Aviation for Women

MAY-JUN 2017

Aviation for Women is the flagship member publication of Women in Aviation International. Articles feature women who have made aviation history, professional development ideas, and current-topic articles.

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40 Aviation forWomen M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7 Y ou earned your private, instrument, multiengine com mercial and CFI certificates, and then found a job teach ing. As each page fills in your logbook you are that much closer to that job as an airline pilot, but you're also thinking about hedging your bets by becom ing a CFII and MEI. Is it worth the time and money to get those additional certificates? THE "I' s" HAVE IT M E G G O D L E W S K I T I P S F R O M A C F I Traditionally, people earn the CFII and MEI to give them more earning potential and to add instrument and multi engine hours to their résumé. But these days as the regional airlines grow increasingly hungry for pilots, not having those certificates in your pocket may be a moot point if you meet the hiring minima. On the other hand, having those extra I's on your certifi cate may help you get in the door of a flight school if you de cide that the airline l i fe i s not for you. T h e r e a r e s c h o ol s that will not hire an instructor who does n o t h ave b o t h t he CFII and MEI. Some schools require the CFI acquire the CFII certificate within a few mont h s of b e i ng h i red. Bec ause of this you may even want to consider going to an accelerated program to get your CFI/CFII/MEI in one shot. Once you have those certificates, protect them. If your em ployer offers a discounted rate for flying to maintain curren cy and proficiency, take advantage of this! You may want to occasionally fly with another CFII/MEI to help identify and correct any bad habits you may have devel oped as an IFR pilot. Be selective about the CFII you choose to accompany you. Avoid the CFII who is little more than a self loading ballast, and whose instruction consists of, "You need more practice." Ideally, you'd like to find someone who can offer constructive criticism or wants to work in a crew environment, especially if you have your eyes on a corporate or airline career. Keeping your IFR skills sharp can also help your students, as they tend to mirror the attitudes of their CFIs. The CFI who is lazy and lax has students who are the same way. If you respect IFR skills for what they are—perishable and valuable—your students will likely do the same. ✈ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meg Godlewski, WAI 8165, is a six-time Master CFI and an ac- tive instructor. If you respect IFR skills for what they are—perishable and valuable— your students will likely do the same. Editor's Note: The 2017 Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors was awarded to Marissa Colclasure, WAI 71590, of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. The Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors Every year, the King Schools award a female flight instructor assistance in achieving a new rating on her flight instructor certificate, as well as lifetime access to the entire King Schools online course library of over 85 courses. Martha and John King are co-chairmen of King Schools, the largest provider of online training for pilots from student through professional. A primary mission of King Schools is to support flight instructors by preparing their clients for FAA Knowledge Tests and providing training in-sights through King's Flight Instructor Refresher Course. Applications for this 2018 flight instructor scholarship and others will be available in July 2017 at www.WAI.org/ education/scholarships. (Must be a woman holding a cur- rent FAA CFI certificate.) The Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight instructors includes: • $5,000 to apply toward any CFI add-on rating • Lifetime access to the entire library King Schools Online Courses (includes FIRCs for life) • King courses value: $13,120 (Total scholarship value: $18,120) JOHN RIEDEL

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