Meet Our Silver Legacy Master Instructors

NAFI is proud to recognize our Silver level Legacy Master Instructors. This title is conferred on NAFI Master Instructors who have earned 10 or more Master Flight or Master Ground accreditation. We thank them for their continued dedication to the flight training profession and participation in the NAFI Master Program.

Christopher Anderson, MCFI 12/2000-1/2023

This is Anderson’s 11th NAFI Master Accreditation. Anderson was flying before he could walk. Growing up in an aviation family around grass strips and Bell 47s, Anderson followed his dad into aviation. He started flying professionally in 1986 at a charter operation. After pumping down the gear and a couple of engine failures, he quit that job and started Progressive Air and taught full-time until finding a job at a better charter company. Hanging around airports and flying at nearly every opportunity led to a job for a Fortune 100 company flying Falcons and Challengers, and teaching in a couple of area flying clubs.

Somewhere in there, he says he met a wonderful woman who is mostly tolerant of his aviation addiction. They have been married for 31 years they have three children.

Of course, he says, just as the fun began, the company downsized the flight department leading him to a small airline flying DC-9s and Boeing 717s. After a stint bopping from right seat to left seat, the commercial operation became a victim of mergers in the late 2000s. By this point Anderson had settled in southern Wisconsin with 20 years of CFI experience and a fresh DPE certificate. He started restoring his Citabria in the home garage, in between work and teaching. It only took 13 years to move the plane out of the garage.

After the airline gig, Anderson found himself back in the corporate wording flying Hawkers and Challengers. He was also teaching for a “non-profit” Part 61/141 flight school. He then revived Progressive Air, Inc. and started teaching and giving check rides independently. Working with two of his best A&P mechanics, Anderson helped restored a couple of Bell 47s.

He holds an ATP pilot certificate with airplane, helicopter, glider, seaplane and gyroplane rating. As a DPE in airplanes and helicopters he has conducted over 2,100 check rides.

Anderson can be found at fly-in pancake breakfasts and every summer at EAA AirVenture. Beyond work, his hobbies include flying, talking to sparkplugs and filling out IACRA paperwork. His favorite passenger is his son’s dog, a mutt named Bendix King.

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Andrew Dow, MGI 2/2013-3/2023, MCFI 2/2011-3/2023:

This is Dow’s sixth consecutive NAFI Master Instructor Accreditation and fifth consecutive NAFI Master Ground Instructor Accreditation.

Dow started his career in aviation in 2003 working as a flight instructor for Great River Aviation in Quincy, IL. It was during this job that he discovered his true passion of teaching others how to fly. Dow worked his way through the roles of Assistant Chief Flight Instructor to Chief Flight Instructor in the flight schools FAA Part 141 Program and became the Chief Pilot and the Director of Operations for its Part 135 Charter certificate. He also started working at Quincy University as an adjunct instructor of aviation in 2005 and eventually became an Assistant Professor of Aviation.

In 2017 Dow became a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for the Springfield, IL FSDO, conducting pilot practical test examinations for various pilot certificates and ratings. As of this writing he has administered over 600 practical tests and enjoys giving back to the aviation industry, which he says “has given me so much over the years.”

Dow earned his Eagle Scout from the Boy Scout of America several years ago, and is an Aviation Merit Badge Counselor, helping 87 Boy Scouts earn their Aviation merit badge to date. He also is a FAASTeam Representative for the Springfield, IL District Office hosting and presenting aviation safety seminars throughout the region. Dow belongs to several aviation organizations and currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Aviation Trades Association.

In 2014, Dow was awarded the “Brown Jacket Award” at the EAA AirVenture from the IMC Club. He was also awarded the “Coach of the Year” award by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association for Region VIII during the 2014 and 2016 SAFECON competitions, and was recently honored as a “Distinguished Flight Instructor” through AOPA’s Flight Training Experience Award in both 2017 and 2018.

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Ed Fink, MCFI 11/1997-09/2019:

This is Fink’s tenth consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation. Ed Fink spent 16 years on jump status parachuting out of airplanes from 1962-1978.

Ed received his private pilot’s license from Venice Flying Service on September 18th, 1984. He later moved to Cape Coral, Fla. and joined the Sundowners Search & Rescue Flying Club. During this time Ed trained for his instrument rating, which he completed in October of 1986 followed by his commercial pilot’s license in November 1990.

