 Hometown: Watertown, WI Hometown Airport: KRYV Occupation: Flight Instructor Education: BA, Journalism; BA, Art History, Ohio State University Pilot Certificates: Commercial, CFII, Advanced Ground Instructor Airplanes Flying/Flown: Cessna 177A, Citabria 7GCBC, Cirrus SR22; Aeronca, Taylorcraft, and various Cessna and Piper aircraft Education Specialty: Tailwheel training, Cirrus transition training, Private and Instrument training |
Q & A
| What drew you to aviation? The art, science, and joy of flight.How long have you been involved in aviation education? More than 5 years.
What’s your favorite part of what you do in aviation education? Watching a pilot achieve a goal, such as flying a first solo or mastering a maneuver – whether it’s a student pilot-in-training or a certificated pilot learning something new. What’s your least favorite part of what you do in aviation education? Working with pilots who don’t take the training syllabus seriously or who want to take shortcuts. Do you have a memorable aviation experience you’d like to share? Flying upside down for the first time. When I was a new private pilot I learned some basic aerobatics in a Citabria 7ECA. After spins came loops. It was so much fun — and a great learning experience! Why did you join SAFE? I’d like to learn from other instructors and share ideas so I can help make pilots safer and more proficient. What would you like to see change in aviation? First, I’d like to see pilots learn good stick-and-rudder skills from the start and maintain those skills throughout their careers. In addition, I’d like to see pilots, especially private pilots who fly for personal use, fly more often and be more engaged in aviation. Any suggestions on how the above might be accomplished? We should impress upon pilots-in-training the importance of maneuvering the airplane with good technique, using scenarios in which the eyes, ears and seat of the pants are emphasized over use of the flight instruments. We also must expose new pilots to aviation opportunities that they don’t learn about in their training programs. Any accomplishments in, or noteworthy contributions to aviation and/or aviation education you’d like to mention? I am a contributing pilot for Pilots and Paws and have flown two rescue missions in a Cessna 177A. Who are your role models in aviation? Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Beryl Markham, Ernest K. Gann, Louise Thaden, and many more who are still among us flying today. |