After several months of turbulence, the Auburn University flight school appears to be back on level wings.
Wayne Ceynowa will be the school's new chief flight instructor.
"Auburn is very fortunate to be able to attract someone with Mr. Ceynowa's credentials," said Joe Hanna, director of aviation and supply chain management. "Wayne's experience will be a tremendous asset to our entire program and will be particularly beneficial to our students."
Ceynowa is enthusiastic about his new post.
"It's certainly the reputation of the school that is impressive," Ceynowa said. "It's also very impressive that the University has its own airport."
Ceynowa comes to Auburn with several decades of flight experience. He will leave his post as a training manager at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"I've been in this business for several years, and I always enjoy trying new things," Ceynowa said.
The Auburn flight school has faced uncertainty since an incident on the afternoon of May 28 that led to the resignation of former Chief Flight Instructor Rae Williams.
Williams and former flight student Berry Brown crash-landed a Cessna 172 RG.
Because of a communication breakdown between the two, the landing gear was not deployed, causing damage to the plane's underbelly and propeller, according to Hanna.
Both Williams and Brown were unavailable for comment.
However, in a Twitter post, Brown confirmed the crash.
"Crash-landed a plane last Friday during a check ride... not fun," he posted on June 1.
Williams resigned shortly after an FAA investigation of the crash determined the incident was a result of human error.
"He felt he had lost the confidence of some of the leadership within the program to lead," Hanna said. "And at that point, he felt it was in the best interest of the program to resign."
The loss of the chief flight instructor changed Auburn's flight program from an FAA Part 141 designation to Part 61. Because of the change in classification, the program could no longer issue exams for flight certification itself. Instead, the program has been forced to bring in an outside examiner to certify its pilots.
Ceynowa is not ignoring the recent incident.
"In a situation like that you have to look at the bases of training to see what's in place now and if anything needs shoring up," Ceynowa said. "You have to look at the program's strengths and weaknesses."
Hanna said the program faced some issues during the absence of the flight instructor, but they were addressed on a student-by-student basis.
The hiring of a new chief flight instructor will eventually enable the program to return to a Part 141 certification, though the exact time frame is not clear.
Ceynowa is set to begin as the new flight instructor on Oct. 4, but "ultimately the FAA has control over the certification," Hanna said. "It is dependent on their decision about whether we get our certification back."
Regardless of when the certification is back in place for the flight school, Ceynowa is ready to begin his new post.
"When I made my visit to Auburn, I met some very friendly people, and I am looking forward to working with them," Ceynowa said.
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