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.
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 400 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 700 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.
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 360 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.
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.
Becca Sewell
Becca Sewell has lived in the Saint Louis area her entire life. She studied at 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. Becca has been training at Ideal Aviation since 2016 and has held the position of Office Manager since May 2019.
Alec Albright
Alec is a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to St. Louis in 2015. He graduated from Parks College in 2019 with a degree in Aviation and is now pursuing his Juris Doctor at Saint Louis University School of Law. He teaches aviation courses as an adjunct professor at SLU, flies as a ferry pilot, and is a CFI, CFII, and MEI with over 1,200 hours. Alec has been instructing with Ideal since September 2018.