About Me

I began my aviation journey with my first flying lesson in 1982, earning my Private Pilot license in 1984. By 1987, I embarked on a career as a full-time flight instructor and developed the Emergency Maneuver Training (EMT) Program. In 2001, I became the country’s first Master CFI-Aerobatics and served on the Master Instructors LLC Board of Review.

I was named the 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year and the 2014 National FAASTeam Rep of the Year. As a Charter and Life Member of SAFE, I have also dedicated more than two decades to aviation-themed STEM outreach, fostering a new generation of passionate aviators.
  • PARE® – The Emergency Spin Recovery Procedure, 1990
  • Emergency Maneuver Training, 1996; translated into Japanese, 2001 and Chinese, 2023
  • Light Airplane Pilot’s Guide to Stall/Spin Awareness, 2007
  • Learn to Turn, 2021
  • The Nine Principles of Light Airplane Flying, 2022
  • Getting Ready for Spins…
  • Stall/Spin Awareness
  • Emergency Maneuver Training
  • Basic Aerobatics
  • Loss of Aircraft Control: Avoiding Spins, 2000
  • Loss of Aircraft Control: Avoiding Upsets, 2001
  • Loss of Aircraft Control: Avoiding Spatial Disorientation, 2002
  • Created the Aviation Learning Center channel on Youtube in 2009
  • Scripted and flew the Teachable Moment, “Spins from Botched Hammerheads in a Pitts” for IAC
  • StuntMasters TV show
  • MSNBC’s “Airshows – Flying on the Edge”
  • FX’s “Hurt Bert”
  • Discovery Channel’s “Is It True?”
  • Interviewed on several aviation radio and podcast programs over the years
  • Authored more than 80 articles published in various aviation magazines & newsletters
  • Conducted over 450 aviation-related seminars/webinars
  • Created more than a dozen core topic PowerPoint presentations
  • Created the “Maneuvering at Low Altitude: Spins” CFI Forum for SAFE and the FAASTeam
  • Conducted hands-on training clinics and seminars in 22 States stretching from Alaska to Florida, California to Massachusetts, as well as the District of Columbia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and New Zealand
  • Conducted live spin training demonstrations during the Sun-n-Fun Fly-in, 1992
  • Developed the Aerobatic Instructor Designation Program (a derivative of the Master Instructor Program) in 2006
  • Developed the Emergency Maneuver Training (EMT) Program in 1987
  • Training Course Outline for the EMT Program approved under Part 141 in 1994
  • EMT Program Modules I, II, & III recognized by the FAA as approved courses under the Wings Program
  • Registered Trademarks: PARE (spin recovery acronym)
  • Other Trademarks: EMT; The Learn to Aviate Series; Separation + Elevation (wake turbulence avoidance strategy); Speed – Spot – Set-up (hierarchy following an engine failure); Power – Push – Roll (recovery strategy for spirals & other banked upsets); Learn to Turn; Airpseed + G-load = Curved Flight
Shopping Cart