or worked in the aviation maintenance or manufacturing industry.
For other details about the award, see FAA Advisory Circular 65-26B dated 7/2/98 or go to: http://www.faa.gov/safety/awards/charles_taylor/.
The site of the Charles E. Taylor Memorial will be located at the Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in front of the Paul Laurence Library. The memorial will feature a life-size sculpture of Taylor at his workbench and a bronze bust of Taylor with the Mechanics' Creed. The names of the winners of the FAA Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award will also be included in the memorial. In addition, each Master Mechanic award winner's name is placed in a leather “Role of Honor” book located at the entrance to the FAA Maintenance Division on the eighth floor of the FAA Headquarters building, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. A complete listing of Master Mechanics can be found at http://www.faa.gov/safety/awards/charles_taylor/media/NAMES.pdf.
The SDPA congratulations the following South Dakota Master Mechanics:
Frank
L. Broesamle, Mobridge (November 1996).
Frank L. Broesamle started his aviation
career in 1941 by completing an aircraft sheet metal course at Lincoln Aeronautical
Institute in Lincoln, NE. After graduation, he was offered a position with
Martin Aircraft Company building B-26 bombers in Baltimore, MD, but decided
to return to South Dakota to enlist in the Army Air Corps. His military service
included 2 years in the Far East before returning to the States in 1945. Frank
received his A&E certificate from Cal Aero in California, and then worked for Grand
Central Aviation converting Boeing C-46 transports for China before moving
on to Pacific Airmotive. In 1949, he came home to South Dakota and operated
an aircraft repair shop in Bison. In 1965, he received his IA certificate from “good
ole Charley Smith.” For the next 3 years he was Airport Manager at Hettinger,
ND, where he operated a maintenance and repair shop. For the next 14 years,
he served as the Airport Manager at Mobridge, SD, also operating a maintenance
and repair shop, which he continues to operate in 2004.
Ivan
F. Ellis, Sturgis (November 1996).
Ivan F. Ellis began his study of aircraft
mechanics in 1931 at Van Hoffman Air College in St. Louis. He returned to home
to Rapid City during the Great Depression and volunteered his services at the
old Halley Airport. He became a licensed mechanic in 1936, and moved in 1941
to Cheyenne, WY, to work for Plains Airways. Later he moved to Chadron, NE,
to work on the aircraft fleet at Snook’s Civilian Flight Training School.
In 1943 he moved to Grand Junction, CO, to work on a fleet of planes for the
Navy Pilot Training Program. After WWII he moved to Rapid City to be a partner
in Rushmore Flying Service, and in 1947 earned his inspection authorization.
In 1949 he became a partner in Black Hills Aviation in Spearfish. He helped
pioneer airborne uranium prospecting in 1957, and later worked at Bus Field
Aviation in Belle Fourche. Ivan was named the SD Mechanic of the Year in 1971.
In 1972 he moved to Sturgis and took over maintenance at Hlavka Flying Service.
During retirement he has continued to rebuild classic aircraft. Ivan was inducted
into the SD Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.
Luverne
(Vern) A. Kraemer, Nemo (November 1996).
Luverne (Vern) A. Kraemer has been in aviation
for the past 56 years as a pilot and mechanic. He began his aviation maintenance
career while earning his pilot license at the Spearfish Airport in 1940. He
served his country in WWII as a pilot and mechanic with the Civil Air Patrol's
Coastal Patrol, then worked as a mechanic for Clyde Ice in the early 1940s.
Vern worked for Boeing in Wichita, KS, and worked in Washington state and Alaska,
before coming back to South Dakota in 1951. He managed the aircraft maintenance
facility at the old Halley Airport in Rapid City, and then worked for Snedigar
Flying Service in Rapid City from 1963 to 1975. Vern ran his own FBO, B & K
Aviation, at Rapid City Airport from 1975 until he retired in 1986, and continues
to build and maintain aircraft at his private airport on his ranch in the Black
Hills. He is a founding member of the Experimental Aircraft Association with
membership number 72, and was the second person to donate a homebuilt experimental
category aircraft to the EAA for their fledgling museum in 1958. He has worked
unceasingly in the furtherance of aviation as a mechanic and inspector for
the past 56 years, and continues to encourage people interested in building
their own experimental category aircraft, always stressing high standards of
aircraft construction. Vern was inducted into the SD Aviation Hall of Fame
in 1995.
