I first visited Disneyland as a young boy...
My favorite ride was America the Beautiful, filmed in Circle-Vision 360°. I wanted to ride this over and over again. It was state-of-the art, featuring flying scenes across America at low altitude set to spectacular music. Today, kids and adults know the latest version of this ride as California Soarin'.
How wonderful it is, as a professional flight instructor, to bring my childhood excitement to real life while you get to fly an amazing aircraft!
The safety of you and your family is our highest priority.
Bringing confidence to the cockpit ensures you and your family will feel comfortable every time they fly. All passengers wear life preservers at all times, and we also carry a 4 person life raft. The aircraft is equipped with a standard parachute system. See our safety page for more.
Your Personal Certified Flight Instructor.
As a professional Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument (CFII) and former Cirrus Factory Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) with over 5,000 flight hours and nearly 30 years of aviation experience, I have instructed Astronauts and NASA scientists, taught 8 year olds and a 68 year old grandmother. Having lived in Maui for nearly 15 years, you can feel confident that I know my airplane and these islands.
While earning a B.Sc. degree in Physics from the University of California, San Diego, I studied as a research assistant for the California Space Institute, working under Dr. Sally K. Ride (America's first female Astronaut).
I have also sat on the Board of Commissioners overseeing the State of Hawaii airport system, worked with AOPA and owned the largest regional air carrier serving the Grand Canyon from Southern California. Now, my passion is to share the thrill of flying, science and the majesty of Hawaii which can only be appreciated through General Aviation.
Each participant receives a Certificate of Flight Training under Federal Aviation Regulations Part § 61.189.
Our Cirrus SR22 G3 GTS-X, is owned and operated to the highest standards. My family continues to fly in this same aircraft all over Hawaii, the US and Canada. It's not just a plane to us, its a member of our ohana.
Never flown before?
That's ok! I will instruct you on the basics of flying including takeoff and landing.
It's a fantastic first flight experience! No previous experience is necessary.
Living the dream...
As a kid growing up near the local airport I had always been attracted to the idea of the kind of freedom those flying in and out must enjoy. Everything about airplanes and pilots interested me.
Throughout the years growing up, I was always the one bugging the pilots up in the cockpit before and after every commercial flight.
As a young general contractor in the Pacific North West, the day finally came for me to see for myself what it was really all about. Back in 1991 my first flight ever in a small plane was my first lesson as well, it was a little tail-dragger on a grass strip. One flight and the hook was set.
All those years wondering what it would be like were now behind me, and I’ve been flying ever since.
From 1991 to 2007 flying was all about the pure enjoyment of aviating anywhere and everywhere my family and I felt like going. Those were fun years for us all, and my middle son is now a commercial pilot because of that experience.
In 2007, the timing was finally right to switch careers and turn my hobby into a profession. Since then I have spent much time providing all types of flight instruction from first-timers to advanced pilots.
Our family decided to make Maui our home in 2011. My son and I have flown the Islands daily ever since, as both Island Commuter pilots flying Cessna Caravans, and flying the King Air.
Today I am lucky enough to enjoy sharing my passion for aviation and the remarkable beauty of the Hawaiian Islands with you, through Maui Flight Academy.
I hope to see you soon, you’ll love it!
When I was young I watched men walk on the moon and I can honestly say that led me to become a pilot. Over the years, aviation has allowed me to made countless Atlantic crossings, fly a the wealthiest Wall Street barons and Hollywood celebrities as well as serve the poorest among us as a humanitarian pilot in Africa. Flying a government contract in Afghanistan took me from the Buddhas of Bamiyan to makeshift landing strips in the Afghan desert where one could encounter a camel train as easily as a fierce sand storm.
I currently fly as an air ambulance pilot here on Maui and have over two thousand hours as an instructor, most of which were in the high mountains of Colorado. I am motivated to explore Hawaii by the rich culture, history, and science being conducted here each day. Maui Flight Academy fosters that curiosity as well as provides a stunning platform in which to share the unique and diverse stories of the most isolated islands in the world.
Our flight instructors
© 2014 N779LB, LLC dba Maui Flight Academy
808-298-5188 or 919-MAUI-FLY
