AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2018 - 35

Diamond's pilot-friendly lineup made it
easier for pilots to "see themselves picking a travel destination and embracing
GA to get there."
Gold Seal Flight Instructor
Biewenga of Blue Skies Flying Services
learned to fly in 1993. The former airport engineer said he realized "flying
was a lot more fun" than engineering
and made the switch to the cockpit.
He began teaching about five years
ago and said aviation essentially "sells
itself" to new students. He added that
sharing his passion of flight was challenging but rewarding. The school
is at the nontowered Lake in the
Hills airport, near Chicago-O'Hare
International Airport.
Students complimented Biewenga's
dedication, professionalism, knowledge,
preparation, and "uncompromising
high standards." They added that he
was a "consummate professional pilot"
with an "unbelievable work ethic."
The 2018 Flight Training Experience
Survey received 6,310 complete
responses. From that feedback, 954 flight
schools and 1,849 flight instructors were
reviewed by their customers. Awards
were chosen for standout schools and for
instructors with at least five independent
reviews and consistently superior ratings. Customers highlighted educational
quality, customer service, information
sharing, and community among the 78
distinguished flight schools and 123 distinguished instructors. A committee of
industry experts awarded the top-scoring flight school and instructor in each of
five regions-West, Southwest, Midwest,
Southeast, and Northeast. The national
award winners were selected from
among the regional honorees.
EMAIL david.tulis@aopa.org

Red Bull racer Goulian inspires at Migration

Red Bull Air Race World Championship points leader Michael Goulian, hot off his
Indianapolis Motor Speedway win, reminded Redbird Migration flight instruction
professionals that they were "setting the hook" for future aviators.
Goulian drew comparisons between air racing and flight instruction during the
opening keynote for a two-day learning seminar at the AOPA You Can Fly Academy
in Frederick, Maryland.
The airshow pilot and AOPA member said he never forgot his roots as a flight
instructor. He added that a positive attitude, confidence, preparation, and teamwork
were the keys to his competitive success and the secrets to an effective learning
experience for students. "That magic just works miracles with students," he told the
350 flight instructors, aviation educators, and
college teachers who participated in the eighth
annual conference.
He emphasized that teaching others provided
him with an expectation for excellence that he
carried over to racing. "I want to be the best,
the guy who gave 110 percent and left nothing
behind." Goulian said racing taught him that to
be successful you had to "want it more than the
person next to you," and recalled that "dreams
do come true. Never, ever, did I think I would roll
my little airplane down the track at Indy Speedway like [legendary Indianapolis race car driver]
A.J. Foyt."
"Remember, flying is a dream for a lot of
RED BULL AIR RACER Michael
people," he said. "Our students want to fly with
Goulian was a keynote speaker.
someone who is confident, and we have to
inspire trust and faith in them."
After a social hour that saw knots of instructors exchanging ideas and making new
acquaintances, Redbird Migration director Craig Fuller welcomed the educators, telling them they were "the best," and noting that aviation careers "look better now than
they did five or 10 years ago. The rest of the world finally realizes that, 'Yes, we do
have a pilot shortage,'" he said.
Flight instructors participated in 16 breakout sessions on everything from maximizing use of a Redbird flight simulator to customer service protocols, mixed reality
training, marketing, and flying clubs.
A signature event was the Redbird Challenge aviation triathlon where teams competed in an airplane and airport trivia quiz, a paper airplane golf tournament, and a
"blind landing." Conference rooms and hallways at the AOPA You Can Fly Academy
were packed with enthusiastic instructors as they strategized for superiority while
red paper airplanes flew toward the "pins" nearby.
Redbird President and COO Charlie Gregoire was enthusiastic about the turnout.
He credited AOPA's You Can Fly facility and the economy for the large turnout, which
was "about twice" the number of professionals registered for the 2017 event held in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
There are plans to move the seminar around the country to "keep it fresh" and
to expose more flight instructors to its benefits and to the camaraderie they share.
Gregoire said 2019 Redbird Migration will be October 15 to 17 at the Wings Over the
Rockies Air and Space Museum at Denver's Centennial Airport.
"We've never charged for registration and we feel this [Migration] makes flight
schools better, so it's good for the entire industry," he added. "Every one of the
people that show up for this conference sees a value in it and I think that's great."
-David Tulis

AOPA'S YOU CAN FLY program supports flying clubs, encourages best practices in flight training, gets lapsed pilots back in the air,
brings AOPA's resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country, and helps high school students learn more about careers
in aviation. The You Can Fly program is entirely funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.
https://youcanfly.aopa.org

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 35

https://youcanfly.aopa.org http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2018

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