{"id":6570,"date":"2026-03-15T23:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/press-releases\/?p=6570"},"modified":"2026-03-15T23:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:26:40","slug":"brooklyn-park-minn-native-named-university-of-north-dakotas-certified-flight-instructor-of-the-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/press-releases\/2026\/03\/brooklyn-park-minn-native-named-university-of-north-dakotas-certified-flight-instructor-of-the-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Park, Minn., native named University of North Dakota\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sarah
Sarah Hines, the University of North Dakota\u2019s Certified Flying Instructor of the Month for February, stands by a Piper Archer single-engine aircraft on the tarmac at Grand Forks International Airport in Grand Forks, N.D. UND\u2019s Aerospace program trains students using a Grand Forks-based fleet of more than 100 aircraft. Photo courtesy of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

GRAND FORKS, N.D. \u2013 Sarah Hines, a University of North Dakota graduate and certified flight instructor from Brooklyn Park, Minn., was named UND\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month for February.<\/p>\n

A certified flight instructor is a pilot who has been trained in how to teach people how to fly. Flight instructors take students up in an aircraft and do much of their teaching in the cockpit.<\/p>\n

As part of the Certified Flight Instructor of the Month selection process, students of the CFIs are invited to submit nominations. \u201cI would like to nominate Sarah for CFI of the Month because she truly represents the highest level of education, service and safety at UND,\u201d one student wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is always thinking three steps ahead and is prepared for anything, schedule-wise. She takes the time to break concepts down clearly, patiently and thoroughly; she doesn\u2019t just tell me what to do, she explains the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything so I fully understand the reasoning and can make safe, confident decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving trained with at least 10 different CFIs over the years, I can confidently say Sarah brings together the best qualities of all of them in one instructor,\u201d the student continued. \u201cShe is someone I would recommend to anyone and, in my opinion, is the ideal UND CFI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hines is a graduate of Park Center Senior High School in Brooklyn Park, Minn. At UND, she majored in Commercial Aviation and graduated in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics degree.<\/p>\n

She holds Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instrument Instructor ratings.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my junior year of high school, I started thinking about getting into aviation and really wanted to fly planes,\u201d Hines said. \u201cThat summer, I signed up for the University of North Dakota Aerospace Camp, and that\u2019s what got me hooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlying became something possible and extremely exciting for me. It was no longer just a dream, but something tangible that was my future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is incredible how UND Aerospace is capable of teaching people who have never touched a plane before,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt makes you incredibly proud to be a part of a program like this and feels so wonderful that the work is recognized.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to become a captain and carry everything UND has taught me into the flight deck of a major airline.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GRAND FORKS, N.D. \u2013 Sarah Hines, a University of North Dakota graduate and certified flight instructor from Brooklyn Park, Minn., was named UND\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month for February. A certified flight instructor is a pilot who has been trained in how to teach people how to fly. Flight instructors take students up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBrooklyn Park, Minn., native named University of North Dakota\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month - Press Releases<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/press-releases\/2026\/03\/brooklyn-park-minn-native-named-university-of-north-dakotas-certified-flight-instructor-of-the-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brooklyn Park, Minn., native named University of North Dakota\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month - Press Releases\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GRAND FORKS, N.D. \u2013 Sarah Hines, a University of North Dakota graduate and certified flight instructor from Brooklyn Park, Minn., was named UND\u2019s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month for February. 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