It is a given that most pilots who aspire to a job at the airlines build their flight experience as certificated flight instructors. Working as a CFI is seen as a stepping stone, and over the past 10 years that has created a culture where pilots acquire hours but not so much knowledge and skill.
The Ascend Flight Training Summit, a joint venture between AeroSummit and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) on September 8-10 in Dallas, seeks to change that.
Built as a joint venture, Ascend expands upon the foundation of the annual NAFI Summit while introducing broader programming, deeper academic content, and stronger focus on career readiness and professional progression across the aviation training ecosystem.
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“This is not just a conference—it is a next step for aviation education,” summit organizers said of the event at the Crowne Plaza Dallas Market Center near Love Field (KDAL).
According to Anthony Geraci, the co-founder and co-CEO of AeroSummit and Stratus Financial, the Ascend Flight Training Summit is a national education-forward aviation conference designed to support every stage of the pilot training journey. Geraci said Ascend brings together student pilots, CFIs, and flight school leadership in one unified learning environment.
“What we’re trying to do is put the entire pilot community together,” he said. “We want the students, we want CFIs’ education, and we want people to have an ecosystem to build and really connect people together, so the students will get more jobs, and the airline’s getting more, qualified pilots.”
The summit is much more than a trade show for current and aspiring instructors, according to Geraci, who described the event as a way for people to make contacts at the student pilot level that will allow them to be nurtured through their instructor certifications and beyond.
“Someone you meet at the conference could give you your next job,” Geraci said.
NAFI chair Karen Kalishek agrees with the premise as a means of broadening the educational experience.
“Following the success of previous National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) conferences, we are excited to expand the audience by partnering with AeroSummit,” Kalishek said. “The co-hosted Ascend Flight Training Summit (Ascend) offers student pilots, flight instructors, and flight school owners great networking and educational programming with industry-expert panels, presentations, and roundtable sessions. Attendees can also meet with airline representatives and those experienced in aviation careers, such as ATC, AME, DPE, A&P, military, and airline pilots. It’s moving to know that participants will make long-term and life-changing connections at Ascend.”
Geraci noted there will be multiple vendors on-site in support of aviation education. Expect to see flight schools and products that make them more efficient, such as scheduling software and student-tracking programs.The event will also feature multiple seminars and mixers that will allow attendees to make contacts in the industry and perhaps find mentors to help them grow.
“Our goal is to get everybody in the same room,” Geraci said. “Annd whether you’re a CFI, whether you’re a student, if you’re there, you’ll pick up some knowledge, something that you’d like to achieve.”
In addition to networking, the event will offer seminars that can be used to obtain FAA WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program credits that can help a pilot maintain proficiency and perhaps lower insurance costs.