From 5 years old to 630 flight hours — flying is not just my career, it is my calling… and the ultimate privilege and honor.
Built over five years of dedicated training — each certificate earned, not given.
A five-year-old’s birthday choice that changed everything.
As long as I could remember I have been in love with airplanes, but the clearest childhood memory I can remember was my fifth birthday. Like so many young boys, I was once obsessed with trains and planes — and so on my 5th birthday my mother gave me a choice: a birthday party or a flight lesson. Without hesitation or thinking I chose the flight lesson — and what was once a childhood interest turned into a lifelong dream and passion. While other kids were collecting Pokémon cards or playing video games I was collecting airspace charts or playing flight simulator. And I have been in love with aviation ever since.
I am a first-generation pilot in my family. No father handing down a logbook, no uncle with a hangar. Just a kid who was completely transfixed by flight and found every way possible to stay close to it. That independence forged a deep, self-driven relationship with aviation that still shapes how I fly, how I teach, and how I think.
When the time came, I attacked my training. I completed my PPL from start to finish in 3 months — and received my license the month after I turned 18. The very next day after earning that certificate, I moved out to Ohio for college. A new chapter, in a new state, with a freshly minted pilot certificate in my pocket.
Every hour a story. 630 total — built state by state, approach by approach.
A story told in nautical miles — from Ohio State to New Jersey, and everywhere in between.
Upon moving to Ohio during COVID, I saw an opportunity that most pilots would overlook. While the world slowed down, I sped up — building significant cross-country time not just by commuting between Ohio and New Jersey, but by loading up the airplane with friends and family and taking them places they’d never been.
To me, primary flight time should never just be about racing through ratings or padding a logbook. It should be about creating memories that could only happen from the left seat. Flying a friend to Put-In-Bay for lunch, taking cousins over the New York skyline at night, commuting home across the Appalachians in actual IMC — these are the hours that shaped me as a pilot and as a person.
From Morristown I explored in every direction — Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island, the Hamptons, Cape May, Ithaca, and north to Rockland, Maine. Down in South Florida, flying between Fort Lauderdale, the Keys, Marathon, and Marco Island introduced open-water navigation, complex restricted airspace, and seaplane traffic in the Keys.
Instruction tailored to the student — not the other way around.
As a student both young and old, inside and outside of the cockpit, I know what it feels like not to learn easily — or to have a teacher who can’t reach you. Growing up, I had learning disabilities that often required extra help and a different approach. Those experiences didn’t hold me back. They made me a better teacher.
I believe that good instruction starts with believing in the student. Whether you’re a child experiencing the magic of flight for the first time or an adult finally pursuing a lifelong dream, your success is my success. A successful student means a successful teacher — and I take that responsibility seriously.
Every student learns differently. Some are visual learners who need diagrams and charts. Some are auditory learners who need concepts talked through. Some need to feel the controls before they understand the theory. I take dedicated time to build custom lesson plans for each student based on how they actually learn, not how textbooks assume they should.
All instruction is one-on-one. No shortcuts, no rushing through ratings. Just focused, intentional, patient instruction — built around the goal of producing pilots who are genuinely prepared and genuinely confident.
Where policy analysis met aviation — and a senior thesis predicted a national safety crisis.
At the John Glenn College of Public Affairs — named for the astronaut and senator who embodied the rare convergence of government service, scientific rigor, and courage in flight — I found an academic home that matched my own unusual combination of disciplines. The College sits at the intersection of evidence-based policy, civic leadership, and institutional design: exactly the skills the aviation industry needs more of, and rarely gets from its pilots.
I pursued a specialization in Public Policy with a concentration in Legislative Leadership, exploring how legislation is drafted, how regulatory agencies like the FAA operate within the broader federal framework, and how public institutions respond to emerging challenges. A minor in Political Science sharpened my understanding of how power structures, bureaucratic incentives, and interest groups shape the rules that govern everything from airspace design to airline safety compliance. Together these disciplines gave me a lens most commercial pilots never develop: the ability to read a regulation not just as a rule to follow, but as a policy choice with origins, tradeoffs, and room for improvement.
As Public Relations Chairman of Acacia Fraternity, I led communications and coordinated public-facing events — building the interpersonal and organizational skills that translate directly to crew environments and professional aviation settings.
As part of the capstone requirements at the John Glenn College, I was tasked with producing an original, professional-grade policy case study on a real-world public affairs challenge. I chose to focus on the escalating frequency of near-miss incidents at US federal airports — a topic I was uniquely positioned to investigate as a commercial pilot flying in that same airspace.
My research combined quantitative FAA and NTSB incident data with qualitative interviews with accredited aviation professionals — pilots, air traffic controllers, and safety officers — producing a comprehensive PESTEL framework analysis with concrete policy recommendations for the FAA, Congress, and aviation operators of all sizes.
This research analyzes the underlying factors contributing to near-miss incidents at US federal airports, employing a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative FAA and NTSB incident data with qualitative insights from accredited aviation professionals. A PESTEL analysis examines Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors influencing aviation safety management, comparing US practices with international best practices. The study proposes comprehensive policy recommendations to mitigate these incidents before accidents occur.
From a Cessna 172 on a first solo to flying a twin-engine Piper Seneca — every airframe teaches something different and with it new knowledge and experience.
Three roles across simulation, safety compliance, and airline ground operations — each building on the last.
CAE is where global aviation training happens at the highest level. I occupy the SIC seat in a Bombardier Challenger 350 Level D full-flight simulator, providing the realistic crew environment that professional pilots need for initial, recurrent, and upgrade training. Every session is a masterclass in high-performance crew coordination.
At United Airlines, I manage the FAA-mandated Drug and Alcohol Testing Program from inside one of the country's busiest airports. My Public Policy background from the John Glenn College is directly applicable here — understanding how regulations are written, enforced, and audited is exactly the analytical framework this job demands.
At Morristown — my home airport, where I’d been flying in and out for years as a student pilot — I was now on the other side of the fence: coordinating ground operations, managing passenger experience, and serving as Ground Security Coordinator at both KMMU and Miami’s Opa-Locka.
Whether you’re a student ready to start training, someone who’s always dreamed of flying but doesn’t know where to begin, or a parent looking for quality instruction for your child — I offer straightforward, personalized guidance with no fluff, no AI-generated advice, and no hours lost scrolling Reddit forums. Just a professional giving specific, detailed guidance tailored to you.
Personalized ground school instruction and written test prep, available in person or remotely. Every session is built around how you learn — whether that’s visual diagrams, talking through concepts, or working through practice questions together.
One-on-one flight instruction from a CFI/CFII with 630+ hours across a wide range of aircraft. I tailor every lesson to the student’s pace, learning style, and goals — not a standardized curriculum.
Never flown before and have no idea where to start? This is for you. A focused 2-hour conversation covering everything you need to know before spending a dollar on training. No AI, no Reddit scrolling — just a professional giving you specific, practical guidance built around your actual situation.
After the consultation I’ll send you a custom, detailed plan with your flight school recommendation, materials list, budget breakdown, and step-by-step training roadmap.
Fill out the form or reach out directly. Let me know which service you’re interested in and a bit about where you are in your aviation journey. I respond within 24 hours.
All consultations are conducted via video call or in person in Northern New Jersey. Ground instruction is available in person at Essex County Airport (KCDW) or remotely.