Edward
F. Dahlhoff, Sioux Falls (March 2001).
Edward F. Dahlhoff began aircraft maintenance
at Sevdy-Sorenson Aviation in Worthington, MN, in late 1949. He served for
4 years in the U.S. Air Force as a mechanic, boom operator, and flight engineer.
Edward worked at Pipestone Aviation in Pipestone, MN, between 1955 and 1963
as a mechanic, and then worked at Business Aviation in Sioux Falls from 1963
to 1968. In the following years he worked as an A&P/IA, aircraft mechanic instructor, flight
instructor, and charter pilot at Shupe Executive Air Travel, Sioux Falls School
District, and Professional Flight all in Sioux Falls. From 1977 to 1984 Edward
was a mechanic and flight instructor at Great Planes Airport in Tea. He started
his own business, Aircrafters, in 1985 and continued it until 1993. From 1993
to present he has been an A&P/IA at Business Aviation.
Clifford
P. Adkins, Parkston (September 2001).
Clifford P. Adkins built a flying flea
as a young boy in ~1937, and started pilot training and aircraft maintenance
at Mitchell, SD, in 1938. During WWII he taught pilot training in the War Training
Service at LeMars and Sheldon, IA, training Army glider pilots and Army and
Navy fighter pilots. Cliff later serviced as a flight engineer and copilot
of B-26s at Pensacola, FL. Cliff began a flight training and maintenance service
at O’Neill, NE, in 1948, and received national recognition on the Ted
Malone radio show for his heroism in conducting rescue flights during the blizzard
of 1948-49. In 1949 he established an airport with flight training, maintenance
and repair, aerial application, and charter services at Parkston, SD, which
later became the Parkston Municipal Airport. He received his A&P license
in 1961, and over the years has built several home-built aircraft and specialized
in aircraft maintenance, repair, design, building, and restoration. Cliff was
inducted into the SD Aviation Hall of Fame in August 2000.
Arnold A. Kolb, Spearfish (August 2002).
Arnold A. Kolb learned to fly in
1945 from his brother Raymond and in late 1947-early 1948 entered in to partnership
with his brother in the Lemmon Aircraft Company at Lemmon. Arnold learned aircraft
maintenance and later sold his interest in Lemmon Aircraft Company in 1956.
In 1957 he went to work at How-Kola Flying Service in Spearfish. He bought
the business in 1958, and renamed it Black Hills Aviation. He expanded services
to include fire-fighting using B-17s, which he maintained. When the Interstate
Highway 90 went through the Black Hills Airport property and the air tankers
could not operate there, he moved his business to Alamogordo, NM, in 1972.
Arnold engineered and developed an improved drop system for air tankers and
shifted from B-17s to Lockheed P2V Neptunes. His last B-17 is at the Smithsonian
Museum. He sold his air tanker business in 1993. Arnold was inducted into the
SD Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999.
Raymond R. Kolb, Lemmon (August 2002).
Raymond R. Kolb learned to fly in 1939-40
in the Civilian Pilot Training program in Spearfish and continued training
at Ft. Collins, CO. He taught flying in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Ray
began learning aircraft maintenance in 1940 as an apprentice mechanic at Spearfish.
After WWII he moved to Lemmon to work at Lemmon Aircraft Company. In late 1947-early
1948 he purchased Lemmon Aircraft Company in partnership with his brother Arnold
who sold his interest in the business in 1956. Raymond continued to run Lemmon
Aircraft Company until he sold it in 1975. Ray ran a full-service maintenance
shop, and earned his A&P license in 1968 and inspection authorization in
1971. He continued to work at Lemmon Aircraft Company until 1977. From 1977
to 1989 he worked with his brother Arnold at Black Hills Aviation on fire-fighting
aircraft, which he also co-piloted. After retiring in 1989 he continued to
work on aircraft at Lemmon. Between 1947 and 1984 Ray was a CAA/FAA pilot examiner,
and logged in excess of 22,975 hours of flight time. Lemmon Airport was renamed
Ray Kolb Airport in his honor in 1997. Raymond was inducted into the SD Aviation
Hall of Fame in 1997.
