Zach Lucas
Zach was born and raised in St. Louis with 15 years of aviation experience. He served 9+ years active duty in the Marines as a Huey Crew Chief, Mechanic, and Weapons and Tactics Instructor. He graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor’s in Aviation Management in 2018. He is both a helicopter mechanic and helicopter CFI and CFII. Zach has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since October 2019.
Malik Larcher
Malik was born and raised in the Austrian Alps. He was always fascinated by helicopters conducting mountain rescue operations, flying over his house. After graduating, he decided to move to the US to start his flight training. He is a CFI and CFII in helicopters with 500 flight hours. Malik has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since November 2019.
Joseph Fiandaca
Joseph Fiandaca is originally from the Chicagoland area. He graduated from Saint Louis University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Aeronautics Flight Science. He is a CFI with approximately 300 hours of flight instruction. Joseph has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since January 2020.
Jim Moseley
Jim graduated Magna-Cum-Laude from Saint Louis University with a B.S. in Flight Science. He is a CFI and CFII and was awarded the 2018 Flight Instructor of the year In the St. Louis area. He also instructs in Southwestern Illinois College’s Aviation program. Jim has been instructing with Ideal since January 2018.
James Lovinggood
James Lovinggood is from Saint Louis, with a B.A. in Political Science from Miami of the University of Ohio. He served 4 years with the Army National Guard, and currently has his CFI and CFII with 370 hours. He has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since October of 2020.
Christina Connell
Christina is originally from San Jose, CA. She is a recent graduate of Saint Louis University. At SLU, she was very involved with various organizations: Women in Aviation, Alpha Eta Rho, and the Safety Committee. She is currently a CFI with 360 flight hours. Christina has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since January 2020.
Brett Whitcomb
Brett, a native of Rockford, Illinois, was bitten by the aviation bug when his dad took him for a ride in a Piper Cub for his third birthday. Brett graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia’s business school in 2009. Now, he is a CFI and CFII. Brett has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since April 2020.
Adam Lange
Adam began flying in 2003 at the University of North Dakota, and picked it back up at Saint Louis University in 2016. There he got his Instrument, Commercial and Multi-engine ratings. After Graduating SLU in 2019 with a degree in aviation he went on to get his CFI and CFI-I and has taught at Ideal since July of 2019.