ABOUT CASEY AVIATION

My aviation story began in 1990 with my first flight near Nacogdoches, TX in a Cessna 172.  From lift-off, I knew I’d have a lifetime passion flying just about anything that will leave the ground…I was completely hooked.  Along with being an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), I’m also an ATP/CFI-AHMG and Commercial Rotorcraft/Glider Pilot, seaplane pilot, and a recently-retired UH-60/AH-64 Pilot-in-Command/Instructor/Examiner Pilot in the US Army Reserves, but my passion for the last 20+ years has been the PA-46 , Socata TBM, Beechcraft King Air series of airplanes and those that fly these wonderful machines. I’ve amassed over 12,000 hours in these various airframes and believe them to be one of the finest flying machines available for the serious cross-country pilot with an eye for efficiency.

Now, I’ve flown more than 17,000 hours of flight time in just about every imaginable environment.  Whether providing initial/recurrent training in the PA-46’s, TBM’s or King Air realm, giving a check ride to someone moving up in credentialing, flying an airplane to the other side of the world, giving tailwheel endorsements, or taking kids flying for the first time, I simply love flying machines and the people who fly them.

My aviation career began in 1997 when I learned to fly the summer before my senior year of high school, near my hometown in northwest Georgia. After starting, there was no keeping me out the sky and no other career path considered. All additional ratings and certificates were earned in conjunction with a Bachelor of Aviation Management from Auburn University and I later added a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

My career path, spanning almost 25 years and over 11,000 flight hours thus far, has taken me from being a flight instructor at Auburn University, through a brief stint as a pre-9/11 airline First Officer, then into the corporate aviation world I chose to settle in. I have flown and instructed in more than 50 distinct aircraft types, hold Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI certificates, and instruct in all PA46 piston & turbine variants. I also fly & mentor in all King Air variants and ferry aircraft worldwide.

As a career instructor, I love sharing my love of flying with others, with an emphasis on safety, currency, and competency for owner/pilots of high performance aircraft.

Growing up in Hungary (Eastern Europe) I always dreamed about flying airplanes; however we did not have the infrastructure and means to be around airplanes. In 1997, after graduating high school, I moved to the United States to study and play competitive hockey.

In the early 2000’s I finally took a discovery flight at a local airport, the second we lifted off into the 3D world I was ‘hooked’.

After earning my private, instrument and commercial certificates we purchased our first family airplane, Piper Cherokee Six; a few years later transitioned to our current PA46 Malibu. Combining my passion for teaching, coaching, and mentoring (knowledge transfer) and flying I earned my flight instructor ratings. I’ve flown over 3,500 hours of which over 2,300 is in the PA46 airframe.

My goal is to pass on the knowledge and experiences I gained over the years and make you a better, confident and safe pilot.

My mantra: Train like a Pro, fly like a Pro!!!

In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, playing hockey, mountain biking, and skiing.

As a Dallas area native, professional pilot, and flight instructor, I have been doing work for Casey Aviation for the past 10 years. I’ve logged over 10,300 hours in the sky as a professional pilot while always actively teaching in aircraft. I also have over 4,400 hours of dual given in the Cessna 400 (COL-4), EPIC E100GX, PA46/PA46T series aircraft as well as the TBM 7, 8, and 9 series aircraft. I conduct both owner and professional training in Aircraft as well as in avionics. My passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm for teaching/flight instructing has made Casey Aviation a perfect fit for me.

I’m based in Dallas, at Addison Airport, which is also where I learned to fly. My full-time job is flying a Challenger 350 and Citation X. My resume includes ATP SEL, ATP MEL, CFI, CFII, MEI and I hold PIC Type Ratings in the BE-300, CE-680, CE-750, and the CL30, and an SIC rating in the CE-525 series aircraft.

Outside aviation, I enjoy running, lifting weights, snow skiing, and bass fishing. One of my favorite shows is Deadliest Catch. I enjoy watching these guys in the wheelhouse Captain their ships in weather I wouldn’t even dream about flying in. I find it simply amazing.

I always knew I wanted to fly. Growing up in northwest Wisconsin, we had a small airport near our home. It was at this little airport, with a partially paved runway, that I took my first flight lesson as a teenager and eventually receiving my private pilot certificate just a few days before leaving for the US Military Academy at West Point.

After graduating from West Point and being commissioned as an Aviation officer, my decade-plus long career in the Army took me all over the US and to Europe, where I flew attack, scout, and small assault helicopters, including along the now-defunct East-West German border. Trading my flight suit for a business suit, I earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and spent the next twenty years leading technical and business teams in a variety of industries, ultimately running the international division of a Midwest-based IT equipment manufacturer. While extremely interesting and rewarding, my international travel schedule left very little time for flying on my own.

In 2018, after serving as Chief Operating Officer of the West Point Association of Graduates for two years, I retired and returned to my passion of flying airplanes. My wife and I bought our first PA46 Mirage and I became a CFI/CFII to pass along my love of flying to other aspiring pilots. The PA46 has been an amazing machine for us, and I consider it an immensely rewarding privilege to be part of training and supporting the owners and pilots in the PA46 community.

My wife, Jana, and I have five grown boys and a granddaughter. We live Southwest Michigan but, whenever possible, we ski, scuba dive and travel internationally.