Speakers, Moderators, & Panelists
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Presiding
SAFE Chair Doug Stewart will preside over the symposium. A six-time Master Instructor and the 2004 National Flight Instructor of the Year, Stewart has logged more than 13,000 hours of total flight time, including more than 10,000 hours of dual instruction given. He owns and operates DSFI, Inc. and is a designated pilot examiner and charter member of SAFE.
Keynote Speakers
J. Randolph Babbitt, FAA Administrator. Randy Babbitt was sworn in as the FAA’s sixteenth administrator on June 1, 2009. He began his aviation career as a pilot, flying 25 years for Eastern Airlines. A skilled negotiator, Babbitt served as President and CEO for US ALPA, the world’s largest professional organization of airline pilots. While at ALPA, he championed the “One Level of Safety” initiative implemented in 1995 to improve safety standards across the industry.
Mel Cintron, Manager, FAA General Aviation and Commercial Division (AFS-800). Cintron has 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, including serving as a Director of Maintenance for a Part 135 operator, a Chief Maintenance Inspector, and an on-call helicopter pilot for a CRS 145/135/141 helicopter organization. He holds the following certificates: Private Pilot-Airplane, Commercial Pilot-Helicopter, and A&P Mechanic with Inspection Authorization. Cintron holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Business Administration, served as a U.S. Army combat/flight medic in the Gulf War, and was awarded the Bronze Star as an Aviation Maintenance Officer while on a 12-month tour of duty in Iraq. Cintron joined the FAA in 1995.
Robert Stangerone, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Cessna Aircraft Company. Stangerone is responsible for Cessna’s internal and external communications as well as community affairs. He also serves as chairman of Cessna’s Environmental Strategy Council.
Van Kerns, Manager, FAA Regulatory Support Division (AFS 600).
Panel Moderators
Safety – J.J. Greenway, Chief Flight Instructor & Safety Director, AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI). Greenway is responsible for ASI’s Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics, which annually renew nearly 12,000 CFIs. He is an Airline Transport Pilot with type ratings in the Boeing 757, 767 and DC-9. Formerly a Boeing 757/767 captain and check airman, Greenway has held his CFI certificate continuously for thirty years. He has given more than 2,000 hours of instruction in aircraft ranging from the Luscombe 8A to the Boeing 767-300ER.
Growth – Julie Filucci, Manager, Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs). An Airline Transport Pilot and CFI/CFII, Filucci has been the Manager of Cessna Aircraft Company’s global network of 280 CPCs since 2008. She served as Technical/Contributing Editor for 7-1/2 years with AOPA’s Pilot and Flight Training magazines, and as an Associate Editor for three years with Jeppesen.
Doctrine – Robert Wright, President, Wright Aviation Solutions LLC. Wright had a distinguished 22-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration, retiring in 2005 as the chief FAA executive for general aviation flight standards. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Director of Flight Training and later as Director of Regulatory Affairs at Eclipse Aviation. Wright holds Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with four type ratings, a Flight Instructor Certificate, and has logged more than 9,200 flight hours.
Standards – Pat Knight, Designated Pilot Examiner. A seven-time Master Instructor and the 2006 Great Lakes Region Flight Instructor of the Year, Knight is known for specialized solutions to flight training problems in single and multiengine airplanes, gliders, and helicopters. She has logged 11,000 hours of flight time, including 3,000 hours of instruction given during her 40 years of flying. Collaborating with the FAA Safety Team, Knight heads SAFE’s CFI/DPE Forums development team.
Curricula – Rich Stowell, Rich Stowell’s Aviation Learning Center. A seven-time Master Instructor and the 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year, Stowell is best known as an expert in stall/spin and emergency maneuver training. He has authored numerous books and articles, and has provided more than 260 safety seminars and 8,200 hours of flight instruction. Stowell was the country’s first Master Aerobatic Instructor and has served as a national judge for the GA Awards program.
Aviation Educators – Mike Gaffney, Flightlogics Aviation Consulting. A four-time Master Instructor and the 2007 National Flight Instructor of the Year, Gaffney also received the 2007 NATA Excellence in Aviation Training Award. He designs aviation courses specializing in technology integration that meet FAA/Industry Training Standards (FITS). Gaffney has authored three books as well as numerous magazine articles. He has recently been researching advanced avionics integration techniques and NextGen Air Traffic Management protocols and onboard software component integration.
Industry Leadership – Martha King, Co-Owner, King Schools, Inc. In partnership with husband John, Martha King has combined elegant technology with clear, simple, and fun teaching, while revolutionizing the way pilots worldwide learn. In the process, King has taught more pilots than any other instructor in the history of aviation. She is the first woman to hold not only every category and class rating on her pilot certificate, but also every flight and ground instructor certificate offered by the FAA. King remains active in many categories, regularly flying everything from jet and piston airplanes and helicopters to light sport aircraft.
Panelists
