Kirk is our Chief Flight Instructor and began flying in Montana with stints in Minnesota, Daytona Beach and New Jersey. He has over 3000 hrs and 1800 hrs of instruction given across a wide range of aircraft. His FlightGest experience includes charter pilot, corporate shuttles and even aerial survey work. For example, his survey work in Canada, while flying just 200 feet over beautiful terrain, provided breathtaking views and experiences across the entire Canadian frontier – from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan to Calgary! Be sure to ask Kirk about his flying adventures.

Jimmy Steward is a home-grown CFI. He started flight training right here at FlightGest in November 2005 – earning the money to fly by cleaning FlightGest’s aircraft. He acquired his Private Pilot license in May 2006 and his Instrument Rating a few months later. Jimmy went on to obtain his Commercial license in January 2008 and received his flight instructor certificate in July 2008. Jimmy is a recent graduate of East Carolina University.

Owen began his flight training in 2000 at Lake Ridge Airport in Durham and finished his Private, Instrument, Commercial and CFI work at FlightGest. Owen received his CFI Instrument rating at Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma and currently has over 500 hours of flight time.  Owen graduated from NC Wesleyan with a BA in Business. He has lived in the Raleigh, NC area for the past seven years and enjoys flying and traveling.

Hanna-Mari began flying at the age of 14 in Finland. “I’ve wanted to fly since I was a little girl. As a teenager, I started flying gliders when my friend wanted somebody to sit with her in ground school. After a few, that was all I wanted to do.”  She moved to the US with her family in 2007, and got her commercial and CFI and now promotes flying among women as an officer in the women pilots association, The Ninety-Nines.  “For me, flying represents freedom, challenge, and independence. Also, it’s a way of relaxation and personal challenge.”

Casey is originally from Elkins, WV and moved to Raleigh in 1998. He has had an interest in aviation from the time he was young, reading flying magazines and dreaming about one day being able to fly. He earned his private certificate in 2001 while training at RDU and obtained his instructor’s certificate in 2008. Casey has a B.S. in Computer Science from West Virginia Institute of Technology and works full time as a Senior Systems Engineer. In addition to his passion for teaching and aviation, he loves spending time with his wife and two boys, riding motorcycles, hunting, fishing, cooking and gardening.

Clint obtained his Private Pilot license at Morristown, NC in 2002 and his Commercial and Flight Instructor ratings from FlightSafety in Vero Beach, FL. He previously instructed at FlightGest before pursuing a First Officer opportunity at Air Wisconsin airlines. After Air Wisconsin, he worked as a Business Analyst and part time instructor for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in Frederick, MD. Clint has a Bachelors degree in Applied Computer Studies from Penn State Univeristy and has a local, full time position as a Business Systems Analyst. For fun, Clint enjoys travel, golf, and hockey.

Brad is originally from Lynchburg, Virginia and grew up in Raleigh, NC. He attended Leesville Road High School and graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in marketing. He caught the aviation bug at an early age while flying with his dad, and he’s been hooked ever since. In addition to flying and helping others reach their aviation goals, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, working on cars and traveling (flying there of course).

Stephen grew up in Raleigh, NC where attended high school at Trinity Academy of Raleigh. He is currently a Park Scholar at North Carolina State University studying Aerospace Engineering. His passion for aviation was inspired by his grandfather’s stories of flying and working in the airline industry beginning in the 1940′s. Stephen loves to introduce others to aviation and has spent several summers volunteering with a youth aviation camp in Lakeland, FL. When not studying for class or hanging around the airport, Stephen is active with NC State’s Chorale and aerospace honors society.

Matthew started his flight training in 2005 at Bridgewater State College in MA and received his Private in Jan 2006. He went on to obtain his instrument, commercial, multi-engine, CFI and CFII and graduated with a BS in flight science in 2008. After graduation he moved to Jacksonville, NC where he was a CFI and then assistant chief instructor until Nov 2011, obtaining 2000 flight hours. He works full time as a Training Supervisor for TAC Air and has relocated to the Raleigh area.

David is originally from Rochester, NY where he worked in a family business and was a volunteer firefighter for 22 years. He moved to Cary in 2003 with his family to start a business of his own. David originally soloed at 18 years old, and he always knew he’d come back to flying someday. He began flight training during the summer of 2007 at the Sanford-Lee Co airport (now called Raleigh Exec Jetport), earning his Private Pilot certificate in Feb 2008, followed by his Instrument rating in 2010. After taking some time off from training and enjoying what flying has to offer, David earned his Commercial certificate on Dec 18, 2011 and his CFI Certificate exactly one year later. David has experience in a wide variety of aircraft and is also a Cirrus owner. He enjoys sharing his passion for flying with others and traveling to new destinations with his wife, Sue.