Previously Accredited NAFI Master Instructors (V-Z by Last Name)

Master Logos

 

Eli Vilschick NAFI Master InstructorEli Vilschick, MCFI 3/2021-3/2023:

Vilschick is a flight instructor located in the Central Maryland area. He has 1,500 hours in a variety of light General Aviation aircraft. He completed his flight training in 2018 while attending college at Western Michigan University.

Vilschick offers flight instruction of all types, including private, instrument, commercial, instructor, and tailwheel. He hopes to begin teaching in different aircraft types as well as break into aerobatics and upset training in the near future.

His time teaching has led him to an interest in flight simulators, and he is pursuing ways to integrate flight simulation into traditional flight training. He also plans to teach courses on General Aviation Human Factors and Aviation Psychology soon.

Vilschick holds Commercial SEL, CFI, and CFII certificates, and said he hopes to add more certificates in the future, including MEL and SES this summer.

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Jennifer WatsonJennifer Watson, MCFI 01/2020-01/2024:

This is Watson’s Second consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation.Watson began flying in August 2001 at Chandler Air Service in Arizona and was just about to solo when 9-11 happened. She earned her Private Certificate by December 2001 and headed off to finish her certificates and ratings with Mesa Air’s program in New Mexico. In February 2004, at the age of 23, with an associate’s degree in aviation and 300 hours of flight time, Watson became First Officer flying an 86-seat jet.

After four years at the airlines, when her oldest son was born, she realized it wasn’t her dream to be away from home all the time, so she took a break from flying but missed it every day. In 2011, Watson found a way to have both a flexible schedule and fly as much as she wanted by becoming a CFI. She said what I “didn’t anticipate is how much I would love teaching.”

The current owner of a flight school in San Jose, originally founded by Amelia Reid in 1960, took her under his wing, mentoring this new CFI with no real GA experience. With his support, Watson went on to earn tailwheel, CFII, MEI, ATP, and experience teaching aerobatics. When he decided to retire in 2014, he offered to sell the school. She and her husband, who is an IA mechanic, grown the school to three locations and half the fleet are still tailwheel. In June the school will celebrate 60 years.

As for flying goals, Watson desires to always be a student as well as teacher. In May she earned her Commercial ASES. This month she should complete Commercial Glider, followed later this year by CFI-G.

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Luke Watters, MCFI 4/2015-4/2017:

Born and raised in Whitefish, MT, Watters began flight training at age 12 in the mountains of the Flathead Valley, soloed on his 16th birthday and had his pilot's certificate by 17. The first pages in his logbook include rolls, loops, and hammerheads in a glider as well as backcountry flights in a Cub. From those flights on he was hooked on aerobatics and dirt strips. Watters received his Bachelors in Aeronautical Science at LeTourneau University in Longview, TX, where he also completed his CSEL/CMEL, CFI, CFII, and MEI Certificates. Luke, a Gold Seal flight instructor, has logged 3300 hours of flight time, over 2700 hours of which are dual given. His specialties include aerobatic flight training in an Extra 300, mountain/canyon training, and upset recovery instruction.

Watters is currently the chief flight instructor and a backcountry charter pilot for a small FBO in Utah. He previously worked as a Part 141 assistant chief flight instructor and director of flight operations in Texas, before deploying to Afghanistan on a one-year contract to operate the RQ-7 Shadow 200 UAS in 2011. Watters enjoys skiing, riding motorcycles, playing guitar, shooting guns, and spending time with his wife, Sarah Beth.

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Terrence Way MCFITerence Way, MCFI 08/2020-08/2022:

This is Way’s second consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation. Way's first solo was in a Cessna 172 in Goodland, Kansas, with Heather Pittman as endorsing instructor. His flying career extends from Hawaii - as a check airman for "Ohana By Hawaiian" inter-island passenger airline - to Boeing 737s in Alaska, sometimes even landing them on gravel strips! Way is currently instructing with the Civil Air Patrol.

"I vividly remember the encounter that set me on the path to becoming an instructor - 'You want to really learn how to fly? Try teaching someone else!' Well, the circle was completed when I repeated the exact same words to a recent initial CFI candidate, who passed his checkride on the first attempt."

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Richard Weber, MCFI 05/2014-05/2016:

Richard Weber is the Chief Pilot/FW for the Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, where he has been assigned since 1998. Weber began his flying career in 1987 and earned his first flight instructor rating in 1995. Weber has spent his career flying law enforcement missions in helicopters as well as airplane fugitive extraditions across the United States. He has over 7,600 flight hours and holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate for SEL, MEL and Rotorcraft/Helicopter and is a FAA-Certified Gold Seal Flight Instructor for Single and Multi-Engine Airplane, Rotorcraft/Helicopter, Instrument Airplane and Helicopter. Weber is a graduate of the USAF’s Advanced Instrument School and NVG Instructor School. He is Bell Helicopter factory trained in the Bell 206 and 407 and also receives currency training at the Simcom Training Center for the Piper Aerostar and Beechcraft King Air 200.

