NAFI Honors 2 Deserving Flight Instructors

Organization's Eggspuehler and Laslo awards are bestowed to Samantha Bowyer and James ‘Steve’ Rutland during EAA AirVenture.

Monday, August 05, 2024 at 05:06 PM ET

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James "Steve" Rutland (right) poses with his NAFI award alongside organization board member Aaron Dabney during EAA AirVenture. [Courtesy: NAFI]

Key Takeaways:

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) honored two flight instructors, Samantha Bowyer and James "Steve" Rutland, for their significant contributions to aviation education during EAA AirVenture.
Samantha Bowyer, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle, received the Jack J. Eggspuehler Award, NAFI's highest honor, for her instrumental role in organizing the first NAFI Summit in 2023.
James "Steve" Rutland, a veteran fixed- and rotor-wing instructor and author, was presented with the Greg J. Laslo Excellence in Writing Award for his ongoing contributions to NAFI publications, including *Mentor* magazine.

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There is something about being recognized as the best of the best by your peers that makes an award extra special— especially when it’s announced during EAA AirVenture.

Two flight instructors, Samantha Bowyer and James “Steve” Rutland, were recognized by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) for their contributions to aviation education. The awards were presented during the annual NAFI breakfast at Oshkosh.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.