Craig Patterson

Chief Flight Instructor for the Professional Pilot Program Craig Patterson was one of the recipients of Midland College's prestigious annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) presented in 2006.

The Teaching Excellence Awards honor two outstanding faculty members from Midland College each year. The award carries with it a cash honorarium, an individual plaque and a permanent listing on a plaque displayed in the Pevehouse Administration Building. The winners also will receive Midland College National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) awards and will receive funding to attend the NISOD convention in May.

Patterson became an instructor in the program in 1999. With an associate of applied science degree from Kansas State University, Patterson went on to achieve the rating of Master Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), from the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), his professional aviation education organization. Patterson is one of only 24 Texas aviation educators to earn this prestigious title. The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Much like a flight instructor's certificate, it must be renewed biennially. This process parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base while increasing their professionalism.

The Master Instructor designation identifies those outstanding aviation educators—those "Teachers of Flight"—who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community. This designation is the pilot's summa cum laude.

"My primary goal is always to show students how to learn," Patterson said about his teaching philosophy. "Among the skills they will need to succeed in an aviation career path are the ability to think critically, analyze and evaluate, have a great situational awareness, and inform themselves in areas/subjects of which they have no prior knowledge."

Since his classroom is both on the ground and in the air, Patterson said it is important "for students to be comfortable in my classroom and in the aircraft ... I try to awaken minds by encouraging discussion, questions, performance, and most importantly, good knowledge and proficiency skill." The TEA committee described Patterson as "dedicated, organized, focused and sincere—yet is always flying around."

Patterson is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association as well as NAFI. Both organizations give him the opportunity to work with other flight instructors and pilots, dealing with safety and current events. Patterson has been active in developing the program curriculum, and he has developed flight training manuals for each aircraft in the Midland College program. He has attended the annual air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to recruit students for the program. He also is an FAA safety counselor, helping promote aviation safety.

Patterson is interested in astronomy and astrophotography, and he enjoys "aiming my telescope at the sky and seeing different galaxies, stars, planets and other objects." He is vice president of West Texas Astronomers, and he has been active in that organization for the last three years.