Who is this guy?

A veteran aviator, I was born into a family of pilots. My father flew the B-25 Mitchell Bomber while stateside during WWII. And as an instructor pilot, he trained P-51 Mustang pilots returning from war to obtain their multi-engine certificates.

With a background steeped in aviation and training, I spent almost 20 years at various senior management levels in Silicon Valley high-tech companies including managing Apple's worldwide training organization for 10 years.

Later as an aircraft owner, my passion returned to its roots and I became a certified flight instructor in 2001. Although most of the teaching I do today is for CFI's, CFII's and MEI's, as an FAA "Gold Seal" Instructor I've amassed over 6,000 instructional hours given to pilots of every level of certification. All the while, my focus has been on safety.

As a Californian and Western Pacific DPE, I'm acutely aware that "perfection is not the standard" when complying with government test standards and also what is required to honestly evaluate and assess a pilot's skills. Safety supersedes standards.

I pride myself in not only being fair, but also being thorough when conducting each and every objective and unbiased check ride. If you have an unsatisfactory outcome on your first attempt, I'll work with you and your instructor to ensure you become a much better airman as a result. If you receive a Temporary Airman's Certificate, you can be proud that you have honestly earned what you have worked so hard to achieve.