About

---

I began flying airplanes at age 14 while earning my aviation merit badge in the Boy Scouts of America. From that young age, I made every effort to get back in the air. At 16 I enrolled in the Utah Valley University flight training courses and began collecting pilot certificates. After some time as a flight instructor I eventually worked my way up to building and running the professional pilot programs as the Chief Flight Instructor at Southern Utah University where I trained and oversaw over 100 Flight Instructors for nearly a decade. After flight training I moved on to flying medevac operations for Guardian Flight and helping people in need in all 50 states of this great country utilizing their fleet of Beechcraft King Air and Pilatus PC12 turboprop aircraft.

Through my passion for flying, I have built a solid foundation piloting and instructing new and advanced pilots in hundreds of various aircraft including Cessna,  American Champion, Piper, Mooney, Beechcraft, Pilatus, Cirrus, Pitts, Tecnam, North American, Bell, Robinson and Diamond Aircraft with more than 6000 hours of total flight time in fixed-wing and rotor-wing operations. I have performed over 20,000 landings at over 400 different airports, from 1,000 foot dirt strips to the bussies airport in the world.  I have taken off from the highest airport in North America with a DA of over 12,000 feet and flown through the thunderstorm stricken plains of tornado alley. Throughout it all I have obtained a deep gratitude and respect for the gift of aviation, the amazing community it creates and this great country we have the privilege to live in.

Now that I have been flying for nearly a quarter of the history of powered flight, I also enjoy spreading my love of aviation as a Designated Pilot Examiner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA DPE). I have created qp Aviation as my way of giving back to the aviation community by using my experience and expertise to help develop the aviation industry in a way that is consistent with the vision, mission and core values of qp Aviation.

Vision Statement:

“To increase aviation safety, development, and enjoyment by growing the aviation community and empowering the pilots of tomorrow.”

Mission Statement:

“To stand as sentinel to public safety by ensuring certificated pilots’ knowledge and capabilities while giving wings to the dreams of future aviators.”

Core Values:

The core values of qp Aviation aligns with its vision statement and can be summarized with the acronym EMPOWER. These values provide a framework that guide my actions and undergird my ability to deliver the services consistent with my mission statement and empower the pilots of tomorrow.

• Empathy- I start each evaluation by putting myself in the place of the applicant, understanding their individual apprehension and desires, and customizing testing to fit their needs. I know what it is like to prepare for and take a checkride and I strive to provide the most enjoyable experience possible.
• Methodical- I utilize proven and predictable methods that allow for objective testing and fair outcomes. These processes ensure my legal compliance with the regulations of the industry.
• Professionalism- I strive to demonstrate professionalism in my conduct, dress, language, knowledge, and experience as I interact with those around me. I utilize my professional experience to give the most accurate and helpful evaluations possible.
• Observant- I endeavor to remain vigilant while conducting an evaluation to accurately assess the knowledge level and decision-making capabilities of the applicant. 
• Welcoming- I create a warm and open environment for the applicant so that they can perform their tasks to the best of their abilities with minimal interference from the stress of the test itself.
• Exactness- I must ensure that applicants possess the required knowledge and skills to operate safely with the privileges they are seeking. Failure to accomplish this will result in the death of the applicant as well as others in the aircraft and on the ground.
• Reliability- Trust is an essential element inherent to aviation activities: without it I cannot and should not maintain the authority to operate highly expensive machines with people’s lives in the balance and I certainly could not serve in a position to give people the legal privileges to do so.