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.
Steven Solloway
Steve is a senior aerospace engineering student at Saint Louis University. He was first introduced to flying at the age of 8 by his dad and later completed his training at J.A. Air Center (KARR) and SLU. He’s had a lifelong passion for aviation and hopes to become an airline pilot. Steve is a CFI and CFII with 700 hours. He has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since February 2021.
Matt Cabrera
Matthew is from the Washington, D.C. area. He graduated from Parks College in 2019. He is a CFI and CFII with over 800 flight hours. Matthew 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 1100 flight hours. Malik has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since November 2019.
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 750 hours. He has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since October of 2020.
Cody Adams
Cody is from Kansas City, Kansas. He studied at Kansas University and the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a CFI and CFII in helicopters and is an instrument-rate commercial pilot in airplanes. Cody has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since October 2019.
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 800 flight hours. Christina has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since January 2020.
Bruno Stopka
Bruno is a BSEE graduate from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and earned his MBA at Saint Louis University. He is CFI, CFII, and MEI with several decades of experience. He has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since July of 2017.
Brian VanHorn
Brian is a 20+ year Air Force veteran and a graduate of Saint Louis University. He is a CFI, Advanced Ground Instructor, and Dispatcher with over 5,000 flight hours. Brian has been instructing with Ideal Aviation since June 2019.
Becca Sewell
Becca Sewell has lived in the Saint Louis area her entire life. She graduated from Southwestern Illinois College’s Pilot Training Program and Southern Illinois University’s Off-Campus Aviation Management program. Currently, she holds her Commercial ASEL rating and CFI with 500 flight hours. Becca has been training at Ideal Aviation since 2016 and has held the position of Office Manager since May 2019.