Daniel Smith

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!