Flight Instructors Hall of Fame Inductees

2007 Inductee Hal Shevers: Founder of Sporty’s Flight Academy, Hal Shevers has operated this world-renowned flight school while supporting youth aviation programs throughout the nation.  A flight instructor for nearly fifty years, his commitment to excellence in education is unsurpassed; he joins former colleagues Joe Vorbeck and Al Passell in the Hall of Fame.

2007 Inductee Wolfgang Langwiesche: The author of Stick and Rudder, perhaps the most widely-read book of advice to pilots, Langewiesche brought general aviation to the common man.  His writings in the 1940s and 1950s made aerodynamics comprehensible, and encouraged countless people to take up aviation.

2006 Inductee Al Passell: Among the most prolific Pilot Examiners of all time, Al Passell dominated flight training in the central United States from the 1960s onward. In the classroom and in the cockpit, his concise lessons remain etched in the minds of countless aviators, from local pilots to airline captains.

2006 Inductee Ralph Nelson: Ralph Nelson (NAFI #4), founding father and Vice President Emeritus of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), had accumulated more than 10,000 hours in his logbook by the time he passed away in 2006. A safety crusader and innovative leader, he created and promoted A.M. Aviation Weather on public television as well as AOPA's Weekend Ground School. He also served as leader of the Aviation Safety Foundation and Flight Safety Foundation for nearly two decades. One of his lasting legacies is the General Aviation Awards program and the Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year award.

2005 Inductee Howard Fried: Howard Fried is perhaps best known for his monthly column Eye of the Examiner, published in FLYING for nearly a decade. He has been a lifelong crusader for aviation safety and pilot proficiency. Following the Second World War, he established Drake Aviation. Over the course of five decades, he gave thousands of hours of instruction, administered over 4000 checkrides as a designated examiner, and published eight books on aviation.

2004 Inductee J. Vernon Ricks: Ricks is the founder of The Airmen, an organization dedicated to promoting safe formation flying; he established the organization in 1972. A pilot for over fifty years, he developed innovative techniques for teach formation flying that have come into wide acceptance. He has instructed in gliders, ag planes, biplanes, and seaplanes, as well as the more familiar single- and twin-engine aircraft.

2003 Inductee Barry Schiff: Schiff is an award winning journalist and author, who is well known to flying audiences for his numerous books and more than 1,000 articles published in 90 magazines. Many of his articles discuss personally developed concepts, procedures, and techniques that have received international acclaim. Barry has more that 26,000 hours logged in 272 types of aircraft. He holds five world speed records and has received numerous honors for his many contributions to aviation safety.

2002 Inductee Jack Eggspuehler: Eggspuehler is the co-founder and president of the National of Flight Instructors for more than 30 years. He was instrumental in the early growth of the association and its development into a national organization. In addition to his work with NAFI, he served as a flight instructor and professor at Ohio State University (OSU) until 1980. Presently he is continuing his 51-year career as a professor emeritus at OSU and president of Aerosafe, Inc., a consulting firm that works with defense attorneys in aviation lawsuits.

2001 Inductee Amelia Reid: Reid, who died in March 2001, taught more than 4,000 students to fly after beginning her California flight school out of the trunk of a 1959 Ford. Among her students was legendary air show pilot Sean D. Tucker. Over 60 years, she logged more than 55,000 flight hours.