For Kern Award Winner Nick Treglia Instructing is Gratifying

June 9, 2021

Nick Treglia’s bio is long and impressive – nearly 10,000 hours of flight time in fixed and rotary wing aircraft, a distinguished military career in naval aviation, a stint as Flight Safety International director of safety and flight instructor for the U.S. Army C-12 (King Air) qualification course, and now Aviation Performance Solutions (APS) lead at Alabama’s Dothan Training Center and senior APS upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) instructor.

What Treglia’s bio doesn’t tell you is what he loves to do the most – teach pilots to be the safest and best they can be.

“I’m always thinking, how can I best help them? How can I do it better? How can I teach that different person?” said Treglia. “I never get bored teaching. I feel like I learn more than I’ve ever been able to teach. Teaching is a mission for me.”

Treglia, one of the recipients of NBAA’s 2020 Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award, is passionate about his current work overseeing and instructing APS’ UPRT training, conducted as part of a contract with the U.S. Army.

“UPRT is life-saving training,” declared Treglia. “So much of it is human factors. Our simulator and flight training really helps our students connect the dots.”

Most of the students at the Dothan Training Center are young adults, fresh out of flight school. They also are low-time rotary-wing pilots who receive their UPRT training in Grob 120 fixed-wing aircraft. Treglia and his staff of flight and simulator instructors are very aware of the trust that is essential in UPRT training, as well as the example they set for professionalism and safety.

“We set the standard for them,” said Treglia. “We become their mentors. Often, we get to see them again when they come back for additional training.”

Treglia enjoyed his career in naval aviation and savors his current vocation as instructor and his role in ensuring quality and standardization across the programs at the Dothan Training Center.

“Aviation is a career that attracts people who are passionate and motivated about what they do,” said Treglia. “And whether they are civilian or military, the safety concerns are the same.”