I would like to thank you for choosing me to help guide you through the process of getting your pilot's license. First, I feel it is important to tell you a little bit about myself.
I first started flying when my brother gave me a gift certificate for flying lessons as a Christmas gift. This was back in 1985. The gift certificate was for $300. Back then, this gave me about five hours of flight time in a Cessna 152 with a flight instructor.
I found a local flight school in Saratoga Springs, New York, and scheduled an appointment. A few days later, I had that great feeling of freedom we all have the first time we go flying. Subsequently, I flew every Saturday until the gift certificate ran out. My brother's company had two airplanes, so I flew with him as often as possible in the company Cessna 182.
At the time, I was going to college and working construction. I looked into the service and inquired about joining the Navy (this was just after Top Gun had been released), but without a four-year degree, I was only eligible for one of their programs that would have kept me in the service for 14 years. I did not have a problem with four years, but 14? That was a very long commitment for only the slight chance of flying an F-14, and there were no guarantees, so I decided to look at other options.
Eventually I decided on the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics in Oakland, California. I went there for a weekend to examine the school. When I returned to New York, I informed my friends and family I was going to move to California to go to flight school. Within three weeks, I was in California beginning my flight training at an FAA-approved Part 141 flight school on the other side of the country.
Within a year, I had all of my ratings through multi-engine flight instructor. I had friends from New York at Arizona State University, so I decided to move to Arizona.
For two years, I worked as a flight instructor for a local school. At the same time, I went back to school and graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with two degrees in Professional Aeronautics.
After that, I was bouncing around between flight schools and flying clubs as a freelance instructor. I was also working part-time, building experimental Glassair III Airplanes.
After a while, I decided that I should start leasing airplanes. I eventually owned five airplanes and had four flight instructors working for me. During this time, I also donated my time teaching seminars for the FAA and the local EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association).
In 1998, the National Association of Flight Instructors started awarding a Master CFI designation. The award went to the countries most dedicated flight instructors. My friend Greg Brown was the first recipient, and though I don't know exactly which one I was, there were only 30 of us that first year.
All this time, I was still running my flight school and flying with students. At one point, I also worked for a local air charter business. In 2004, I decided that there was no way I was going to be able to retire owning a flight school, so I closed the doors and stopped flying for about a year.
Jump ahead to 2005. I was still getting calls from students who had flown with me for more than ten years, so I decided to get back in the air again. Once again I was teaching students, which I continue to do until this day (August 2008), flying out of three airports in the metro Phoenix area.
To date, I have trained more than 300 students while in an airplane. Additionally, I have taught numerous seminars and ground school classes. Some of my ratings and hours are:
Airfreddy's Pilot Ratings:
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Early in life, I realized that I liked helping others. There were many times that other flight instructors would give up on students. I helped those same students pass; that in itself is a great feeling. I am not an instructor who will allow a student to easily quit. Part of that includes making learning as cost-effective as possible.
I am also in the process of putting a mentoring program together. If you are on my email list I will keep you informed of the latest information. I am here to help you understand the process. Please remember, I was once in your shoes as a student pilot. Before that, I was just dreaming and didn't know how to go about it just like you are now!
If you have any suggestions on this website or its content, please email me at :
*NOTE* Please Do Not Send Flight Training Inquiries Through the above Email. If you would like info on flight training, please visit me at my contact page.
Airfreddy's Guide On Learning To Fly
Arizona Flight Training and Flight Instruction
Airfreddy's Newsletter
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