Aaron Dabney

This is Dabney’s sixth NAFI Master accreditation and distinguishes him as a Bronze Master Legacy Instructor.

Dabney’s earliest memories are of aviation. He grew up riding in the family J-3 Cub with his grandfather and uncle, and his family claims he was three months old the first time he went up. His Saturdays were spent at historic Ball Airport in Victoria, Texas, where he consumed a steady diet of flying stories from World War II veterans, agricultural pilots, and the many other characters who populated that gathering spot. Dabney eventually soloed the family Cub and is now its caretaker.

In 2009, Dabney earned his CFI/II and co-founded his first flight school with a close friend and business partner. It was there that he fell in love with teaching and running a small independent business, and he’s never looked back. He credits small business ownership for making him a better flight instructor, and vice-versa.

He and his wife Alisa now own Waco Flight Training in Waco, Texas, where he trains and mentors the instructional staff with a focus on serving as teachers rather than right-seat pilots. He is also an active contributor to the aviation sciences program at Baylor University. He serves there as assistant chief ground instructor and teaches the introductory course, as well as a first-of-its-kind, standalone course on the fundamentals of instructing.

Dabney is an active volunteer with NAFI, assisting with the Master Flight Instructor program and coordinating the monthly MentorLIVE broadcast. In 2022, he was elected to his first three-year term on the board of directors.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree in education from Baylor University. He has been married to his college sweetheart Alisa for nearly 20 years. They love to travel in their free time, including a yearly non-negotiable pilgrimage to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.