Guidelines For Articles
We are excited you are interested in submitting an article or idea to our publication.
In keeping with our mission, we’re happy to work with new writers to develop their publication skills – after all, publication of stories counts towards the CEU’s you need to apply for or renew your Master Instructor designation. We’re happy to work with writers who haven’t published in magazines before. In fact, we value their fresh expertise and insight.
Our role as editors is to ensure a quality product that lives up to your expectations. Part of those expectations includes well-written “how-to” articles.
The purpose of these guidelines is to make the best use of your efforts by giving you a standard we hope to achieve – think of them as the PTS for writing for Mentor.
Who Reads MENTOR?
NAFI Mentor is the monthly publication of the National Association of Flight Instructors. It’s a how-to publication dedicated to the professional development of flight instructors.
While many of our members work in flight schools or university programs, we've got "advanced" members, including tenured university faculty and airline training center instructors, so authors write for a reasonably experienced audience.
All NAFI members share one trait – they’re active in the field of aviation education.
Writing For MENTOR
Members may submit completed articles for consideration, or submit article ideas to the managing editor though the NAFI Office at nafi@eaa.org. Because of the unique nature of Mentor articles, first-time authors may find it useful to discuss specific ideas with the managing editor first, to save you both time and effort.
When submitting completed articles, please mention if the article has been printed before, or if it is scheduled to be printed elsewhere in the near future.
Also, please discuss your article idea with Mentor staff if a similar article has appeared in the publication within the past year.
Article Ideas
We're always on the look out for articles from instructors that make NAFI members better at what they do. Just remember, you're teaching the teachers.
There are three general “categories” of feature articles for Mentor. We schedule articles to include content from each category in every issue:
- Air work: How to teach some aspect of flying. We’re looking for insight on proven ways to teach maneuvers, procedures, and skills. Articles on flight skills and preflight skills belong in this category. Look at any PTS for ideas.
- Head work: A safe pilot needs skills beyond the basics of aircraft control, navigation, and regulations. We’re looking for articles explaining how to teach safe, smart flying – including aeronautical decision making, aviation psychology, and educational psychology. Look in the Aviation Instructors Handbook for ideas.
- Professionalism: As the professional association for flight instructors, NAFI recognizes the need for a venue to share that information. Article subject examples include how to market yourself, how to give presentations, where to find new students, or how to deal with student-instructor conflicts. Think of these articles as the “business” side of flight training; the MCFI guidelines are a good source of ideas.
If you have questions, contact the managing editor through the NAFI Office at nafi@eaa.org.
Writing The Article
As a how-to publication, Mentor places emphasis on articles that teach some aspect of aviation education. Each article should have a specific educational slant to it. If you have an idea for a different type of article, please contact Mentor editors before beginning the story.
I tell new authors that writing one of our articles is very similar to teaching the subject to a CFI candidate. It may help to outline what you're going to say (just like the FOI says), complete with describing the steps, the reason behind the action, and the grading criteria.
Assume the role of an experienced instructor mentoring a new CFI when writing the article. Think "what have I learned working here that I could teach another instructor to make him or her a better aviation educator."
Sample Outline For A How-To Article
“How to…”
1. Anecdote, or other “contact” (limit to one to three paragraphs)
2. Paragraph describing why the idea is important
3. Paragraph describing what you’ll talk about (overview)
4. Discuss Point One
5. Discuss Point Two
6. Discuss Point Three
7. Paragraph describing what you’ve talked about (review)
8. Relate back to contact.
If you have any questions, we’re happy to help you at any point along this process.
Article Lengths
Mentor articles “slots” come in three sizes.
- One page: Approximately 700 words, or three full double-spaces pages
- Two pages: Approximately 1,400 words. Our preferred length.
- Four pages: Approximately 2,600 words.
You may write a relevant sidebar to accompany your two- or four-page story, but keep the total word count to the assigned or listed length.
Submitting Articles
Assignments written on speculation (without a formal assignment from Mentor editorial staff) are due whenever you believe the story is in publishable form.
Assigned stories are due the date agreed upon with Mentor staff. Please avoid missing this date. Your article may have been scheduled for an upcoming issue, and late stories could interfere with the issue’s production.
We accept only electronic files in Microsoft Word format, e-mailed as attachments to the NAFI email box at nafi@eaa.org.
At the top left corner of the first page of the story, write a suggested headline, your name, your e-mail address and phone number, and the approximate word count.
Other Details
Submission of stories indicates you accept that your story may be edited for style, form, or length. The Mentor editorial staff will make every effort to review major content edits with you.