In 1993, armed with an Advanced Ground Instructor Rating, Ed started teaching a Private Pilot Ground School at Edison Community College and at Cape Coral High School through its Adult Community Education Program. In April of 1995, Ed earned his CFI certificate and began teaching full time, earning his CFII certificate a year later and his first NAFI Master CFI designation the year after that, in November of 1997.

Ed has been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since July 2001 and participated in its aviation program until May 2010.

Ed teaches a Private Pilot Ground School courses at Cape Coral High School and at Cypress Lake High School, and continues to provide individual flight instruction at Page Field in Fort Myers.

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Gregory Gorak, MCFI 05/1998-06/2018:

This is Gorak’s Tenth consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation. Greg Gorak is an 8,600 plus hour Airline Transport Pilot as well as a dynamic educator. Gorak started flying in 1962 in a J3 Cub and received his Private Pilot's License in a 7 ECA with long time instructor Al Sabota and examiner Hugo Picco. At the time he was a member of the West Allis flying club which allowed him to get all his ratings starting with his private in 1963, commercial in 1966, and CFI in 1967. Gorak was Chairman of the Career Pilot Program at Gateway Technical Institute for nine years and also taught for the National Association of Flight Instructors in 1976. Gorak then founded Gaits Aviation Seminars, Inc. in 1977 and has been on the Presenter's Circuit for 43 years. Gaits Aviation Seminars has now graduated over 17,676 flight instructors. Gorak flew charter for seven years with Scott Air Charter at Mitchell Field, accumulating thousands of hours in various turboprops including most Beechcraft King Air type aircraft the Beech Baron, Cessna 421, Shrike Commander, and Cessna Citation. During this time Gorak had five children one of which (Mark) followed him into aviation getting his helicopter rating at Fort Rucker and is now a Colonel serving in the Pentagon.

The Federal Aviation Administration named Gorak the Flight Instructor of the Year for the United States in 1975 and The National Association of Flight Instructors inducted him into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2013. Gorak has written a number of articles for publications including FAA Aviation News, Midwest Flyer, Professional Pilot, and NAFI Mentor.

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Matthew P.R. McDaniel, MCFI 7/2003-7/2025:

This is McDaniel’s 11th NAFI Master Accreditation. McDaniel has been an active CFI for more than 32 years and has specialized in Cirrus and other technically advanced aircraft instruction for the past 22 years. He is a Platinum Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot. He also enjoys teaching in antique taildraggers, such as the Globe/Temco Swift. He has flown more than 125 aircraft types and holds eight turbine aircraft type ratings.

As a freelance aviation author, McDaniel has had nearly 150 articles published in about a dozen aviation magazines and online. He currently flies as a Boeing 737 series captain for a major U.S. airline. As the founder and owner of Progressive Aviation Services, LLC, he operates out of his home area of Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife and two children.

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Wallace Moran, MCFI 6/2001-12/2025:

This is Moran’s 12th NAFI Master Instructor accreditation. Moran was honored as the 2017 Flight Instructor Hall of Fame inductee, and as a 2013 recipient of NAFI’s Jack J. Eggspuehler Service Award, among other accolades.

Moran started his aviation career as a general aviation flight instructor and later worked in the airline industry as a pilot and training instructor. He was an FAA check airman on many airline aircraft, including the Boeing 747, which he flew for 12 years, and the Boeing 767. He also spent many years in airline management as a training supervisor, chief pilot, and vice president of safety and engineering. He has also been active in general aviation as an airplane owner and flight instructor and has given more than 4,000 hours of flight instruction in GA airplanes and gliders.

He is currently working as an FAA designated pilot examiner, independent flight instructor, and FAA FAASTeam member. Moran lives in Summerville, South Carolina.

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Donald Kaye, MCFI 9/2002-9/2022:

This is Kaye’s 10th consecutive NAFI Master Flight Instructor award. Born in Canton, Ohio Kaye says he was interested in aviation from an early age. After getting his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, he went to work for Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics. Most everyone in his department had their pilot’s certificate and in early 1968 he became a Private Pilot. A year later he got his Commercial Certificate.

From 1970 until 1992, worked as a real estate broker selling apartment houses, as a real estate developer, and real estate investor. It took an issue of Flying Magazine with a Mooney TLS on the cover to direct his attention back to flying. He soon earned his Instrument Rating, and within a month purchased a Mooney TLS. Thereafter, he achieved his Instructor and Instrument Instructor Ratings, and started teaching full time, specializing in teaching all models of Mooneys. His ATP certification followed.

