MentorLIVE is a monthly, live-streaming broadcast that airs on the third Wednesday each month at 8:00 PM Eastern. These programs feature subject matter experts from many aspects of the flight instruction industry to help CFIs succeed in their training endeavors. All presentations are WINGS-approved!

---

Upcoming broadcast:

August 16, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET: "Aviation Weather:  A Balloon Pilot’s Perspective on Microscale Meteorology" presented NAFI Board Member and Co-Founder of The Balloon Training Academy Adam Magee

Have you ever experienced or been concerned about flight into IMC? Nearly half of all weather-related accidents happen because of continued VFR flight into IMC, sadly most of those accidents are fatal. Here’s the challenge: Aviation weather forecasting is broad, in coverage area and time. To help solve this challenge, this presentation will dive into the world of non-powered flight and hot air balloons to explain how a balloon pilot masters microscale meteorology for everyday flight. Balloon flight requires the pilot to be fully immersed in aviation weather on a small scale as being non-powered means there’s no leaving the weather once in it! Learn the forecasting tools balloon pilots use for wind, fog, clouds, and rain to keep safe and apply those tools in your own powered flight and instruction to avoid IMC.

 

Presenter Biography: Adam Magee is a Commercial hot air balloon pilot/Flight Instructor, NAFI Elite Balloon Instructor, Designated Pilot Examiner, and active FAA Safety Team Lead Representative. He serves NAFI on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. In 2021, Adam earned the National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year Award. In 2019, Adam earned the District and Central Region FAA Flight Instructor of the Year awards.

Adam is co-founder and President of The Balloon Training Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to training new balloon pilots and providing safety and educational resources to balloon pilots and instructors. Adam is also a frequent writer in the FAA Safety Briefing Magazine on hot air balloon safety.

Adam received his Bachelor's and Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri and is a Certified Public Accountant working as a Financial Director at a credit union.

 

Host Biography: Robert “Bob” Meder completed his initial flight training in 1995 and earned his CFI in 2006. He went on to add single-engine and multi-engine instrument certificates. Recently he retired from a 40+ year career at a major railroad as the Director of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). While in this position, he worked directly with the FAA on regulatory issues for Drones and critical infrastructure companies. During this time, he continued to instruct.

Bob has over 6,000 hours of dual instruction and enjoys training new flight instructors, challenging them to recognize the distinction between skill and critical thinking. He emphasizes that superior risk management, not just skill, is the key to safe flight training. He is a FAASTeam Lead Rep at the St Louis FSDO and was honored as the district and regional flight instructor of the year in 2009 and 2010. After nearly ten years as chair, Bob currently serves as Chair Emeritus on the NAFI board of directors.

 

 

To access broadcast FAQs, click here.

 

NOTICE: A few Google Chrome users experience problems accessing registration. Chrome recommends trying another browser in their "Troubleshooting Chrome" instructions.

Download as iCal file