About SafeFlight

Chuck McGill, Master CFI, MEI, CFII

During the past thirty years, he has logged over 12,000 hours of flight time in 80 different makes and models of aircraft, with over 9,000 hours as a flight instructor. Most of his teaching in the past thirty years has been in retractable, high performance, single-engine airplanes, primarily Mooney and Cessna P/T-210 aircraft. Specialization in these types of aircraft resulted from Chuck owning and using them in his other businesses. Chuck flew his M20J (201) exclusively while attaining his Instrument, Commercial and CFI ratings and received his CFII flying his T-210. He is also factory trained in the Turbine P210 Silver Eagle.

Chuck holds a Commercial Certificate for Single Engine Land and Sea airplanes and Multi-engine land airplanes. He is a Master CFI that holds Flight Instructor ratings for Single Engine Land and Sea Airplanes, Multi-engine Land Airplanes, and Instrument Instructor Airplane.

Chuck McGill was designated as the FAA's 2009 Flight Instructor of the Year, Western Pacific Region and serves as an Aviation Safety Counselor and a FAST Team representative in the San Diego FSDO area.

Owning and operating his own aircraft equipped with the latest state of the art avionics, Chuck teaches new owners how to operate their HSI's, panel mounted GPS/GNS systems, especially Garmin 430/530 series, Garmin G-1000 systems, G500/G600, digital Autopilot units (STEC, King), Multi-Function Displays (MFD's), Traffic Systems such as TIS, Ryan TCAD, Skywatch and Weather information systems such as WSI under the new FAA FITS standards.

Chuck developed and utilizes a specialized "type training" program in certain high performance, complex, high altitude aircraft, specifically the Cessna Turbo and P-210s, and the Mooney "TN," TLS/Bravo, 252, 231, 201 and Ovation aircraft. He considers the M20J to be a wonderful machine to utilize for the Commercial Rating and it remains his favorite all around airplane. He provides personalized training in high altitude operations, flight in positive control airspace, use of oxygen, turbo-charged engine operation, emergency descents, restart procedures, and advanced avionics operations (GPS, Flight Directors, etc) in Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA). Most instruction given is for model specific checkouts, recurrent and proficiency training, plus instrument and mountain flying operations. Insurance checkouts are performed to satisfy the desires of both the insurance company and the pilot under instruction. Training frequently leads to Instrument or Commercial ratings in the owner's aircraft, with an occasional CFI and private pilot applicant.

In 1987 Chuck became an instructor for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and taught over fifty Mountain Flying, Instrument Refresher, Instrument Procedures and Pinch Hitter Courses at AOPA Flight Training Clinics throughout the United States until the program ended in 1995.

He is an active instructor for the MAPA Safety Foundation, and was a contributing editor to the AOPA's Air Safety Foundation Review, Mooney M20 Series in 1995. Chuck is also a contributor to the MAPA Log, the Cessna Pilots Association magazine and the Cessna Owner's magazine from time to time, writing on safety and flight instruction topics.

The Cessna Pilots Association uses Chuck as a ground and flight instructor for their 210 Course in Santa Maria, California.

Chuck has served as an FAA designated Aviation Safety Counselor for over 20 years.

Functioning as a contract instructor for a U.S. Government Agency in 1996, he designed, wrote and taught a specialized "Initial Type Training" course for instructors and pilots in highly modified T-210's. Ground School on aircraft systems and procedures, as well extensive flight training, are set at the commercial pilot skill level. The course emphasizes situational awareness, single pilot cockpit resource management in a high workload and stressful environment in both VFR and IFR operations, while simultaneously conducting activities unique to the agencies operational requirements. The full envelope of aircraft capabilities is utilized from normal airport operations in a high-density IFR traffic environment to low and slow STOL operations in remote mountainous areas. This type of in-depth training is now available to all of his students.

He has acted as the Lead Instructor for a six hundred plus member-flying club's Cessna T-210, Cessna T-182RG and 182RG for many years, and provided Mooney 231 and Cessna 182RG checkouts in a flying club that has over 1,000 members.

In May 1987, he re-enacted Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic in his T-210, receiving the Medal of Paris from the French government. His personal flying experiences have taken him throughout the United States, to Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, England, The Netherlands and France.

Chuck holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management, an MBA in Finance and Marketing, and is a former adjunct professor of Aeronautics at National University. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps.

It is apparent to everyone who knows him that Chuck really enjoys flying, and loves teaching others to fly their aircraft well. The pilots under instruction enjoy the benefits of his years of flight experience and enthusiasm for consistent, accident-free operation of general aviation aircraft.

What is a Master CFI?