For many years he taught both the primary Mooney Pilot Proficiency Course and its corresponding Mountain Flying Course. After a student of one of his students bought a King Air C90, he earned his Multiengine and Multiengine Instructor Ratings and began teaching the Multiengine Rating. Shortly thereafter the same student bought a CJ1, and the Citation CE-525S ATP was added to his credentials.

With over 11,600 hours of total time, 6,600 hours have been devoted to teaching. He has been willing to travel, to Canada, Australia and even North Dakota in the middle of January to assist those interested in learning the art of flying.

Several years ago, he upgraded the panel of his airplane to the latest in technology. With the experience gained, he has been able to quickly guide students on both purchases of such technology and on how best to use it to provide for the safest flight possible.

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James "Steve" Rutland, MCFI 9/2000-3/2026:

This is Rutland’s 12th NAFI Master Accreditation. Rutland is a professional pilot and flight instructor with 50 years of aviation experience, beginning in 1973 at Murray, Kentucky. He completed his first FAA flight instructor certificate in 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rutland attended the U.S. Army flight school in 1975 and is a Master Army Aviator. He is also a U.S. Coast Guard aviator, having served as a search and rescue pilot stationed in Los Angeles, California. Rutland has 38 years of experience as a government civilian flight instructor for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Novosel, Alabama.

Rutland holds three airline transport pilot ratings (ASEL, AMEL, and helicopter), five FAA flight instructor ratings (CFI-ASEL, AMEL, helicopter, CFII airplane and helicopter), and two type ratings. At Fort Novosel, Rutland completed ten different military instructor pilot courses. He has flown 27 different aircraft, with 21,000 accident-free flight hours. Rutland has almost 20,000 hours in the cockpit training flight students — 17,250 in flight and 2,200 in full motion simulators. He has almost 40 years in the classroom teaching ground school and has served as a mentor to countless military and civilian flight instructors.

Rutland has trained officers from the five branches of the United States armed forces. He has trained military flight students of every rank from warrant officer candidate to Master warrant officer five, and from second lieutenant to colonel. Flight instruction programs taught include primary, instrument, combat skills, aero scout, night vision goggles, advanced aircraft, and instructor pilot qualification in five different military aircraft. He has served as a UH-60 standardization instructor pilot and instrument flight examiner.

Working part-time under 14 CFR Part 141 and 61 flight schools, he has trained airplane single and multiengine land student pilots for private, commercial, instrument, airline transport pilot, and CFI, CFII, and MEI certificates.

Over his career, Rutland has earned awards including the Embry-Riddle Alumni Achievement Award, three-time FAA Regional Flight Instructor of the Year, Department of the Army Civilian of the Year Award, Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award for 28 years of service, Order of St. Michael Award for significant service to Army aviation, and the Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award.

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Richard "Dick" Rochfort, MCFI 2/2005-2/2025:

This is Rochfort’s tenth consecutive NAFI Master Instructor accreditation earning him Silver Legacy Master status.

Rochfort provides training, pre-purchase consulting, aircraft relocation, and expert witness services to owners, pilots, and instructors of the Piper PA-46 aircraft. He holds ATP, commercial, and Gold Seal flight instructor certificates with SEL, SES, MEL, CFII, MEI, and CE-525S ratings. He has been a full-time flight instructor since 1992.

Rochfort has researched, written, and published hundreds of articles and demonstration videos specific to the operation of the Piper PA-46 aircraft. This body of work is available online at the PA-46 Pilot reference library and is the only collection of its kind in the world. These videos have been viewed more than 2.5 million times and Rochfort’s YouTube channel has over 10,000 subscribers. He serves the PA-46 community worldwide and his training programs are PA-46 type-specific, insurance industry approved, FAA/Industry Training Standards (FITS) approved, FAA Wings approved, and are fully insured.

Rochfort is director emeritus of the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association (M/MOPA), and instructor emeritus of the M/MOPA Safety and Training Foundation. He is a member of EAA and NBAA. He is the official Meridian instructor for Red Bull air racer Kirby Chambliss and Team Chambliss.

Rochfort worked from 1976 until 1991 as an industrial engineer training manufacturing personnel to produce communication and navigation equipment for the United States military. Before that, he served as a Green Beret staff sergeant E-6, B Company, 2nd Battalion, U.S. Army Special Forces Airborne as an A Team radio operator, training indigenous personnel in field radio communications and other critical skills.

His education includes undergraduate degrees in clinical psychology and engineering, and a master’s degree in business administration. Rochfort lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and has two daughters. He is a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certified Open Water Scuba instructor, a DAN (Divers Alert Network) certified first aid instructor, and an Eagle Scout.

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