NAFI MASTER INSTRUCTOR vrs. FAA GOLD SEAL CFI?

[JediNein]

I received a PM from a person who said that NAFI has copyrighted the term Master Flight Instructor.

They could not have copyrighted the term, their applications and logo, maybe.

The terms "master flight instructor" and "master certificated flight instructor" can be trademarked. At this point, the US Trademark Office does not show an application on file from NAFI or EAA for those words.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein, MCFI

 

[RefugePilot]

The Mater CFI is a much much higher standard, and the cost of it is worth it, if you plan on taking flight instructing seriously and want to make a career of it.

If you are making $10-15/hour when you fly and have to sit around the flight school waiting for a student to show up, then you probably dont even qualify for the designation or would it be worth it. Most master CFIs are commited instructors and probably make decent money(for aviation at least) doing it. If you are flight shool lackey dont waste your time.

Having the designation does not make you any better as an instructor, unless you have to go out of your way to accomplish the things required to get the MCFI. It is a recognition of meeting higher standards and doing more for the community than the average CFI.

When I was an independent, I used to charge $45/hour or $250/day, and I had a pretty good life as a CFI. It took a while to get there, unfortunatley there was no way to get any twin time with what I was doing and had to move on. I am now an overqualified flight school lackey, hoping to find time to fill out my paperwork for the MCFI.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

I still think the MCFI should be free, like the Gold Seal CFI or the new E-CFI..

 

[flyer172r]

I still think the MCFI should be free, like the Gold Seal CFI or the new E-CFI..

I've never heard of the E-CFI, what is it?

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

E-cfi

I've never heard of the E-CFI, what is it?

If you're a CFI, a member of this Board, make posts, start new topics, and enjoy electronic instructing in cyberspace, then you are qualified to call yourself an E-CFI. If you want to make it official, please edit your profile and add E-CFI. Congratulations to all in advance.

 

[tarp]

I stopped paying dues to NAFI.

As someone else stated they are a joke of an organization. They do nothing anymore except run the MCFI program.

They are elitists in attitude and application.

Too bad - I thought they would turn into something better. Their need to take funds from the EAA has limited their ability to target their audience properly.

You can become an MCFI but you will always have to explain to folks what that is and your customers couldn't care less.

Get the gold seal and be happy.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

I really think NAFI should reward their members who qualify for their "Master" designation with a free 2-year membership in recognition of the community service that those members provide. Instead it appears that NAFI has the nerve to charge its own members who do all this an additional $100 on top of the membership. And in return they give the member a fake gold pin. The MCFI concept of community service and giving back to the industry is fine and to be applauded, but the price is wrong. It's just a money making marketing program for NAFI.

Tarp: I'm with you its the Gold Seal to show real time in the trenches as a hard working CFI, and a good one too.

If you really think about it, many of the MCFI's probably can not qualify for the Gold Seal because they can't get 10 students trained in a 2-year period. That takes a full time flight instructing effort. While many MCFI's may be Gold Seal instructors from work done before, I would guess that there a large number of MCFI's such as the airline guys who can not qualify for the Gold Seal unless they want to quit their jobs and go back to flight instructing for a living.

Getting a Gold Seal is harder than the MCFI and takes at least a year or two of dedication toward quality instructing work.

 

[AAflyer]

Excellent post Undaunted!

I will submit an email to NAFI about eliminating dues if one qualifies for the MCFI. Like ALPA, APA, AOPA, etc, these are organization that serve as our mouth piece, however NAFI is small enough that change could be brought about by membership influence.

You are correct, as a full time airline guy I can not qualify for the Gold Seal. Instead I am in the process of accepting a board position on a flight instructor association. I will be a national judge at the NIFA SAFECON 2006, and have started the process to attain my MCFI. Sine the gold is no longer available to me, and I am not about to quit my airline job, the MCFI is the only way to continue learning, and participate in the enhancement of GA and the profession of all things flight.

AAflyer

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

To AA Flyer: I really like what you have written. The MCFI is a great incentive for instructors to serve the community. And if NAFI changes their policy of charging extra and instead chooses to reward the "Masters" with a free membership for 1 or 2 years in recognition of their voluntary work such as you have expressed an interest in doing that would be the right thing. To make up for the lost cash they could raise the dues somewhat I guess. In any event, if they make the change we are discussing I would rejoin at whatever the dues are.

Really and honestly, people like you who like the flight instructing business are the pillers of aviation.

AA flyer, would you like to be the next E-CFI? If so list E-CFI under your ratings on this Board. Looks to me like you qualify.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Excellent post Undaunted!

I will submit an email to NAFI about eliminating dues if one qualifies for the MCFI. Like ALPA, APA, AOPA, etc, these are organization that serve as our mouth piece, however NAFI is small enough that change could be brought about by membership influence.

You are correct, as a full time airline guy I can not qualify for the Gold Seal. Instead I am in the process of accepting a board position on a flight instructor association. I will be a national judge at the NIFA SAFECON 2006, and have started the process to attain my MCFI. Sine the gold is no longer available to me, and I am not about to quit my airline job, the MCFI is the only way to continue learning, and participate in the enhancement of GA and the profession of all things flight.

AAflyer

Exactly...you want apples, you get apples...you want oranges, you get oranges. You want to be an MCFI, get the MCFI. You want to be a Gold Seal Instructor, get the Gold Seal. Entirely different entities.

fly safe!

