INDEPENDENCE AVIATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Flight Instructor
Alex began his flying career in 2020 at Centennial Airport after spending nearly seven years at a tech startup in Downtown Denver. He has a passion for flying and teaching others, and is excited to combine them as your Pilot Instructor. He has experience with Skyhawks and Seminoles and he's excited to add Cirrus to the list!
Originally from Reno, he has called Denver home for the last ten years. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing hockey and golf, and watching the Colorado Avalanche.
Ben's lifelong passion for aviation led him to earn his Private Pilot certificate right out of high school. He went on to get his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering and spent his early career designing and testing turbine aircraft engines. Ben is now a corporate pilot and is type-rated in the Gulfstream III and Challenger 350, but his love of general aviation has also been keeping him busy flying for a skydiving company, Pilots N Paws missions, as well as teaching others how to fly here at IA!
Bob's first flight experience occurred at 10 years of age when riding in a DC-3 in Eastern Colorado. With decades and thousands of hours of flying experience, Bob is ATP rated in fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. His background includes military, charter, corporate, air ambulance, and flight instruction as well as sales. He retired from the Wyoming Army National Guard in 2005 as a CWO4 and Master Aviator. Bob is also an PAAO Sr. Appraiser helping clients value their aircraft.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- CSIP Instructor
Bob has been a flight instructor since 1974. He has as great a passion for teaching as he does for flying. With thousands and thousands of hours of flight instruction, he's an expert in cabin-class piston twins, jets and turboprops. Bob's Cirrus experience dates back to 2001, and he became the first Cirrus Standardized Instructor in Colorado in 2004.
Bud's broad aviation career included the USAF where he was a Top Gun pilot, 31 yrs in the Air National Guard flying F-16's, 28 yrs with Delta Airlines as a Captain, G.M. of Flight Operations, Chief Pilot, and then Director of Flight Safety. He was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame, was on the Board of Trustees for the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, OH, he was an FAA Flight Examiner, and flew one of a handful of B-17's still in operation. Bud passed away after fighting a brave battle against COVID19 in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- CSIP Instructor
Chuck is a lifelong aviation educator, which is his dream come true. He spent most of his 25-year career in the U. S. Air Force training youngsters to be the best of the best. Now, in "retirement," he's teaching the rest of us to be the best we can be. Never one to rest on his considerable laurels, Chuck was also one of the first Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots in Colorado, and has earned the FAA's national 2017 Flight Instructor of the Year!
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Flight Instructor
Ian started his flying career in 2015 learning to fly at Independence Aviation while simultaneously working as a Ground Support Representative. Throughout the years, Ian has worn many hats at IA including Ground Operations Supervisor and Chief Flight Instructor.
Ian has since returned to full time flight instruction splitting his time between Denver and Knoxville. While in Knoxville, Ian teaches the Vision Jet SF-50 initial type training and recurrent courses at Cirrus Aircraft. He received his Platinum CSIP designation in December of 2023.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Flight Instructor
Kevin is one of our career-change educators. He started flying in 1988 and in 2001 began teaching. When he is not working at his full-time job for a large aviation company he brings his joy of teaching and flying to the IA team. Kevin comes with a bonus: He can also help you fly radio control models which is his other aviation passion!
Masten has been an instructor since the early 1990s. He brings to the classroom significant turbine and charter experience garnered from his time with one of the leading jet charter operations in the Rocky Mountain region. His teaching skills and in-depth knowledge of all aspects of aviation are widely respected throughout the Centennial Airport community, as well as by the fortunate IA students he mentors.
Sam's passion for aviation began as a boy going to air shows with his dad & wanting to be up in the sky! He actively started working towards his Private Pilot in High School where he was trained by a retired, Air Force pilot.
After graduating college, he attained the rest of his ratings needed to flight instruct & taught both part 61 & 141 students in Arizona. His success in teaching over the years lead him to become a Gold Seal Flight Instructor. He currently works at the United Airlines Flight Training center as a Fleet Technical Instructor on the Boeing 777. He was selected to be a part of the Aviate program and hopes to become a First Officer soon.
Sam enjoys going on adventures with family, swimming, hiking, & SCUBA diving. He's excited to join the team at IA & teach in the Cirrus!
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Flight Instructor
Sean began his flying adventures in 2001 as a Private Pilot, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Aviation in 2005, and became a Flight Instructor in 2019. Growing up Sean's favorite hobby was playing Microsoft Flight Simulator on his home computer. He is now a Boeing 787 Simulator instructor at United Airlines working towards becoming a First Officer. He has a passion for flying and teaching others and is excited to use multiple technology tools as your instructor. He has experience with Cessna 172s & 182s, Piper Archers & Seminoles, and is thrilled to add Cirrus to the list!
Originally from Arizona, he has called Denver home for the last year. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and flying to new destinations!