From the statements in the latest issue of Mentor and the online version at NAFI, I have been concerned about my CFI and Gold Seal status if I do not maintain my membership status in NAFI.
To resolve this issue I call the FAA in Washington to get the facts. Here is the statement that I received:
"Do not concern yourself about any certificate issued...are valid for whatever period, Gold Seal for ever and CFI renewal is good for two years, those remain in effect, those are approvals by the FAA not by any other organization."
..and then today NAFI sent out an email clarification on that whole business....
Who exactly do I send my Master renewal stuff too this time around????
Please send it to the one and only legitimate source for Master designations -- Master Instructors LLC. Also, I think it's important to recognize that there is no longer any such thing as a "NAFI" Master, nor is there a "SAFE" Master. If the Hills own the intellectual property associated with the Master Instructor Continuing Education Program(tm) (as I and many others believe they do), then there can now only be Masters who have been designated by Master Instructors LLC. Of course, many of them have been grandfathered during this sometimes tumultuous transition period.
The non-exclusive, royalty-free use of the Hills' property by others has been terminated; thus, there can only be one type of Master -- the one so recognized by Master Instructors LLC. There are no "NAFI Masters," or for that matter, "SAFE Masters" anymore. Rather, there are simply Masters.
Some Masters may belong to NAFI; some may belong to SAFE; some may belong to both organizations; and some still may have no affiliation whatsoever. Yet as long as individuals have satisfied the requirements set forth by the accrediting body (i.e., Master Instructors LLC), they are Masters. There is, though, a $20 discount for applicants who also happen to be SAFE members (or for IAC members applying for the MCFI-A).
Some may see this distinction as trivial, but moving forward I think it is a very important one to make.
