Master Aviation Danbury Ct

[Gaetan Boren]

TimTucker has done more to advance helicopter training around the world than any instructor in the post-Vietnam era. His expertise, knowledge and experience have been an invaluable asset in the training and evaluation of helicopter pilots for over 50 years.

Tim became an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner in 1984 and has spent the last 40 years administering private through ATP, including initial CFI and instrument instructor, helicopter practical tests. He has given tests in 26 different helicopter types and when he retired in March 2024, had conducted 8,794 helicopter practical tests, which he estimates to be more than any other helicopter pilot examiner in FAA history. He has logged an incredible 7,514 hours as an FAA pilot examiner.

Powley graduated from the Air Force Academy and served more than 23 years as a fighter pilot, flight instructor, and test pilot, including two tours in Vietnam flying 347 missions in the F-4 and A-7. After his retirement from the Air Force in 1991, Powley continued to share his passion for aviation by volunteering his time to train pilots. He founded FLIGHT Foundation (Flight Lesson Instructional Grants Helping Teens) and has personally raised over $1.9 million. He has flown almost 12,000 students on more than 4,000 discovery flights, most of which were free.

Powley has been an active member and leader in many aviation organizations, including the Air Force Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association and NAFI. In 2010 he received the A Scott Crossfield Aerospace Science Teacher of the Year Award for the from the National Aviation Hall of Fame. The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame (TAHOF) created a special award to recognize him that same year (Tennessee Aviation Person of the Year). In 2011 he received Tennessee's highest aviation recognition -the Career Contributions to Aviation Award and, in 2013, was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall-of-Fame.

The General Aviation Awards Committee recognized Catherine in 2018 as the FAA Safety Representative of the Year, and the FAA Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year in 2020. In 2018, Catherine was also inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame and earned the Award for Exemplary Teaching by Sewanee: The University of the South where she is Professor of Mathematics.

During graduate studies toward her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Catherine approached the local flight school for lessons; alas, her teaching assistant stipend sufficed to cover her living expenses and not much more. Still, she took her math homework to the airport just to watch the airplanes come and go.

While Catherine planned to settle back in California, a small liberal arts college with an airport on campus caught her eye. She accepted a position as Professor of Mathematics at Sewanee: The University of the South but busied herself for the next several years establishing her career as a professional mathematician. In May of 1999, she earned tenure at the university, gave birth to her first son, and immediately ran to the airport and signed up for flying lessons at the Sewanee Franklin County Airport (KUOS).

During her training toward a private pilot certificate, Catherine met aviation author and aerobatic instructor William K Kershner who took an interest in her mathematics background. She learned about the science of flight by assisting him with some of the mathematics in his aviation manuals. Catherine fell head over heels for aerobatics which she learned from Kershner. He introduced her to the University of Tennessee Space Institute where Catherine assisted with research projects, served as a test pilot and spin demonstration pilot, and studied graduate courses in aerodynamics and aviation systems.

After earning her flight instructor certificate, Catherine joined Kershner as an aerobatic instructor at his Ace Aerobatic School and continues the tradition of sharing safety with pilots in Sewanee since his passing in 2007. She also directs the Sewanee Flying Tigers, a flight school owned by Sewanee: The University of the South.

With many other goals yet ahead, Catherine continues her education in aviation as well as her mission of promoting safety. In her spare time, she loves traveling the country with her sons Jack and Pete in their acrobatic Beechcraft Bonanza.

Ron has logged more than 4,000 hours of dual instruction given, nearly 1,300 of those hours in the past five years. He instructs at locations throughout Florida, where he also serves as a mentor and advocate for emerging and young pilots and CFIs. Before relocating to Florida, Ron lived in North Texas and provided flight training in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Ron is an ATP-AMEL, Commercial-ASEL, CFI-IA, MEI-IA, AGI-Instrument, and Remote Pilot. He is a NAFI Master CFI and Master Ground Instructor, a Gold Seal Instructor, and an American Bonanza Society (ABS) Master Aviator. Ron is particularly well-known in the Beech community due to his active involvement in the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) and Bonanza/Baron Pilot Training (BPT) program.

