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Darren
Smith is a seasoned, Airline Transport-rated Fixed wing &
Helicopter Pilot who has flown
over 50 different aircraft models. He is a Gold Seal,
Certificated Flight
Instructor
with Seaplane, Helicopter (H), Instrument (CFII) & Multi-Engine
(MEI) privileges. He holds
the FAA
Advanced
and Instrument Ground Instructor certificate (AGI/IGI). He is an
FAA
Aviation
Safety Counselor for the Tampa
FAA Flight Standards District Office and conducts Aviation Safety Programs not only in the Tampa Bay
area but nationwide. Darren has provided Expert Witness
Consulting to
legal professionals nationwide. He has consulted on a variety of
aviation projects including airspace redesign, light sport aircraft
certification, and pilot training consultation for the military's
Maverick UAV helicopter. Most recently, he provided assistance to
the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) who
was investigating a helicopter accident. He has time in every
category & class of aircraft except the tilt-rotor.
When he is not flying, he is a Psychology & Business Professor and
teaches Human Factors for a major airline. Darren was designated
as a Master Instructor. Less than 1/2% of the nation's pilot
instructors have earned this designation. He is one of three in
the Tampa Bay area with this designation. He is one of six
instructors nationwide and the ONLY instructor in Florida who holds
both the Master Flight Instructor as well as Master Ground Instructor
designations.
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Gold Seal
Instructor
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FAA Qualifications
AIRLINE
TRANSPORT PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE SEA
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE SEA
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
AIRPLANE SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE AND HELICOPTER
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
GROUND INSTRUCTOR
ADVANCED
INSTRUMENT
FCC: KD0NUX
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Academic Qualifications
- B.A. Psychology, 1993, B.S. Nursing, 2010
- M.S. Counseling, 1995, M.A. Nursing, 2012
- Doctorate (ABD) Business, University of Sarasota
- Post Graduate training in I/O Psychology at
University of South Florida (including Human Factors,
Stress, Behavioral Psychology)
Advanced Training Attended
FAA Conference (AQP, FOQA, ASAP, Human Factors)
Robinson Safety Course R44, Torrance California
Helicopter Underwater Egress Training, Univ of Louisiana
Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program, St Augustine Florida
Accident Investigation Course (Special NTSB), Lakeland FL
Bombardier - Canadair Regional Jet
FAA DPE Standardization Seminar, Oklahoma City
Attendance at over 50 seminars on various subjects
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Master Flight &
Ground Instructor
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Specific Aircraft Qualifications
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Affiliations
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- Jet cockpits: Collins
Glass & FMS
- All glass cockpit implementations and most
stand
alone GPS
units.
- Yes: Garmin1000,
Avidyne, Garmin 430/530/etc
- All models of Cessna 172, 180/185, 182,
206/207, T210
- All models of the Piper PA28 and PA24 lines.
- All models of the Grumman AA1 & AA5 line.
- Beechcraft twin line including BE76,
BE95, BE55, and King Air(C90).
- Beech Bonanza: 33 to the 36, including
the
new G36.
- Cessna twin line including 310, 340, and
414.
- Cirrus: SR20 and SR22
- Piper PA32 line from the Cherokee 6 to
the newest models of the Saratoga.
- Piper twin line including PA44, PA34,
PA23, PA30/39.
- All models of Mooney Aircraft.
- Helicopters: Schweizer
300C/300Cbi, Hughes 269, R44, Hiller, & Bell 206.
- Experimental aircraft: RV6 &
Velocity.
Committment to Quality
A commitment to quality instruction is essential for
student
success.
A random survey of students taught between September, 2003 and
September,
2004 generated the following results:
- "I learned several new
things... Good experience!"
- "The right training at the
right price got me the
results I
needed."
- "My instructor knew all the
secrets to real cross
country
flying."
- "My confidence has never been
this high."
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Theory of
Instruction - My Bias
Each instructor is different in the personal lessons
learned, the
students
situations experienced, and level of skill. The particular biases
each instructor brings to a flight lesson should be well known to the
student
prior to the lesson. While this is not a complete list of my
biases,
these are the big ones:
- All instruction should include an element of the
practical
uses for a
rating.
- I believe in centerlines on runways & taxiways
(for
airplane pilots).
- Experience with cross wind technique is critical.
- I
don't like to fool around. When I dedicate my time to someone, we
set a goal and accomplish it. Those instructors that put
process above the goal irritate me. And it costs you extra.
- Collision avoidance: not only is it an FAA
special
emphasis area, its a safety requirement. Always look before you
turn and call it out so your flight instructor knows what you are
thinking. The first time you fail to look before you turn gets a
friendly reminder from your CFI. The second time you do it costs
you lunch.
- Being fully versed with the equipment as well as the
failure modes for
each instrument is important. Example: GPS, autopilot, etc.
- Private pilot students should practice stalls and
emergency
procedures
under supervision as often as possible, especially prior to solo.
- Private pilot students should complete their FAA
written
test
prior to
solo. It minimizes the instructor's liability and minimizes ground
training the CFI must to do verify the student has meet the
aeronautical training requirements of the private pilot certificate.
- Instrument rating students need to prove they can
fly under
the hood and perform instrument approaches to PTS standards before
talkinig on the radio.
- Instrument rating students should experience IMC
prior to
their
checkride.
- The BFR is not a 1 hour exercise, its at least 3
hours and
comes with
the "Wings" FAA pilot proficiency
award.
For more information on the minimum requirements of the BFR see: Recurrent Training
- All pilots need to learn concise radio technique as
well as
tips on how
to overcome brain paralysis the moment the transmit button is
pressed.
- If you didn't call it out, then its assumed not to
have
been done. Example, "clear right."
- "...commence turn to crosswind leg beyond the
departure end
of the
runway
within 300 feet of pattern altitude." -- AIM 4-3-3
- "You
won't spend much more than 10% of your time flying IMC but flying IFR
is about flying with precision at all times." -- J. Mac
McClellan,
Writer, Flying
Services Offered
I work
exclusively with aircraft owners
for training:
1. Airplane:
2. Helicopter:
3.
Insurance
Checkouts:
(see above for aircraft quals)
4.
Customized, private flight instruction programs
tailored for your goals, your schedule, and your
lifestyle. This is ideal for clients who desire flight
training but want it done quietly &
quickly. ...more
info
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NOT
Offered:
- Private
or Commercial Pilot Airplane Training
- ANY kind
of instruction in a 2 seat AIRPLANE
- Helicopter
instruction in an R-22
- Gyroplane,
Seaplane, Glider, or LTA training
- Rental
aircraft of any kind, I work with those who provide their own aircraft.
- I am NOT
a foreign training provider. Therefore I can only provide
training to US Citizens.
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Funny stories about working with Owner
Aircraft
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Your Thoughts...
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