The Jack J. Eggspuehler Service Award

Jack J. Eggspuehler, founder of the National Association of Flight Instructors and a member of the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, served as president of the association for more than 30 years. The award named in his honor is presented to an individual or organization making a significant contribution to flight instructors, flight instruction or aviation education.

This award must be voted on by the NAFI Board of Directors by two thirds majority and is traditionally awarded at the annual NAFI Member Breakfast at EAA AirVenture.

Most Recent Recipients:

2023 David Hipschman: (view 2023 press release)

Hipschman, 70, who retired from NAFI last year, was previously EAA’s director of publications. He was the foreign services editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and the publisher and editor of Kinesis, a nationally distributed literary magazine based in Montana. Under his editorship, Wyoming’s Casper Star-Tribune won the GLAAD Media Award for fighting hate crime.

He created Cyberland, the first-ever newspaper column about the internet, and was a contributing editor at Web Review, the first-ever internet magazine. Hipschman is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain, has worked in live theater, was a police detective, volunteer firefighter and ambulance medic, and is an FAA-certificated pilot.

2022 Ned Parks: (view 2022 press release)

Ned owns Aegis 360™ Consulting is a global provider of business consulting and staff development services that help organizations improve leadership competencies, discover, and align business strategies, and improve culture though employee engagement efforts.

His background crosses a width swath of experience a U.S. Army Officer/ Helicopter Instructor pilot, and business owner. He has spoken and trained all over the world. He has given well over 2,000 presentations to over 30,000 people.

While an officer in the Army Ned worked on the international training team teaching leadership and flight topics to military students from all over the world. He has owned his own business and worked as a division manager in a manufacturing company.

Ned attended The University of Akron and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He holds multiple professional flight certificates and is a certified flight instructor and spent many years in the general aviation business owning and operating FBO’s, charter operations, flight schools, and corporate flight departments.

Ned is the author a just released book: The Simple and Easy Manager: What Managers Need to Know Before They Need to Know It available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and 800CEOREAD.COM

He lives in Akron with his wife, dog, cats, and horse while his daughter sets the world on fire.

2021 Thomas P. Turner:

2020 Carl Fry:

Carl B. Fry, born in Columbus, Ohio, July 4, 1946. Admitted to the Bar, 1974, Ohio. Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; and the United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.

Mr. Fry has represented clients in both state and federal courts in Ohio and other states. Mr. Fry has represented clients in business transactions both within and outside the State of Ohio. Fry served on the NAFI Board of Directors for many years as well as the board for the NAFI Education Foundation.

2019 John and Martha King:

John and Martha King´s use of technology and clear, simple, and fun teaching have made aviation knowledge more accessible to pilots throughout the world.

After a dismal failure in a business for which they did not have a passion, John and Martha King decided to relax and indulge their love of flying for a while. In the early 1970s, they began teaching flying to mark time while looking for a "serious business." After teaching live seminars for over a decade they put their courses on video and began to revolutionize the flight training industry.

Today their company, King Schools, Inc which started in a spare bedroom in the Kings´ house, operates out of a dedicated complex in San Diego, California that includes a video and software production facility.

Over more than 40 years, King Schools has delivered many millions of courses to pilots in training. Through intimate video instruction John and Martha King have taught more pilots than anyone in the history of aviation—for many years teaching more than half the pilots in the United States learning to fly. It's no surprise that pilots throughout the world know John and Martha and regard them as their personal aviation mentors.

King Schools continues to transform pilot training by pioneering the development of multimedia training programs on many aviation subjects including ground-breaking programs on aviation risk management.

Through the years, the Kings have retained their enthusiasm for flying. They fly their own Dassault Falcon 10 jet wherever they go, swapping captain and copilot duties on each leg. They have flown as pilots in every continent of the world except Antarctica, including a trip completely around the world via the length of Russia.

In September of 1994 John and Martha became the first and only couple to both hold every category and class of FAA rating on their pilot and instructor certificates. Martha is the only woman to achieve this complete ratings sweep. They remain active in many categories, regularly flying everything from jets to piston airplanes and helicopters. They have enjoyed periodically serving as back-up pilots for the Fujifilm blimp. They have flown the blimp over such events as the Kentucky Derby, the Davis Cup, the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and the Experimental Aircraft Association convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their airship adventures have been part of national television coverage on the Fox, ESPN, CBS, and USA networks.

