SAFE #: 186
Website: http://faaflighttest.us
Hometown: Ithaca NY, United States
Home Airport: KITH
Occupation: FAA Pilot Examiner, 141 Chief Instructor, Manager EHFC
Education: Most recently MAPP degree at University of Pennsylvania
Pilot Certificates: ATP Single and Multi, Commercial Glider and Seaplane, CFI all fixed wing
Airplanes Flying/Flown: PC-12NG as 135 Captain, 500 series Citation Jets.
Q & A
What drew you to aviation?: I was 15 at Hershey Park riding the ferris wheel with my brother and saw little planes taking off and landing nearby. My mom bought us a ride and I was smitten; I immediately started flying (and never stopped)! Interestingly, my brother will to this day still not get in *any* plane (even an airliner).
How long have you been involved in aviation education?: I was a ground instructor teaching ground schools starting in 1985, then a flight instructor and 141 chief instructor at East Hill Flying Club for 25 years. I have been a DPE for the FAA since 1996 and now keep busy flying jet charter. I still teach and test pilots in little planes every week.
What’s your favorite part of what you do in aviation education?: Meeting and working with amazing, motivated people. I have met some unbelievable “movers and shakers.” I truly learn something every day!
What’s your least favorite part of what you do in aviation education?: The weather delays and disappointments for students and the ones who cannot learn. Unfortunately, for whatever reason some are are unsuccessful in reaching their goals and that is heartbreaking.
Do you have a memorable aviation experience you’d like to share?: Good thing: Flying a Cessna 210 to Antigua over the beautiful Caribbean and later to Alaska. Bad thing: Night time single engine failure in a Cessna 152 with a student. (freshly out of annual but they put so much “anti-seize” on the spark plugs that it ran into the engine about 40 minutes into the flight as it heated up and shorted out the plugs!) That got my attention, but we lived and the student finished his certificate.
