USA — The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Summit 2025 will bring together training experts and industry professionals from around the country, with a packed schedule full of compelling seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities. NAFI announced its complete list of speakers this week.

The NAFI Summit will take place at the MAPS Air Museum in Akron-Canton, Ohio, from September 21-23.

According to NAFI President Paul Preidecker, the program features presentations by industry leaders focusing on four themes: leveraging technology, supporting pilot health and well-being, enhancing industry and government relations, and integrating tips, techniques, and best practices. Preidecker said, “We are excited to bring this program of more than 30 presentations to AkronCanton. Attendees will gain valuable insights and information, see products and services from the exhibitors, and network with friends and colleagues.”

After afternoon registration and an opening reception in the evening on September 21, NAFI Summit attendees can look forward to two full days packed with educational sessions and panels, running from 8 am to 5 pm at the museum, located at the Akron-Canton Airport (KCAK). As a highlight, NAFI confirmed that Lee Collins, President of the National Flight Training Alliance will deliver the keynote address, and Dr. Susan Northrup, FAA Federal Air Surgeon, will be the featured dinner speaker.

Exhibitors covering a wide range of training-related products and services will have their displays open to attendees throughout the Summit.

For more information, please visit: nafisummit.org.

NAFI Summit Speakers Schedule

The planned schedule as of press time included the following speakers and presentation topics, subject to final updates.

• Keynote Address: The Value of Advocacy Groups in Flight Training
  • Lee Collins
• FAA Update
  • Everette Rochon
• Panel: DPEs Discuss Current Trends
  • Moderator: Paul Preidecker
• Panel: Pilot Health and Wellness
  • Moderator: Dr. Victor Vogel
• Teaching Smarter: Using Autopilots as a Teaching Tool
  • Gary Reeves
• Straight Talk about Aviation Safety
  • John and Martha King
• Elevating Safety Through Professionalism
  • Michael Emmerich
• Things That New Instructors Aren’t Taught
  • Rick Miller
• Using AI in Flight Training
  • Ned Parks
• NextGen CFI: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Modern Flight Instruction
  • Dr. Piotr Dlugiewicz
• MOSAIC Is Here: What Instructors and Pilots Need to Know
  • Samantha Bowyer
• Health and Fitness While Instructing
  • Tony Reed
• The First Few Hours of Flight Training
  • Susan Tholen
• Why Student Pilots Quit: A Data-Driven Look at Flight Training Attrition
  • Greg Reverdiau
• Teaching Engine Failure on Takeoff
  • Brian Schiff
• Slips v. Skids
  • Carolina Anderson
• Training Documentation Hiccups That Stop the Checkride Before It Happens
  • Jason Blair
• Memory Fails: Checklists Don’t Gary Reeves Beyond the ACS: Training for Real-World Safety
  • Mary Kuehn
• Death By Deadline
  • Diane Earhart & Gary Streeter
• Panel: Incorporating Angle-of-Attack Indicators
  • Moderator Karen Kalishek
• From Rote to Ready: Using AI to Help Create and Deploy Scenarios for Flight Training
  • John Boos
• Using Artificial Intelligence Tools in Flight Training
  • Lex Crosset
• Analyzing Departure Briefing Utilization in General Aviation
  • Collin McDonald
• Transition Training: Best Practices for High-Performance & Technically Advanced Aircraft
  • Matt Speare
• Positive Transfer of Controls—to the Autopilot?!
  • Barbara Filkens
• Ramp Inspections—What It Means to You
  • Michael Floriani
• Enabling CFIs to Teach Risk Evaluation and Exercising Judgment
  • Dr. Victor Vogel
• Resilient Instruction: Stress, Mental Fitness, & Wellness Strategies for CFIs and Students
  • Dr. Robert J. Zeglin
• Instructing with the OODA Loop for Practical Correlation & Certification Standards
  • Richard Cox
• Maximizing the Power of Simulators: A Mindset Shift for General Aviation Instructors
  • Todd O’Brian
• Get Out of Jail Free? The History & Power Behind NASA Reports: Make CFIs Better & Safer
  • Jeffrey Madison
• From Cockpit to Courtroom: The CFI’s Guide to FAA Enforcement and the NTSB
  • J. Lorenzon & Judge Stuart Couch

About NAFI
The National Association of Flight Instructors serves flight instructors and training providers, prospective pilots, and the greater aviation industry by providing resources to all flight educators. With a 55-plus year commitment to raising and maintaining the professional standing of instructors in the aviation community, NAFI elevates its members, led by its Code of Ethics. NAFI is the largest association dedicated exclusively to flight instruction, with a membership of more than 8,000 training professionals, which it serves through a bimonthly magazine, weekly newsletters, and MentorLIVE streamed events, More Right Rudder podcast, and an annual NAFI Summit.

Source: NAFI