Nadja Keist, a 23-year old air traffic controller and private pilot from Switzerland, is the winner of the fourth annual Richard L. Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots. Her article, “Understanding Responsibility,” was selected as the entry that best answered this year’s writing prompt: “my first time at the controls of an airplane.” Nadja’s article recounts her first flight as a pilot in command with a passenger, and the in-flight anomaly that tested her decision-making skills.

California Aeronautical University (CAU), a university flight school that is training the next generation of aviation professionals, has expanded its training partnership with Sporty’s Pilot Shop, implementing Sporty’s Commercial Pilot Training Course into its curriculum. With the addition of this course, CAU students are now using Sporty’s award-winning courses for the private, instrument and commercial ratings.

Sporty’s is making it easier for flight instructors to stay organized and connected to students with its new CFI Portal. Part of the company’s 2022 Pilot Training platform, this suite of tools includes lesson plans, a flight instructor refresher course, a complete FAA library, special CFI offers and access to Sporty’s award-winning pilot training courses. Best of all, every feature is available free to any active flight instructor.

Steven Schofield grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, watching airplanes on approach for the Cheyenne Regional Airport while dreaming about flying F-16s in the Air Force. Medical requirements would preclude a military path for Schofield so he pursued a career in music education, but he never forgot his dream of flying.