William
J. Ferwerda, Springfield (July 2003).
William J. Ferwerda joined the Army Air Corps on November
13, 1942, as an aviation cadet and began pilot training in Beloit, WI, and
later Santa Ana Army Airfield, CA. He graduated from aircraft mechanic training
at Lincoln Army Airfield, NE, in October 1943. Bill was a crew chief on P-38s
at Hammer Field, Fresno, CA, and the P-38 Fighter Squadron at Santa Maria,
CA, during WWII. After the war he continued in aircraft maintenance at Yankton
Airport and worked for Duane Closs. He joined the SD National Guard as an aircraft
mechanic in 1957 at Wagner and served in full-time positions in Springfield
and Rapid City working on fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, and retired
in 1983. Bill and Roy Crisman gave countless airplane rides to people through
the 1950s to 2000 at Wagner Airport for annual Labor Day celebrations. He continued
to do private aircraft maintenance and inspections while in the National Air
Guard and afterward until his retirement from aircraft maintenance in 2004.
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award
Background
The
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award recognizes pilots who have contributed to
building and maintaining the safest aviation system in the world, through practicing
and promoting safe flight for 50 consecutive years or more. The award is named
for Wilbur and Orville Wright, two early pioneers of flight. To be eligible
for the award, a pilot must have completed a flight review or equivalent within
the past 24 months to verify currency, and have held a CAA/FAA pilot certificate
with 50 consecutive years or more civil experience or up to 20 years military
experience in combination with civil experience, have three letters of recommendation,
been a U.S. citizen for 50 consecutive years, and no revocation, civil penalty,
or suspension of any airman certificate. A “Roll of Honor” book
with recipient’s name, city, and state will be kept in a prominent place
in the FAA Washington, DC, headquarters building.
For more details about the award, see FAA/FS-I-8700-2, dated August 11, 2003, or go to: http://www.faa.gov/safety/awards/wright_bros/media/MPA.pdf.
A complete listing of Master Pilots can be found at http://www.faa.gov/safety/awards/wright_bros/list/.
The SDPA congratulations the following South Dakota Master Pilots:
Cecil
Ice, Pierre (March 2002).
Cecil Ice received the “Golden Eagle
Award,” which
has now been incorporated into the Wright Brothers’ Master Pilot Award.
Cecil had flown over 44,000 hours in Part 137 aerial applications, Part 135
charter flights, and Part 91 operations over a 50-plus year period. Ice Flying
Service was established at the Pierre Airport in 1947 and continues to operate
today. He was a Piper aircraft dealer for over 45 years. One nominator wrote, “I
can think of few people still alive today who have made aviation a business,
a lifestyle, and a love affair to the degree that Cecil Ice has.” Another
nominator wrote, “The entire Ice family is legendary in South Dakota,
but the man who made Ice synonymous with aviation in central South Dakota is
Cecil.” Cecil
is the son of legendary aviator Claude Ice, who was still flying at age 100.
Robert
(Bob) J. Balentine, Yankton (August 2005).
Bob joined the US Navy
in May 1941 and trained as an aircraft mechanic and accumulated thousands
of hours as a crewmember in B-24s, B-17s, and PBMs during and after WWII.
He reenlisted in the US Air Force in 1950, and while at Eglin AFB, bought
a wrecked J-3 Cub for $10. After restoring the Cub in a chicken coop that
he and his wife Ione cleaned out, he flew it about 30 hours before beginning
formal flight training. His official flight training began at Deer Park Field,
Hempstead, Long Island, NY in 1955. Bob has owned several planes over the
years, and flown extensively in New England, southeastern US, Utah, and Midwest
areas. Memorable trips included flying to Alaska in his C-170B in 1988 to
Fairbanks via the Al-Can Highway accumulating 58.8 hours. Bob also has flown
to Oshkosh several times, and in the 2000 flew the Lewis & Clark
Trail to Mobridge, Williston, Fort Benson, MT, Three Forks, MT, Cody, WY, and
back home. Bob has accumulated almost 1,200 hours of flight time over a 50-year
period. Dave Tunge, Jacob Hoffner, and Steve Hamilton submitted letters of
recommendation supporting Bob’s application for the Master Pilot Award.