Weber travels around the U.S. and Canada presenting aviation-related training topics to include Spatial Disorientation and Inadvertent IMC. He has provided this training to law enforcement pilot’s at ALEA seminars and conferences, EMS helicopter pilots at various bases, commercial operators at Heli-Expo and other FAAST events as a FAAST team representative. Weber also provides Single, Multi-Engine Airplane and Helicopter training through his consulting business, Webair Aviation Training, LLC.

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Baron WesemanAndreas ‘Baron’ Wesemann, MGI 12/2020-12/2022:

Professor Wesemann is the Director of the Professional Pilot program at Utah State University, where he started a new online Master of Aviation Science Degree and drone program. He joined Civil Air Patrol in 1981, garnered a solo scholarship that encouraged his childhood dream of becoming a military pilot, and helped him toward an appointment and his eventual graduation from The United States Air Force Academy and earning his silver wings. Wesemann retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a 27-year career flying the C-130 Hercules around the world as a combat rescue pilot and deployed combat commander, garnering distinguished graduate honors at aircraft commander’s school and exceptionally qualified on his instructor checkride. He was recently selected as the Teacher of the Year for Utah State University for 2020 and serves on the board for the international Alpha Eta Rho Aviation Fraternity. He has earned FAA WINGS validation at the basic, advanced, and masters levels on multiple occasions. As an instructor pilot for over 20 years, he has a CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI, Remote Pilot, was an instructor pilot in the U.S.A.F. for 5 different aircraft, and is completing his PhD in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on eLearning.

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Andreas ‘Baron’ Wesemann, MCFI 07/2020-07/2022:

Professor Wesemann is the Director of the Professional Pilot program at Utah State University, where he started a new online Master of Aviation Science Degree and drone program. He joined Civil Air Patrol in 1981, garnered a solo scholarship that encouraged his childhood dream of becoming a military pilot, and helped him toward an appointment and his eventual graduation from The United States Air Force Academy and earning his silver wings. Wesemann retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a 27-year career flying the C-130 Hercules around the world as a combat rescue pilot and deployed combat commander, garnering distinguished graduate honors at aircraft commander’s school and exceptionally qualified on his instructor checkride. He was recently selected as the Teacher of the Year for Utah State University for 2020 and serves on the board for the international Alpha Eta Rho Aviation Fraternity. He has earned FAA WINGS validation at the basic, advanced, and masters levels on multiple occasions. As an instructor pilot for over 20 years, he has a CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI, Remote Pilot, was an instructor pilot in the U.S.A.F. for 5 different aircraft, and is completing his PhD in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on eLearning.


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Shawn White NAFI MCFIShawn White, MCFI 5/2021-5/2023

White’s says he became interested in flying when he was young, “it probably came from traveling between different countries with my parents.” His family lived overseas for several years, so as a child he enjoyed the long international flights back and forth every summer. After high school, White picked Western Michigan University to earn his degree, primarily because of its aviation summer camp and the scholarship opportunities offered. White credits much of his theoretical knowledge and passion for teaching to many of the outstanding professors and instructional staff at the College of Aviation. Once he graduated in 2018, White moved to Ann Arbor to begin teaching at the Michigan Flyers Club.

He says teaching in a club environment offered the best of both worlds: a relaxed and friendly training environment combined with regular phase checks from experienced chief instructors. In addition to flight instruction, White also earned a type rating for a CRJ-200 out of Detroit.

White’s goals include continuing to learn and progress in his airline career and to hopefully join the training department in some capacity. He looks forward to the challenge of training pilots in the airline environment and seeing some of the differences between Part 61 and 121 teaching methods.

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James Whittles, MCFI 5/2002-8/2016:

This is Whittles' Third NAFI Master Instructor accreditation.Whittles was raised during his formative years in Kettering, Ohio just a short distance from the Wright’s Cycle Company.  His inspiration for flying was inherited from his father, who flew as an instructor in the Army Air Corps.  Despite a keen interest, Whittles didn’t start flying until his mid thirty’s, earning Private to CFI in only two years. He then successfully developed a flight school in Holland, Michigan after the local FBO left in 1991. His biggest thrill during that time, was helping a young paraplegic man who had been injured in a car accident learn to fly and successfully earn his Private Pilot Certificate.

Whittles joined the College of Aviation at Western Michigan University in 2001 as a Lead Instructor. In this position his duties include giving progress and stage check to students, as well as standardizing new hire instructor staff at all levels. He also had the privilege of teaching upset/unusual attitude/spin training in the two University Extra 300s.  In addition to his flight responsibilities, Whittles teaches the instrument ground school, and has done so for over thirteen years, including a transition to technically advanced aircraft. This transition brought Cirrus SR-20’s to the University, and allowed for him to achieve his Cirrus Standardization (CSIP) in 2007. With knowledge in teaching flight using advanced avionics, Whittles leads a contract for the University working with FAA inspectors for Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) training. He also routinely works with FAA Designated Examiners that want to provide check rides in the University fleet.

