Flight instructors are the backbone of the aviation industry. The Fundamentals of Instruction is a good starting point, but practical instruction techniques are typically left to the new CFI to discover.
When a new CFI provides educational training, it tends to be delivered by the instructor's employer and is one of the major challenges facing flight training organizations. Instructors that are skilled educators utilizing an organization wide training syllabus deliver better student outcomes which in turn leads to better business outcomes for the organization.
In this broadcast we'll cover how simulation can be leveraged to improve instructional quality at scale, and how small to mid-sized flight schools can deliver best-in-class student outcomes by focusing on equipping their CFIs with the right skills, techniques, and tools.
Josh Harnagel is a CFI, CFI-I, MEI with 3,000 hours. He currently serves as Vice President, Marketing for Redbird Flight Simulations, an Austin Texas-based flight training technology company.
Josh oversees a team responsible for marketing, communications, and product development. A member of the Redbird staff for 10 years, he has held a number of key positions. During that time, he has been an instrumental contributor to Redbird's explosive growth since its inception.
Aaron Dabney earned his Flight Instructor certificate in 2009, and has been an active instructor ever since. He has provided more than 5,000 hours of instruction in more than 30 models of aircraft, mentoring pilots from their first hour through becoming accomplished instructors themselves, and all points in between.
Dabney grew up in an aviation family. His maternal grandfather Joe was a World War II fighter pilot, and much of his childhood was spent in the family J-3 Cub with his grandfather or his uncle Mark. Aaron completed his first solo in that Cub in 1999 and is now its caretaker.
Aaron is a 6-time NAFI Master Flight Instructor, owns a small flight school, and has served as an adjunct lecturer for Baylor University's Aviation Sciences program since 2010. He serves on NAFI's Board of Directors and serves in several volunteer roles including coordinating MentorLIVE
Aaron lives in Waco, Texas with his wife of 20 years Alisa.
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