Roy C. Crisman, Jr., Wagner (August 2005).
Roy
began flying in a J-3 Cub at the Wagner Airport in 1946 under the GI Bill.
He soloed in June 1947 and earned his license in September 1947, going on to
earn a commercial rating in 1953, a multi-engine rating in 1961, and an instrument
rating in 1974. Roy started crop spraying in a Piper PA18 at Wagner in 1956.
Roy joined the International Flying Farmers (IFF) in 1947 and served in many
officer positions over the years and is currently the Region 5 Director. He
owned several planes over the years, taught a lot of students to fly, sold
lots and lots of aircraft as an aircraft dealer, and flew SD Game Fish & Parks
personnel on creel counts and wildlife counts over the years. Roy operated
the Wagner Airport from 1958 to 1998 – 40 years. Beginning in the late
1940s, he gave airplane rides at Wagner over the Labor Day weekend for 1-2
cents a pound or 50-cents a foot in height – to hundreds of people including
several generations of the same families. Roy has accumulated almost 25,000
hours of flight time over a 58-year period. Mark Hunhoff, Ken Lhotak, and John
Otte submitted letters of recommendation supporting Roy’s application
for the Master Pilot Award.
William
(Bill) J. Ferwerda, Springfield (August 2005).
Bill got his first
ride in a Curtis Robin from a barnstormer in North Dakota in 1940 or 1941
on a day off from working in a carnival at the ND State Fair grounds – costing $2.00 (a whole day’s wages). He started flight
training as an aviation cadet in the US Army Air Corps in November 1942, later
switching to aircraft maintenance. In 1952 bought a J-3 Cub for $275 and restored
it -- sometimes using his wife Alda’s kitchen table as a workbench. Bill
completed pilot training in 1954, and later earned a commercial rating in 1955,
instrument rating in 1964, and flight instructor rating in 1970. Between the
mid1950s and 2001 Bill gave airplane rides to people at Wagner with Roy Crisman
during the Labor Day weekend. He has flown 19 different fixed wing planes including
a Maule on skis in Alaska, and two rotary wing aircraft over the years, and
owned many planes over the years. Bill received the Charles E. Taylor Master
Mechanic Award from the FAA in 2003. Bill has accumulated over 4,500 hours
of flight time, plus 70 hours of dual instruction in two rotary wing aircraft
over a 51-year period. Roy Crisman, John Otte, and Steve Hamilton submitted
letters of recommendation supporting Bill’s application for the Master
Pilot Award.
Grove A. Rathbun, Rapid City (September 2005).
Grove
started taking flying lessons at Newell, SD, in a Piper J-3 Cub on August 6,
1947 from Allen C. McDonald, and soled in September, later passing his flight
exam in July 1951 at Hibbing, MN. He undertook military flight training in
a Piper PA-18 June 1954 at Stallings Air Base in Kinston, NC.
Grove trained in lot of military aircraft while in the Air Force including
the North American T-6G, T-28A and T-33A at Williams AFB during 1954-55, and
graduated from basic flight training in 1955. He learned combat crew training
in a T-33A at Laughlin AFB, TX, and then advanced combat crew training in a
F-86E/F at Nellis AFB, NV, before transferring to the Minnesota Air National
Guard in Duluth, MN. Flight training continued in the F-94A/B and F-89J, and
was awarded the Certificate of Expert Fighter Interceptor Pilot in 1962. Grove
transferred to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and transitioned to the F-102A
and later the A-7D, retiring from the Guard in 1981. His military flight experience
included several air bases in the States, and several locations overseas. After
retirement, Grove flew Cessna 172s, and in 1994 purchased a Cessna 182, which
he continues to fly today. Grove has accumulated over 5100 hours of flight
time over a 58–year
period. Barry Bibler, Ray Jilek, and Steve Hamilton submitted letters of recommendation
supporting Grove’s application for the Master Pilot Award.
James R. Bartels, Pierre (September 2006).