The Kings appear frequently on national TV as aviation experts. They also have starred in numerous video presentations on Microsoft´s Flight Simulator program providing instruction for the "Getting Started" Wizard and for numerous informational topics. Plus, they were featured on CNN's "Business Unusual."

John and Martha have been champions for the cause of improving the risk management practices of general aviation pilots and they speak to thousands of pilots each year on aviation safety. They work with the FAA's National Aviation Safety Program in producing safety videos. They also volunteer their time to speak to college classes on starting a small business.

For many years both John and Martha served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Air and Space Museum and of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. John is previous Chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation, and they are now both on the Honorary Board. Martha was formerly the Chair of the Chancellor´s Community Advisory Board of the University of California, San Diego.

2018 John Teipen:

MCFI-MGI John Teipen, a former NAFI Master CFI as well as a Master Ground Instructor, exemplifies the standard of professionalism in the fields of aviation education and flight safety. He is involved in many areas of pilot education including FAA WINGS seminars, FAASTeam online courses, flight instructor re-validation clinics (FIRCs), and youth aviation education programs.

Earning private pilot certification in 1984, he has since become a certificated flight instructor, an FAA aviation safety counselor (ASC), a FAASTeam representative, and a designated pilot examiner (DPE). His work as a DPE with pilot applicants and recommending CFI candidates provides a foundation for his educational work as a member of the FAA’s new safety program, the FAASTeam. Teipen established www.AVTrain.net, a website dedicated to promoting safety through education, to create and host online educational programs. This effort led the way to the first national courses for FAASTeam representatives and industry members, the new WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program, and additional www.FAASafety.gov online courses.

In 2005, Teipen was instrumental in the development of the Midwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show (www.MACTS.org) in Saint Louis. This annual event hosts a “super safety seminar” with nationally known speakers, an aviation trade show, a FIRC, an aviation awards banquet, and an aviation career program for high school students. Building on this experience, he created and introduced the extraordinarily successful “My First Logbook” and “Young Eagles Flight Education” programs for young people attending KidVenture during EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh.

Teipen believes in continuing education for all pilots and includes himself in that regimen. A regular attendee at safety seminars and re-validation clinics, he achieved phase VIII of the recently retired FAA Pilot Proficiency Awards WINGS program and has completed the first level of the new WINGS program last year. A long time glider pilot and flight instructor, he has also earned the Soaring Society of America’s A, B, C, and Bronze Badges in 2007.

He is one of only 20 aviation educators worldwide who is has earned the Master Certificated Flight Instructor (MCFI) and Master Ground Instructor (MGI) accreditation's. These designations are granted by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) to outstanding aviation educators who are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community. He is a longtime member of NAFI as well as AOPA, EAA, IAC, and WAI. In 2005, he was named the National CFI of the Year in recognition of his dedication to and passion for aviation education.

Teipen ([email protected]) represented the Saint Louis FSDO area and the FAA’s Central Region. This year’s other regional winners include MCFI Clifford Floyd Chetwin of Littleton, Colorado (FAA’s Northwest Mountain Region); John Francis Anderson of Gilford, New Hampshire (FAA’s Eastern Region); George Parlin Vose of Alpine, Texas (FAA’s Southwest Region); Janese Thatcher-Buzzell of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota (FAA’s Great Lakes Region); and Dennis Lee Renzelman of Granada Hills, California (FAA’s Western Pacific Region). (Attached photo: 2008 Nat’l FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year MCFI John Teipen of University City, MO)

2017 Phillip J. Poynor:

Phillip J. Poynor, J.D., FAA/Industry 2001 Flight Instructor of the Year, holds an ATP pilot certificate, has been captain qualified on Part 135 carriers. He began his flying career over 38 years ago and has been instructing for more than 30 years. Phil received the Excellence in Pilot Training Award from the National Air Transportation Association in 1998 and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from SUNY in 1994. He began serving as V.P. Government and Industry Affairs in 2011, and has been a NAFI member for more than 30 years. He was appointed to the NAFI Board of Directors in 2001, served as Board Chair from 2005 to 2011. Poynor has been an attorney since 1978, is an 11,000+ hours ATP/Commercial Pilot (Airplane Single/Multi Engine Land, Single Engine Sea), has been a flight school owner, taught at Middle Tennessee State University, created the Professional Pilot curriculum at the State University of N.Y. as a tenured faculty member, and was the Chairman of the Aviation Department at Daniel Webster College.