David

 

[RefugePilot]

Mcfi

To qualify you need to have met requirements in the following categories

1. Educator
2. Service to the Aviation Community
3. Creator of Media
4. Participant(education for yourself)

To apply for the rating you must do the following:

1. Completed Master Instructor Application page;
___ 2. Completed Biographical Data page;
___ 3. A 1 or 2-page professional résumé showing aviation, education and professional background;
___ 4. An aviation oriented JPEG image or photograph;
___ 5. Legible photocopies of both sides of all airman certificates;
___ 6. Legible photocopy of a government issued photo identification (i.e., drivers license, passport);
___ 7. Completed Portfolio of Professional Development page(s) with signed affidavit;
___ 8. Activity Completion Forms for each Master Instructor activity submitted for continuing education
credit, along with appropriate supporting documentation for each submitted activity;
___ 9. A check or money order, payable to NAFI (refer to rate charts on the following page).

But if you become a MCFI you have the following benefits

1. Recognition by their professional aviation association that Master Instructors have achieved a
level of professionalism and excellence that exceeds government/industry standards,
2. The option to renew an unexpired flight instructor certificate,
3. An 8” x 10” laser engraved plaque of designation as a Master Instructor,
(recognition from both NAFI and IAC on Master CFI-A plaques)
4. A Master Instructor identification card,
5. Local and national press releases and e-mail designation announcements,
6. Use of Master Instructor wings to create special Master Instructor identity items,
7. A special listing on NAFI’s web site under “Find a Master Instructor,”
8. The ability to use the designation as a reference source for future employment,
9. The opportunity for future higher earning potential and professional advancement,
10. Substantial discounts on flight instructor liability insurance

The requirements for the MCFI is higher than the gold seal and I believe the # of students you have trained would be similar to the requirements for the for Gold Seal flight instructor under the educator category plus additional contributions to the aviation community. There are some other ways to fill this requirement beside students trained. I imagine it would be hard to qualify for the MCFI but not the Gold Seal.

The requirements are high as is the cost of obtaining it, but if it was easy and free there would be more MCFIs and it would not be such a high achievement.

You can be an excellent instructor and very experienced without having your MCFI, but unless you are very involved in instructing chances are you will not qualify. Most of the MCFIs are either full time instructors or are very active in instructing.

Is it worth $150? Considering the 8” x 10” laser engraved plaque and use of Master Instructor wings to create special Master Instructor identity items, I would say it is a bargain. Okay maybe not, but if you want to make elevate your potential income and proudly display your Master Instructor identification card it is worth it. The one MCFI I know charges $70/hr, at that price you could recoupe your $150.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

RefugePilot: Thanks for your input on this. I would like to know how many students need to have been trained to what pass rate to qualify.

Are you going to become an E-CFI?

 

[AAflyer]

AA flyer, would you like to be the next E-CFI? If so list E-CFI under your ratings on this Board. Looks to me like you qualify.

I took you up on the offer, thanks for the new rating!!

Cheers
AAflyer

 

[MauleSkinner]

I would like to know how many students need to have been trained to what pass rate to qualify.

According to the NAFI website, "At least 16 CEU's must come from at least two different activities in the EDUCATOR category"...and "typically, colleges require at approximately 15 hours of direct involvement for a single college credit. A similar time requirement is generally used to determine the number of CEU's granted for an activity." So, assuming you get 10 CEU's for instructional activity, you'd have to document 150 hours of flight and ground instruction. I suppose 15 hours of flight instruction would garner 1 CEU, with the other 15 EDUCATOR CEU's coming from other activities might be considered a minimum...on the other hand, 15 CEU's would be 225 hours of flight and ground instruction, with the 16th EDUCATOR CEU from a different activity.

32 total CEU's are required, which translates roughly into 480 hours spent on qualified activities in the various categories.

No "pass rate" is specified, but "the activity's quality is also considered". If this instruction were towards certificates and ratings, they would probably want to know about your pass rate. On the other hand, it also allows for instructional activities not directly tied to checkride endorsement...tailwheel checkouts, jet transitions, 135 training, and aerobatic instruction are just a few of the instructional activities that many of us are involved in for which a "pass rate" cannot be determined by traditional means.

Fly safe!

David

 

[RefugePilot]

RefugePilot: Thanks for your input on this. I would like to know how many students need to have been trained to what pass rate to qualify.

Are you going to become an E-CFI?

I have just come up with the qualifications and have already set about copyrighting the ME-CFI rating. I am not sure how much to charge for the application fee, as I just trying to come up with a way to fund my MCFI application.

The application for MCFI is at
http://www.nafinet.org/mastercfi/mcfi_app.pdf

You can also get a word formated doc at
http://www.nafinet.org/mastercfi/index.html
This will allow you to type directly into the form.

I think the qualifications for the educational experieince is such that you can use a bunch of different things to meet this requirement, so that you dont have to be a full time Instructor to meet it. It is the publishing and other requirments that might be difficult to come by as a part timer.

I am going to get my application in the mail in the next few days.

PM me if anyone is interested in applying for the ME-CFI rating, it will be very exclusive, right now only one person has met the requirements.

 

[AAflyer]

That is the one area NAFI makes it easy for you. Publishing. With Mentor and EMentor any member of NAFI may submit an article. It is our magazine. I just had one published in the EMentor a week ago.

Also trying Airways, and Flight training right now, different subjects obviously.

PM with your requirements.

AAflyer