A pilot since 1972 and CFI since 1979, Greg was 2000 Industry/FAA National Flight Instructor of the Year, winner of the 1999 NATA Excellence in Pilot Training Award, and the 2013 AOPA Let's Go Flying Award. In 1997 he was designated the first-ever Master Flight Instructor.

In addition to twenty years as AOPA Flight Training columnist, he contributed countless flight-training-related articles and columns to NAFI Mentor, Aviation for Women, Flight School Business News, AOPA Pilot, Be-a-Pilot Newsletter, and Airport Business Journals, and syndicated columns to several independent websites.

The Savvy Flight Instructor: Secrets of the Successful CFI, now in its second edition, was the first and still only dedicated book on how to succeed in the flight training business, from marketing to profitability to customer satisfaction. This book was offered as a membership premium by the National Association of Flight Instructors.

You Can Fly! (with Laurel and Tom Lippert) targets aspiring pilots with a simple primer and compelling color photos on the process and privileges of earning a private, recreational, or sport pilot certificate.

Greg earned an MFA in Industrial Design and a BS in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, following Integrated Liberal Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a graduate student, he conducted design research at the University of Illinois Aviation Research Lab on then-cutting-edge electronic-flight-display symbology. He is an emeritus member of the Dean's Advisory Council, College of Arts & Letters, Northern Arizona University.

Brown holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with Boeing 737 type rating, and Flight Instructor certificate with all fixed-wing aircraft ratings including glider. Along with flight training he has flown professionally in both scheduled and corporate aviation, and currently pilots his Cessna Skylane, the Flying Carpet, extensively for personal business and pleasure.

After a dismal failure in a business for which they did not have a passion, John and Martha King decided to relax and indulge their love of flying for a while. In the early 1970s, they began teaching flying to mark time while looking for a "serious business." After teaching live seminars for over a decade they put their courses on video and began to revolutionize the flight training industry.

Today their company, King Schools, Inc which started in a spare bedroom in the Kings house, operates out of a dedicated complex in San Diego, California that includes a video and software production facility.

King Schools continues to transform pilot training by pioneering the development of multimedia training programs on many aviation subjects including ground-breaking programs on aviation risk management.

Through the years, the Kings have retained their enthusiasm for flying. They fly their own Dassault Falcon 10 jet wherever they go, swapping captain and copilot duties on each leg. They have flown as pilots in every continent of the world except Antarctica, including a trip completely around the world via the length of Russia.

In September of 1994 John and Martha became the first and only couple to both hold every category and class of FAA rating on their pilot and instructor certificates. Martha is the only woman to achieve this complete ratings sweep. They remain active in many categories, regularly flying everything from jets to piston airplanes and helicopters. They have enjoyed periodically serving as back-up pilots for the Fujifilm blimp. They have flown the blimp over such events as the Kentucky Derby, the Davis Cup, the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and the Experimental Aircraft Association convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their airship adventures have been part of national television coverage on the Fox, ESPN, CBS, and USA networks.

The Kings appear frequently on national TV as aviation experts. They also have starred in numerous video presentations on Microsofts Flight Simulator program providing instruction for the "Getting Started" Wizard and for numerous informational topics. Plus, they were featured on CNN's "Business Unusual."

John and Martha have been champions for the cause of improving the risk management practices of general aviation pilots and they speak to thousands of pilots each year on aviation safety. They work with the FAA's National Aviation Safety Program in producing safety videos. They also volunteer their time to speak to college classes on starting a small business.

For many years both John and Martha served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Air and Space Museum and of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. John is previous Chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation, and they are now both on the Honorary Board. Martha was formerly the Chair of the Chancellors Community Advisory Board of the University of California, San Diego.

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