James took flying lessons from Cecil Ice at Ice Flying Service in Pierre, SD, and soloed in a Piper PA-11 on November 15, 1952 at age 17. He attended South Dakota State University in Brookings in 1954 and took Air-40 to earn his private pilot license, but quit school and got married in 1955. James rented planes occasionally and earned his private pilot license in 1963 in a 1947 Piper PA-11. He flew the plane until 1973 putting 982 hours on it, and then sold the plane and purchased a 1958 PA-18 Super Cub. James used both Cubs in ranching and farming, checking cattle and crops, plus commuting between the Pierre Airport and his hangar at the ranch in Lyman County, and coyote hunting. He sold the Super Cub in 1966 after putting 1,433 hours on it and purchased a 1974 Piper Arrow II. He has put 1,050 hours on the Arrow to date and used it for cross-country trips including San Luis Obispo, CA. To date, James has 4,426 hours of flying time. Linda Ehrenfelt (Pierre), Cecil Ice (Pierre), and Forrest Wixon (Pierre) submitted letters of recommendation supporting James’ application for the Master Pilot Award.
Charles M. Summers, Rapid City (September 2006).
Charlie took flying lessons at Lincoln, NE, and soloed after 10 hours of dual training on April 14, 1955, in a Piper J-3 Cub. He earned his private pilot license on May 30, 1955, after 37.1 hours in a J-3 Cub and later a commercial rating in 1957 – both at Lincoln, NE. After joining the U.S. Air Force, he completed pilot training in a T-34 and T-33A, earned his USAF wings, and transitioned to F-100C, D, and F models. Charlie received a USAF safety award after landing a damaged F-100 at Wheelus Air Base, Libya in 1962. He flew his first combat mission in Vietnam in a F-100D on 9/15/64, and was shoot down on his second mission over South Vietnam, and then later successfully flew 105 classified missions in a F-100F. In 1969 Charlie was selected to operate the glider program at the U.S. Air Academy, Colorado Springs, CO. He has added many ratings over the years including commercial glider, commercial multi-engine, CFIA, CFIG, CFI instrument, single engine seaplane, CFI multi-engine, multi-engine seaplane, single and multi-engine ATP, Part 135 air taxi and multi-engine, Part 137 agricultural pilot, helicopter rating, CFI helicopter, CE-500 Citation type rating, balloon rating, commercial balloon, commercial gyroplane, CFI gyroplane, and designated pilot examiner (DPE) (airplanes) [11/6/95], and DPE glider [11/2/04]. Charlie began flying thunderstorm/hail research flights in a T-28 aircraft in Aril 1994, and retired from thunderstorm research on 9/15/05 after more than 1,000 thunderstorm penetrations. To date, Charlie has administered 450 flight checks in airplanes and gliders, sport pilot, recreational, private, commercial, instrument, ATP, and CFI. He has 14,500 total aircraft time (706 hours as DPE examiner not logged), 4,200 hours flight instruction given, and flown over 85 different makes and models of aircraft including balloons and powered parachutes, and flown to Mach 2 in F-4C, D and E fighter aircraft. Donald Summers (Albuquerque, NM), William Douglass (Colorado Springs, CO), Thomas Root (Houston, TX), and Major General (retired) A. Bowen Ballard (Montgomery, AL) wrote letters of recommendation supporting Charlie’s application for the Master Pilot Award.
Luverne (Vern) A. Kraemer, Nemo (June 2007)
Vern began his aviation career while earning his pilot license at the Spearfish, SD, Airport in 1940. He served his country in WWII as a pilot and mechanic with the CAP's Coastal Patrol, and worked as a mechanic for Clyde Ice in the early 1940s. He was a founding member of the Experimental Aircraft Association with member number 72. He built the first experimental category licensed aircraft in the state of South Dakota and was the second person to donate a homebuilt experimental category aircraft to the EAA for their fledgling museum in 1958. He organized the Black Hills Chapter 39 of EAA in 1958, and has served as its president numerous times over the last 40+ years. He has served as a mentor to numerous homebuilders in South Dakota while completing four home-builts: an American Flea Triwing, a Rapid Rambler, a modified Stits Playboy, and a Pitts Special. Over the years Vern has received many honors including the FAA Mechanic of the Year for South Dakota in 1963 and 1969, and the Great Lakes Region of the FAA Maintenance Technician of the Year in 1985. He has been honored at the International Forest of Friendship in Atchison, KS, by the Ninety-Nines and the City of Atchison in 1994. He was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in 1994. He received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award in 1996. He keeps his pilot’s license current with a current medical until the advent of the Sport Pilot designation, now using his driver’s license, and has a current biennial flight review. He flies every day the weather permits in his Piper J-3 Cub. It is the same Cub he learned to fly in 1940. He tracked it down in the 1980s and restored it to original condition. Allen Neal (Rapid City), Richard Brandiger (Rapid City), and Norma Kraemer (Nemo) wrote letters of recommendation supporting Vern’s application for the Master Pilot Award.
