Kern Award Winner Jared VanLue: Training Pilots is a Passion

Jan. 26, 2022

Jared VanLue has come a long way since living in a hangar while flight instructing right after college. Although he loved flight instructing, and still gives a few flight reviews and instrument refresher flights to people he knows, he now has more than 11,500 hours of flight time in Part 135 and 121 operations, including 2,000 in Convair 580s, 3,000 in Beechjets and 4,500 in various Airbus airliners.

Along the way, VanLue has become a recognized subject-matter expert for Advanced Aircrew Academy, where he is responsible for the creation and updating of training modules for business aviation pilots, including CFIT, security, loss of control and wake turbulence. His commitment to his work and his effectiveness contributed to his selection as one of the 2021 NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award recipients.

“I have a true passion for teaching fellow aviators, and I want to pass along to others the skills and knowledge I’ve learned,” said VanLue. “In developing the materials, I enjoy crafting a story the way pilots think, and I think it is received well. My goal is to create training modules that give pilots tools to keep themselves and their passengers safe.”

VanLue believes that his experience in both Part 121 operations (VanLue is currently flying for Spirit Airlines, in addition to his Advanced Aircrew Academy responsibilities) and Part 125/135/91K (cargo and fractional operators) is beneficial to his training role.

“I have to keep up with regulations for both my jobs,” said VanLue. “I am constantly updating materials based on the reams of information I get every day.”

Although he has been an Advanced Aircrew Academy expert for more than a decade, VanLue has also served as a ground instructor for a cargo operator, as well as an aircrew ground instructor for a fractional operator, conducting pilot recurrent classes and developing and conducting the new-hire pilot indoctrination program.

“I learned from Tony Kern that you have to critique every flight,” noted VanLue. “There is something to be learned from each and every flight, including the things you did right.”

With one foot in business aviation and the other in the commercial aviation, VanLue is well-suited to passing his knowledge on to aviators everywhere.