2015 Avemco Insurance Company:

Avemco has been insuring CFIs and other pilots for over 50 years, and created and underwrites the NAFI CFI Insurance program, with advantages available only to NAFI members. You have the option of purchasing coverage for the select type aircraft you instruct in. And NAFI members with a helicopter endorsement can add rotorcraft liability coverage for most single-engine piston-powered helicopters. Avemco has been a long-time supporter of NAFI and its members.

 

 

 

 

2013 Christopher Anderson: 

Chris began his aviation career in 1983 in Janesville, WI. After flying for a local charter operation, he moved to the Chicago area where he became a corporate pilot for a Fortune 100 company. Chris moved back to Wisconsin in 1999 to work for Midwest Airlines and became a Master CFI and Designated Pilot Examiner with the Milwaukee FSDO. Chris is now once again working in corporate aviation. Since earning his flight instructor certificate in 1986, Chris has expanded his certificate to include six of the seven ratings.

With over 18,000 hours of flight experience in a wide variety aircraft, he is able to provide training and check rides for multiple certificates and ratings. Currently based out of the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, Chris is willing to travel to meet his customers' needs. He has authored several articles and has published The Multi Engine Flight Training Guide. When not flying, Chris can be found eating, sleeping or wiping bugs off an airfoil!

2013 Timothy Lemke: 

Tim Lemke was fascinated with airplanes and aviation from the time he was a small child, growing up on a dairy farm near Green Bay, Wisconsin. He began pursuing that aviation interest in his mid-twenties by earning his private pilot’s license in 1976. Lemke continued his training by obtaining an instrument rating in 1985, followed by a commercial pilot’s license in 1987 and the flight instructor license in 1988. Lemke now has accumulated over 5200 flight hours including more than 4200 hours of dual instruction given and has recommended more than 75 pilots for practical tests.

Lemke is the current president of the Winnebago Flying Club based at Wittman Field Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a position he has held for the past dozen years. He is also a representative for the FAA FAASTeam and a member of the National Association of Flight Instructors, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the Experimental Aircraft Association. Lemke serves on NAFI’s Master Flight Instructor Board of Review.

Lemke retired from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation in 2011 where he was the manager of the Manufacturing Engineering function at Gulfstream’s Appleton, Wisconsin facility.  He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Arts Education from Stout State University.

Lemke continues to be very active with flight instructional activities at both the Appleton and Oshkosh Airports. He specializes in primary and instrument instruction and also provides tailwheel instruction and specialized instruction for the Garmin 430/530 GPS.

2013 Wallace Moran:

Wallace Moran started his aviation career as a general aviation flight instructor; he later worked in the airline industry as a simulator and aircraft instructor and a FAA check airman on many airline aircraft including the Boeing 747 and 767. He also spent many years in airline management as training supervisor, chief pilot and VP of Safety and Engineering.He has always been active in the general aviation area as an airplane owner and flight instructor and has given  over 4000 hours of flight instruction in general aviation airplanes and gliders.

Wallace currently works as a FAA Designate Pilot Examiner, independent flight instructor and FAA FAST team member. He is a long time member of NAFI and has been a NAFI Master CFI since 2001. Wallace lives in Summerville, SC.

2011 Greg Laslo: 

Greg Laslo is an award-winning magazine writer, advertising copywriter, and editor. He has been a pilot for 16 years and has written about aviation education, flight training, and flight instruction for more than a decade.

He’s former editor of NAFI Mentor, the magazine of the National Association of Flight Instructors, as well as a contributing editor to EAA Sport Aviation magazine. In addition, he’s written for Flight Training, Avionics News, Aviation International News, and Twin & Turbine magazines, as well as a variety of non-aviation publications on topics ranging from scuba diving to wine. Laslo is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

2010 Tom Poberezny:

Mr. Thomas P. Poberezny, Tom was President of the EAA from 1989 to 2011, and Chairman of the Board of the EAA from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Poberezny has been Chairman Emeritus of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) since 2011. He is an accomplished pilot and respected advocate for all segments of the aviation community. In 1975, he became Chairman at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, developing a strategy that made Oshkosh a global event. Mr. Poberezny is an experienced pilot and was the 1973 U.S. National Unlimited Aerobatic Champion and was a member of the 1970-1972 Aerobatic Teams that represented the United States in world competitions. Mr. Poberezny was also a pilot member of the Red Devils/Eagles Aerobatic Team from 1971 to 1995.

