HARMONY AIR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI, CTCI
Flying is my true love (don't tell my family). I also skip work a lot for flying; therefore, I'm extremely flexible.
I'd love to teach you how to fly. It's the most freeing and rewarding experience you will ever have in your lifetime. Plus, you always have a reason to fly yourself to your vacation spot or fishing hole.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII
For as long as I can remember, aviation has been a huge part of my life.
When I was a child, my grandfather, a Private Pilot, would take me on sightseeing flights around the local countryside of Middle Tennessee in his Cessna 150. My experiences with him opened my eyes to the absolute freedom of flying among the clouds, and I just knew that I had to become a pilot myself.
To pursue my dreams of becoming a pilot, I enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University's Aerospace Program, where I received all pilot certifications from Private to Commercial-Multi as well as a Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument certification. In December of 2022, I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a B.S. Aerospace-Professional Pilot degree.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII
A few years ago I saw a subtitle on a now defunct flight training blog: Mind of an engineer, heart of a pilot. That describes me perfectly. Every time a plane passes overhead I stop and look up. For a long time I couldn't afford to fly and believed a career in aviation was impractical. I have worked in emergency para-medicine and flight test engineering but found myself continually distracted with the thought "what are the pilots doing?" I received my Private Pilot Certificate in 2017 while working as an engineer and flew once or twice a month recreationally. In 2019 I took a year off from flying when my first son was born. That time away solidified in my mind that I wanted to fly full time.
I love the blend of science and art that is a part of every flight. A great flight is accomplished when a pilot understands how an airplane flies and artfully applies that knowledge to control the airplane to do what the pilot wants.
I like helping people and enjoy teaching and mentoring. I'm excited to share my passion for flying and look forward to helping you along your aviation journey!
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI
Darren is an ardent aviator with a deep-seated passion for fixed wing flight. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, he spent his formative years in New York City where he owned and operated a small leather goods company. In 2019, he put down roots in Nashville and set out to pursue a career in aviation.
Darren believes that education can be obtained at any age and that anyone with the desire can learn to fly. He aims to continue his education while sharing his knowledge to grow the aviation community.
My earliest memories are of wanting to be a pilot. I was introduced to flying around the age of 8 when I convinced my father to take me to the grass strip in our West Tennessee town for a flight in a PiperTri-Pacer. I then looked for every excuse to fly with the construction company my father worked for. I wasn't able to qualify for flight training in the military because of my vision (No Lasik in those days). During the summer after my junior year in college I started flight instruction in a Cessna 150that rented for $13 per hour. My instructor charged $7 per hour.I earned my private pilot license in December of 1976 and started medical school on January 1977. Flying had to be put on hold for a while but after medical school I was able to join a flying club in Memphis and fly with the Civil Air Patrol. After moving to Nashville I continued to train and obtained my instrument and commercial ratings.
In 2004 I was recruited to a Children's Hospital in Knoxville and met a Retired Naval Aviator who had started a flight school. I took a basic aerobatic course with him and after that course he convinced me to continue training and get my instructor ratings. I retired from medicine in January 2016 to spend more time working in aviation.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII
After graduating from the University of Memphis with a degree in Marketing I knew I wasn't quite ready for a desk job much less an 8-5 job. Instead I applied to become a Flight Attendant at American Airlines. I had always loved traveling and aviation so I figured why not give it a try.
Spending 5 years in the skies increased my love for aviation even more so I challenged myself to make the move to the front. 100% the best decision I could've ever made. I completed all of my training here at Harmony Air and was lucky enough to be given the chance to join the Harmony family as an instructor. Although my end goal is to get back to the airlines I can't wait to help all of you achieve your own aviation goals and interests.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII
I was born in Accra, Ghana. When I was 3 years old my family spent 6 years in Durham, England. It was there that I picked up a fever-like passion for soccer and my favorite club Manchester United. I have played soccer ever since and at all levels short of professional. We moved to West Virginia, the wild and wonderful, in 2009 and have called the U.S. our beloved home. It was along these travels, when I was young, that I picked up an insatiable thirst for flying that I could never let go.
There is something magical and humbling about soaring through blue skies that unites us all. Flying has the incredible ability to make us feel special. Even today, my wheels leaving the runway brings euphoria as intense as my first takeoff in an airplane at 3 years old. I remember feeling the thrust through my back, my gaze forever glued outside the window, and refusing every advance from my mother to eat while we traversed continents; even then, I knew the freedom of flight was something very few humans get to achieve. Fewer still are those who earn the right to hold the controls and chart their own way through the heavens. I told my mother, Lord willing, one day I would be one of those few. Today, I am blessed with the privilege and experience to take my dream one step further by helping others achieve their flying ambitions!
Here, you'll learn to fly with confidence and safety. Whether you're a seasoned flyer or discovering your wings for the first time, come see why aviation means so much to me and everyone here at Harmony Air! I can't wait to see you up there!
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI
For as long as I can remember I've been in love with flying. I officially began my aviation journey at fourteen after receiving a discovery flight for Christmas at Dallas Bay Skypark (1A0) in Chattanooga. Easily hooked, I eventually soloed at sixteen, and earned my private pilot certificate at seventeen. I completed my instrument, commercial, and multi-engine ratings while at MTSU and earned my B.S. in Aviation Maintenance Management.