Dennis D. Martens, Vermillion (September 2007).
Denny started working for Hubbard Aviation in Sioux Falls, SD, and taking flying lessons right after high school graduation in May 1957, soloed in a Cessna 120, and completed his private and commercial certificates. In 1959 he moved to Vermillion to work for Duane Cross and earned his flight instructor, instrument, multi-engine, and instrument flight instructor certificates. He became manager of the Vermillion Airport in 1961 and ran an FBO there providing flight instruction, air taxi, and aircraft rental. Denny provided pilot services to the University of South Dakota starting in 1967 flying a Cherokee 6. He became a full-time employee of USD when they purchased a Piper Aztec, which he flew for 6,000 hours. In 1976 USD bought a later model Aztec, which Denny flew for 5,000 hours. Denny earned his ATP in 1985. In 1986 USD purchased a Piper Navajo, which he flew until retirement in 2002, accumulating another 7,000 hours. Since retirement he has done aviation consulting work and flown part-time for USD when needed. He has been active in promoting general aviation and still gives flight instruction regularly and conducts ground school safety courses. Overall, Denny has accumulated about 27,000 hours with 18,000 hours multi-engine and 9,000 hours single engine – flying coast to coast, border to border, and to Alaska -- and given several thousand hours of dual instruction. He still owns the first aircraft he purchased in 1961, a 1956 Cessna 172. He completed a home-built project, a Midget Mustang. He flies both aircraft often. Jerry Swartz (Sgt. Bluffs, IA), Pete Kramer (Elk Point, SD), and Allan Martens (Aberdeen, SD) submitted letters of recommendation supporting Denny’s application for the Master Pilot Award.
NAFI Master Instructor Award (National Association of Flight Instructors)
Background
The
Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation that may be earned
by aviation educators and is based on a system of advanced professional standards
as well as peer review. The designation identifies and publicly recognizes
those “Teachers
of Flight” who are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to excellence,
professional growth, and service to the aviation community, and it sets professional
standards to which all aviation educators can aspire. The minimum requirements
are: be a NAFI member in good standing, maintain NAFI membership during term
of designation, subscribe to and abide by the NAFI Code of Ethics, have held
for a minimum of 24 calendar months either a valid FAA/ICAO flight instructor
certificate or ground instructor certificate or industry flight instructor
certificate, and document activities as an educator, service to community,
creator of media, and participant in education activities (there is a long
list of category activities for each of the major categories). The documented
activities are reviewed by the NAFI Board of Review, assigned continuing education
units (CEUs), and undergo an evaluation process.
For more details about this award, see www.nafinet.org/mastercfi/index.html.
The SDPA congratulations the following South Dakota Master Flight Instructors:
Jerald
Iverson, Sioux Falls (August 2004).
Jerald L. Iverson, Chief Flight Instructor
at Business Aviation in Sioux Falls earned the Master Instructor designation,
a national accreditation recognized by the FAA, through a rigorous process
of continuing education and peer review. Much like a flight instructor’s
certificate, it must be renewed biennially. This process parallels the continuing
education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base
while increasing their professionalism. The Master Instructor designation is
a means by which to identity those outstanding aviation educators who have
demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and
service to the aviation community. (adapted from BA Air Mail story in September
2004 issue).
Ronald
L “Ron” Mele, Spearfish (March 2005).
Ron Mele is a flight and ground
instructor with Eagle Aviation at Black Hills Airport-Clyde Ice Field
(SPF), and has earned NAFI’s Master CFI designation. He
is a retired Air Force officer, and now works with Civil Air Patrol
cadets and serves as a standardization officer in the Civil Air Patrol’s
South Dakota Wing. To help put this achievement in its proper
perspective, there are approximately 85,000 CFIs in the