Mr. Poberezny was a member of the board of directors of the Oshkosh branch of US Bank from 1985 to 2006. Mr. Poberezny developed and implemented numerous programs that have had a major impact on aviation, including the creation of Young Eagles, which has become the most significant youth initiative in aviation history. He spearheaded the implementation of the Sport Pilot License and Light Sport Aircraft Category, making licensure more affordable for pilots. He serves as Member of Advisory Board of Jet Support Services, Inc. He has been Director of Garmin Ltd. since May 20, 2010. Mr. Poberezny held a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and also received an honorary degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

2009 Jeppesen Flight Training Products Team:

Since 1934, when Captain E.B. Jeppesen began selling the world’s first aviation navigation charts, the company that bears his name has evolved alongside — not in response to — aviation. We aren’t providers. We’re partners. We’re co-pilots. And just as it was with Captain Jeppesen, the spirit of pilot helping pilot guides everything we do.

2008 Cirrus Designs: 

Since day one in 1984, Cirrus Aircraft has been committed to the future of aviation through smart safety, ease of operation and most adamantly, continuous innovation. Along the way, every turn has meant challenges and opportunities to grow general aviation–improving the flying experience as a whole. Our mission is to deliver an aviation experience that is the pinnacle of innovation, quality and safety to our customers.

We are proud that today, after 30 years of dedication, the Cirrus brand is associated with the accolades and hallmarks that mean so much to us: safety, performance, comfort and sophistication. Our line of all-composite personal aircraft-–the SR20, SR22 and turbocharged SR22T–lives up to this by incorporating advanced performance, electronic and safety technologies including Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics and the unique Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS).

Our upcoming aircraft, the Cirrus Vision SF50 jet, will raise the bar even higher by providing a new personal and regional business transportation solution, known as “the personal jet.”

When you become a Cirrus owner, you aren’t merely taking up a hobby, you are choosing a whole new lifestyle full of freedoms, choices and responsibilities unlike anything else. Our owners reflect our standards; they demand the most cutting edge technology, innovative standard safety features, impressive interiors and exhilarating performance abilities. Together, we are devoted to these passions.

We’ve traveled far, but in many ways, we’re only just taking off. Join our family of owners and become a part of the future today.

2007 Marion Blakey:

Marion C. Blakey is president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association. AIA is the most authoritative and influential voice of the aerospace and defense industry, representing more than 150 leading manufacturers, along with a supplier base of nearly 200 associate members – the largest membership in AIA’s 94-year history.

Ms. Blakey became the eighth full-time chief executive of the association in 2007. Before that, she served a five-year term as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. As FAA administrator, Blakey regulated the nation’s airways as well as operated the world's largest air traffic control system managing 44,000 employees and a $14 billion budget. During her tenure, the traveling public experienced the safest period for air travel in the United States' history. She also was a tireless safety advocate internationally. Blakey instituted solid business practices at the agency that resulted in more than 97 percent of the agency's major programs coming in on time and on budget. Under her leadership, she launched the Next Generation Air Transportation System − the shift to a satellite-based system that will modernize air transportation and decrease delays.

Prior to being named FAA administrator, Blakey served as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. During her tenure, she led a number of accident investigations, including the 2001 crash of American Airlines flight 587, dealing with both the highly technical aspects of the investigation as well as the highly charged public interest in the accident. Blakey improved the Board's accident reporting process and strengthened its advocacy and outreach programs to promote safer travel throughout all modes of transportation.

Including her service at the FAA and NTSB, Blakey has held six presidential appointments, four of which required Senate confirmation. From 1992 to 1993, Blakey served as administrator of the U.S. Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates the automobile industry. As the nation's leading highway safety official, she was charged with reducing deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Prior to her service at NHTSA, she held key positions at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the White House and the Department of Transportation.