After graduating from MTSU in 2012 I was fortunate enough to peruse my lifelong dream of becoming a Naval Aviator, flying the P-3c Orion, P-8a Poseidon, and MQ-4c Triton (UAS). My time in the Navy took me to Central America, Europe, and Asia conducting anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence surveillance and recommence (ISR) missions. I also began flight instructing in the Navy, teaching initial pilot training on the P-8a (B-737 variant) and the MQ-4c unmanned aircraft.
Much of my time in the Navy was spent working in aviation safety, sparking a passion which led to my M.S. in Aerospace Safety from Embry-Riddle. Ultimately, I believe flying should be fun, and that safe flying is fun flying! I look forward to showing you how "safety minded flying" breeds confidence, and therefore more fun in the air.
After ten years in the Navy my wife Amanda, son Thatcher, and I moved home to Tennessee, and I couldn't be more excited to share my passion for flying at Harmony Air!
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP
I earned my private pilot's license in 1974 while in my junior year of high school. After being awarded a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1979, I entered the U.S. Air Force to fly the KC135A Stratotanker and to instruct in the T-37. I transitioned to all-civilian flying in 1986 as a 727 flight engineer and copilot. I have since completed over 35 years with American Airlines, with 26 years as a captain and 6 years as a check pilot. This experience has taken me to the Far East, deep into South America, all over the Caribbean, throughout Europe, and all over the USA. I have type-ratings in DC9, 757, 767, & 787 aircraft, and my total pilot time now exceeds 22,000 hours.
During the 1990s I began renting light aircraft during my time off, and ultimately decided to train to become civilian Certified Flight Instructor in 2004. In addition to drawing upon my experience as a military instructor, I trained extensively in Cessna aircraft. Since then I have been donating my spare time as a CFI for Civil Air Patrol, performing primary flight instruction and proficiency training. Several of my former cadets are now professional airline and/or military pilots, including my son. My main motivation is to pay forward to the next generation of pilots.
I live on a grass airstrip and own two aircraft, a Kitfox and a V-tail Bonanza.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI, CTCI
I've lived in the Nashville area for the past 15 years, graduated college at MTSU and started my own landscape company while pursing my dream of being a professional race car driver. Four years ago, I decided I was ready for a change. Somehow I got talked into going on a discovery flight, I loved it way more than I thought I would, two months later I started my flight training.
I joined Harmony Air in 2022, but I have been instructing for the past two years. I have a true desire to make sure that my students are as prepared as possible for whatever might be thrown at them in their own flying career. As a firefighter, safety and muscle memory are very important and that is something I incorporate in my training.
My love for all things aviation began early on as both my father and grandfather were Marine aviators. I grew up on a Marine Corp's air station surrounded by the life and aircraft. I studied for two years at a community college in Knoxville before transferring to Middle Tennessee State University. There I pursued my bachelor's degree in their Aerospace Professional Pilot concentration. I received all my ratings PVT, INST, COMM, MULTI, CFI, CFII through their program and graduated in 2021. I also instructed for a short time at their flight school gaining valuable experience. I look forward to meeting and sharing my passion with you!
I have been flying and teaching since 1976. I served in the USAF for 20 years as a Master Navigator and Instructor on KC-135's and T-43's. About mid Air Force career, I had the great pleasure of serving as part of President Reagan's Advance Team. I received my civilian pilot's license in 1980 so I flew planes, large and small, the rest of my Air Force career. Upon retirement, I started a software company that I later sold so I could get back to my passion - flying and sharing that passion with others.
Currently, I have over 10,500 flight hours in aircraft such as the KC-135, T-43, plus civilian aircraft such as the C-152, C-172, C-182, C-206, C-208, Baron 55/58, Bonanza V-35, PA 28, PA 32, Cirrus SR20/22/22T, BE-300, BE-200, Phenom 100, and Cirrus SF50. With Cirrus I have attained the highest level as a Platinum Training Center Instructor. I hold an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate for single and multi-engine aircraft and am type rated for the Phenom 100, King Air 350, and the Cirrus SF50. I hold instrument instructor ratings for single and multi-engine aircraft as well as single-engine seaplanes. I am authorized to administer FAA check rides from Sport Pilot to ATP.
Job Titles:
- Certificated Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, CTCI
As a child I dreamed of becoming a professional pilot, but as I grew older I found myself believing that those dreams may be unattainable. After enrolling at MTSU as a Criminal Justice Admin student, I found myself unhappy and longing for a meaningful educational experience. I was inspired by those around me who were chasing their dreams of flight and made the decision to change my major. It took me 3 semesters to improve my GPA enough to reach lab eligibility status, but I was determined to reach my goals. I took my first flight in June of 2019 and was hooked. I completed my Private, Instrument, Commercial ASEL/ AMEL, and CFI with MTSU and graduated in December of 2021 with a B.S. in Aerospace. I then completed my CFII rating in a flying club, and have since been elected into a leadership position as well. This success has given me a new sense of self-worth and has greatly improved my confidence. I now find myself in a position to pass this determination along to future generations of aviators, and I believe that Harmony Air is the best place to do so.