Whittles speaks annually at the Great Lakes Aviation Conference on topics related to flying with technology, dependence on automation, human factors, and using new skills with tablet technology. He also spoke and facilitated a seminar for the State of Michigan Department of Transportation on iPad use in the cockpit and recently spoke at the WATs (World Aviation Training Conference) Conference on Engaging the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals with Tablet Technology.

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Helen Woods, MCFI 11/2009-11/2017:

This is Wood’s fourth consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation. Helen Woods has been a passionate general aviation pilot since 1998. A biologist by training, she spent several years serving as a search and rescue pilot and managing a search and rescue training program prior to accepting a job as a wildlife survey pilot. She earned recognition from the National Association of Flight Instructors as a Master Flight Instructor from 2009 through 2016 and in 2015 was recognized by the FAA as the Baltimore District and Eastern Region Flight Instructor of the Year.   Today, as a flight instructor, owner, and manager of Chesapeake Sport Pilot, she is dedicated to sharing her love of aviation with others through affordable, quality flight training.

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Dale Wilson, MCFI 10/1999-10/2013, MGI 10/2013-12/2017:

This is Wilson's second NAFI Master Ground Instructor accreditation; he is a seven-time consecutive NAFI Master Flight Instructor. Wilson teaches courses in flight crew physiology and psychology, threat and error management, aviation safety management, and aviation weather as a professor in the Aviation Department at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. For the past nine years he has also taught private pilot ground school in the department’s Part 141 flight training program. A pilot for more than 35 years, he has logged several thousand hours in single- and multi-engine airplanes in the United States and Canada. He holds, or has held, pilot certifications including: ATP, CFI, AGI and IGI from the Federal Aviation Administration and ATPL and Class I Flight Instructor from Transport Canada.

Wilson has devoted his professional life to studying why pilots make the mistakes they do. In his efforts to better understand human performance factors such as perception, attention, memory and decision- making, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Trinity Western University in British Columbia (1994) and a Master’s degree in Aviation Safety at the University of Central Missouri (1996).

He has written extensively in scholarly journals and professional magazines, including NAFI Mentor on such human factors issues as the visual limitations of detecting other aircraft and flying at night, cognitive biases in pilot decision-making, and VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Managing Risk: Best Practices for Pilots, a recent book co-authored by Wilson and published by Aviation Supplies and Academics, describes many of the significant threats to safe flight operations, offers insights into how and why pilots make errors that exacerbate them, and provides best-practice countermeasures needed to successfully manage them.

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Brett Zukowski NAFI MCFIBrett Zukowski, MCFI 07/2021-07/2023:

Zukowski has been fascinated with aviation since childhood and said he started flight training in high school but soon exhausted his financial resources. In his college years he earned the FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certificate and used aircraft maintenance revenue for further flight training.

By 1989 he had earned his CFI-A, CFI-I, and MEI and then taught at American Flyers of Santa Monica, California and also earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Aviation Administration from California State University, Los Angeles. In the following years Brett earned his Airline Transport Pilot Certificate (ATP-AMEL) and worked for two regional airlines, accumulating over 2500 hours of experience as a regional airline pilot based at Washington Dulles and Chicago’s O’Hare airports flying the ATR-42 and ATR-72, and BAE Jetstream 3200.

Eventually, Zukowski decided to leave the traveling lifestyle of the regional airline environment and took various aircraft maintenance and teaching opportunities as well as completing graduate school with a master’s degree in literature. Realizing that his love of education, teaching, and aviation were a recurring theme in his life, Zukowski accepted a faculty position in the aviation department of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he taught both aircraft maintenance and flight for a decade. During the summer breaks from university, Zukowski went to Alaska to fly a Piper Chieftain for benevolent missions and led student mission teams to Alaska for benevolent projects.

When the university terminated the aviation program in 2010 Zukowski and a business partner bought its aviation curriculum and started USAeroFlight Pilot School, which now is serving 75 pilot students under Part 61 and Part 141 of the federal regulations. Zukowski currently serves as Co-owner and Chief Instructor of USAeroFlight Pilot School and serves the community as an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), FAASTeam Representative and WINGSPro advisor. Over the last 40 years Zukowski has accumulated over 6000 hours of flight time, over 3000 hours of dual instruction given, and a decade of aircraft maintenance experience as A&P with Inspection Authorization (IA).

Zukowski holds CFI-AIM and ATP AMEL certifications, and has wide teaching experience including church, high school classes and collegiate aviation courses. Zukowski said “teaching is his best resource for investing in the lives of others and takes joy in helping others develop the requisite skills needed for safe flying whether for career or personal use.” He said he believes that “he who teaches learns the most” and looks forward to continued teaching as CFI, testing as DPE, and continued personal learning and development.  

Click to Download Brett's Press Release!