From 1993 to 2001, Blakey was the principal of Blakey & Associates, now Blakey & Agnew, a Washington, D.C. public affairs consulting firm with a particular focus on transportation issues and traffic safety.

Ms. Blakey serves as chair of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations. She also serves on the boards of directors of Alaska Airlines, Noblis, the nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization, the NASA Advisory Council and is Vice-Chair of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration.

Born in Gadsden, Ala., Blakey received her bachelor's degree with honors in international studies from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia. She also attended Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies for graduate work in Middle East Affairs. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has received a number of honorary degrees and awards.

2006 Mike Brown 

2005 Nick Frisch: 

Nick Frisch, the Executive Director of F.I.T. Aviation, brings to his post more than 20 years of experience in aviation management and education. Frisch oversees flight training and operations at the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research. He is also an instructor in the Florida Institute of Technology College of Aeronautics.

Prior to joining the Florida Tech team, Frisch was Director of Aviation Education for Galvin Flying Services, where he managed two flight schools in Seattle and Honolulu. From 1999 to 2007 he was flight school manager and chief flight instructor for that company.

He has also been a program manager and an instructional technologist for FlightSafety International, where he created and implemented classroom and simulator training programs for the FSI/Beech/Raytheon Learning Center. In the early years of his career he was an instructor at the Beech Aircraft factory and for FlightSafety International as well as a government contract analyst at Beech.

He has been designated four times as a Master Instructor by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). Frisch earned a Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from Wichita State University in Kansas in 1984 and commercial pilot certification in 1982.

Established in 1968, FIT Aviation, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida Institute of Technology and an integral part of the College of Aeronautics. We support the aviation program using the latest in FAA publications for guidance and a very diverse fleet of 38 aircraft, providing pilots with a powerful safety culture, outstanding airmanship, and service excellence as they move forward from private pilot certification through ATP. F.I.T. Aviation also maintains and rents aircraft, offers communication backup for NASA launches, and supports Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in marine surveys.  

2004 Pat Luebke: 

Patricia Luebke has worked in the general aviation community for forty years. She began her aviation career as an advertising assistant at Flying magazine. Her first GA airplane ride was a trip to the once-fabulous Reading Air Show. She worked her way up the corporate ladder eventually being named a vice president of the company which publishes Flying.

She launched out on her own as a writer/media consultant in 2002. Long a supporter of flight schools and flight instructors, she is the former editor of Flight School Business. She has a regular column in Aviation for Women (Women in Aviation’s membership magazine); contributes to each issue of Avionics News, and has assisted Sporty’s in their media relations program for the past 20 years. In addition, she works for AOPA, EAA, Lightspeed Aviation, Aspen Avionics and others. She lives and works in Manhattan. She received her award from then-FAA Administrator Marion Blakey during EAA AirVenture, an event she has not missed since 1978, at a NAFI breakfast and spent the rest of the day showing off her plaque to anyone who would look.

2003 Mike Lorden:

Lorden said his journey to the top of the aviation education powerhouse began as an unpaid warehouse hand because he “wanted to know what they did from the ground floor up."

After two weeks of packing orders, Lorden’s attention to delivering good customer service was recognized by Cucchiari and he became the sales and marketing representative for ASA’s Midwest distributors.

Lorden recalled the early days when he met face to face with smaller clients in Boise, Idaho; Wichita, Kansas; and Oklahoma City, while Cucchiari called on those in bigger cities including San Diego, Miami, and New York.

The company merchandised about 50 items from its Washington state headquarters when Lorden began and “we’re around 750 products right now.

Lorden said he’s a big believer in print and has watched with interest as public school educators attempted to adopt tablets for traditional classroom learning. “Teachers found out students used them for everything but studying,” he said.

Though the company also sells headsets, flight bags, and DVDs, ASA continues to put its stock largely in traditional paper products even as newspapers and other media shifted most of their resources to digital. “We’re watching the stats of the eBook industry and traditional books still win,” he said. “Paper is an amazing technology.”

Lorden began his own flight training in 1987 “and I got in a few hours. I started to map the course and then life got in the way.” He said he owes it to the aviators that ASA has trained in the past and to future generations of pilots to keep the company robust and relevant.