Aviation has been my passion since early childhood. My other passion, which I discovered later in my life, was teaching. These two passions combined perfectly in being a flight instructor!
I obtained my Private, Instrument, and Commercial certificates at Palo Alto airport, and earned Flight Instructor certificate and Flight Instructor instrument rating here at Advantage Aviation.
I hold Master of Science Degree in Physics. Several years of my career I spent in airspace industry working on scramjets design for future hypersonic airplanes, before transitioning into field of IT. I was fortunate to enjoy rich and versatile experience of teaching university students and military academy cadets physics and math. During my college tenure I’ve come to develop a very important ‘super-power’, which is an ability to explain complicated topics in simple and clear words using visual aids and practical demonstrations as much as possible.
I have also been Martial Arts and hand-to-hand combat instructor for over 35 years. In this capacity I have trained hundreds of students of all ages, from 8 ears old kids to grownups. Some of my former students have become successful instructors themselves. Amazingly, I have found a lot of parallels in teaching martial arts and flying skills!
My teaching methods are based on principles of reason, common sense, and practicality. An individual approach to each student is both a foundation and a key for success. My goal is to maximize efficiency of learning without sacrificing all-important subjects of safety, risk management, and aviation regulations.
I am available to instruct in the Cessna 172.