WICHITA, Kan., March 22, 2011 — Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, congratulates Judy Phelps of CP Aviation for being named Certified Flight Instructor of the Year for 2011 by the General Aviation Awards program. CP Aviation is a Cessna Pilot Center in Santa Paula, Calif.
"All of us at Cessna are very proud of Judy for this honor, proud of her work as one of our nation's leading flight instructors and proud to have her as part of the Cessna Pilot Center network," said Julie Filucci, Cessna manager of Cessna Pilot Centers. "She exemplifies the dedication to sound student training we believe is critical to the ongoing success of the CPC process."
Phelps owns CP Aviation at Santa Paula Airport (SZP) with her husband, Clay, who also is a CFI. Phelps has conducted more than 5,000 hours of flight training ranging from primary, instrument and commercial instruction as well as tailwheel endorsements, experimental aircraft checkouts, emergency maneuver, spin and aerobatic training.
Phelps is a three-time Master CFI-Aerobatic — the country's first and only woman to earn that certification. She is an active member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, the Ninety-Nines, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, the International Aerobatic Club and Women in Aviation. She currently serves as president of the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula.
The mission of the General Aviation Awards program is to recognize individual aviation professionals on the local, regional and national levels for their contributions to aviation, education and flight safety. The program is a cooperative effort between more than a dozen general aviation industry sponsors and the Federal Aviation Administration.
