The longtime contributor to NAFI publications exemplifies the spirit of mentorship in flight
instruction.
— August 5, 2024 The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) has announced
the 2024 winner of the Greg J. Laslo Excellence in Writing Award to James “Steve” Rutland.
Laslo served as NAFI’s editor from 2000 to 2011, and the award in his name has been presented since
2013 to a person or team who has made an exceptional contribution to NAFI publications.
Beth Stanton, NAFI’s director of publications and editor-in-chief of Mentor, the association’s magazine,
said in a prepared statement, “Steve is one of the most impressive individuals I have ever met. As director
of publications and editor for NAFI, I come across some seriously inspiring people. Steve astonishes me.
“Steve shares his vast experience and knowledge in multiple ways: in the cockpit, classroom, flight
simulator, and in writing,” Stanton continued. “He has served as a mentor to countless military and
civilian flight instructors. He continues that service to the NAFI community through his articles in Mentor
magazine.”
With a career encompassing both military and civilian fixed- and rotor-wing flying, Rutland has 21,000
accident-free hours total, with 18,000 hours as a flight instructor. He’s trained thousands of students to fly.
“I’d like to thank everyone at NAFI who put me in for this support, especially for editor Beth Stanton,”
said Rutland at the NAFI Member Breakfast awards ceremony at EAA AirVenture on July 25. “I’d also
like to thank my daughter, Jenny, who helped edit all the articles that I wrote. I’d especially like to thank
my wife Marsha—she has proofread every article I have ever written. I really appreciate the career that
I’ve had.”
Rutland took with him a plaque engraved with the art from a handful of articles he’d written over the
course of his contributions to NAFI’s Mentor magazine. He intends to keep writing, though he noted, at
age 72, he may soon be retiring from active flight instruction.
