Located at WNC Air Museum Airport, also known as Johnson Field, immediately adjacent to the Hendersonville Airport.

Phone: (828) 460-3646 cell

email: smokiescfi1@gmail.com

If you are looking for an experienced, dedicated, professional instructor, in the Asheville, Hendersonville, or Greenville area, please consider what myself and the other instructors at Blue Ridge Sport Flight LLC have to offer.

 I am the most active instructor in North Carolina, with over 15,000 hours of instruction given.  I am a career Certificated Flight Instructor, and the only instructor in western North Carolina to earn NAFI Master Instructor twice.  The National Association of Flight Instructors issues the Master Flight Instructor title only after conducting a thorough review of the instructor's credentials, experience, education, reputation, service to the community, and contributions to aviation education.

My wife Pam and I, moved to Hendersonville from Perry, Georgia, in July of 2006.  I instructed for Aerolina at the Hendersonville Airport for 4 years, during which time I had 46 students pass checkrides.  I also flew professionally for Southern Light and Sound, flew Stearman Biplane rides, and operated my own Sport Pilot and tailwheel training school, Blue Ridge Sport Flight LLC.

In October of 2010,  I made the decision to focus more on developing accelerated training programs that I offer through my own school, Blue Ridge Sport Flight LLC.  At that time I moved from the Hendersonville Airport, to the WNC Air Museum Airport, and purchased a Cessna C-172 for Private and Instrument training.  Hendersonville has lacked a trainer with modern avionics for training, so I equipped my C-172 with the latest WAAS enabled GPS, synthetic vision, electronic flight book, and XM weather.  In addition to myself, we contracted with several local career instructors with remarkable experience to assist.

I currently instruct full time at the WNC Air Museum Airport in Hendersonville, which is also known as Johnson Field, and is adjacent to the Hendersonville Airport.  My hangar is located just a mile from exit 53 on I-26.  Hendersonville is a relaxed, but challenging environment, within minutes of the controlled airspace at Asheville Regional, Greenville Downtown, Greer, and some of the area's most interesting mountain runways.

I am also an active licensed aircraft mechanic, with Inspection Authorization.   I have built 3 experimental aircraft.  I provide annual inspections, condition, and pre-purchase inspections.  One of the interesting aspects of training here with me is that my students have the opportunity to learn first hand what is involved in the daily ownership and maintenance of an aircraft. 

I took my first flight 46 years ago, in 1978, with the USAF Civil Air Patrol at Republic Airport in New York, and entered the United States Marine Corps in 1984 where I served with VMA-214 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.  I have instructed at 10 different flight schools under both Part 61 and Part 141, and have been both an assistant Chief, and Chief Flight Instructor.  I have experience as a Corporate Pilot, a Farm Service Administration Survey Pilot, and I have been a United States Air Force Flight Screener.

I have more than 15,000 hours of flight instruction time with a 95%  first time pass rate for my students.  The Gold Seal on my Instructor's Certificate is only issued by the FAA to very active instructors that maintain high standards and pass rates.  I am qualified to instruct in everything from light two seat ultralights, to cabin class twin engine airplanes.  I am factory trained in advanced systems and aircraft like the Cirrus SR-22 and the Columbia 350.  I am Flight Safety trained in the King Air 200/300 series. 

I have personally owned and maintained 8 different aircraft.  I have built several experimentals that are still flying.  My students learn about all of the ins and outs of aircraft ownership and maintenance first hand, which is invaluable when it comes time to purchase your own.  I gladly assist my former students with pre-purchase advice and inspections, as well as maintenance after purchasing.

Whether your goal is to simply become a weekend Private Pilot, or to become a professional Airline Transport Pilot, myself and the other dedicated instructors at Blue Ridge Sport Flight LLC will devote ourselfs to helping you become the best pilot you can be.

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