Jesse Collum

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial SEL and MEL, Instrument, CFII.

Jesse does primary and advanced flight training in SEL airplanes. He also gives advanced training in the glass cockpit Cirrus airplanes, the SR 20, SR22 and is qualified to give tail wheel airplane endorsements. In addition to his job as a FlightGest instructor, as time permits, he does some volunteer flying as follows serving as a mission pilot, instructor and check pilot with the Civil Air Patrol and he also volunteers as a pilot for Angel Flight, which FlightGest proudly sponsors. Having logged over 7,000 hours of flight time, Jesse has 4,000 hours as a flight instructor.

Jimmy Steward

Licenses/Ratings: Commerical ASEL, Instrument, Flight Instructor.

Jimmy Steward is a home-grown CFI. He started flight training right here at FlightGest in November 2005 - earning the money to fly by cleaning FlightGest's aircraft. He acquired his Private Pilot license in May 2006 and his Instrument Rating a few months later. Jimmy went on to obtain his Commercial license in January 2008 and has since received his flight instructor certificate. Currently, Jimmy is working toward an undergraduate degree in Aviation Management.

Frank Gozzo

Licenses/Ratings: ATP MEL, CFI, FAA Safety Representative.

Frank is the founder/CEO of FlightGest. He started flying in 1979 at Caldwell Airport in NJ where he earned his flight instructor certificate before heading off to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After college, Frank joined IBM Federal Systems division where he could apply his passion for aviation as well as his training in electrical engineering towards the research, design and flight testing of many advanced airborne systems. Frank launched FlightGest as a "side business" in 1999, yet the small business has grown to include flight training, pilot services, aircraft management and private charter. Frank remains an active CFI, FAA check airman and FAA Safety Representative with nearly 2500 flight hours. He is an active volunteer for many aviation causes and is frequently called on by the FAA, NASA, TSA and DOT for speaking and advisory roles.

Owen Chase

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial SEL, Instrument, CFI, CFII

Owen started his flight training in 2000 and received his Private license in 2001. He began his training at Lake Ridge Airport in Durham and finished his Private, Instrument, Commercial and CFI work at FlightGest. Owen received his CFI Instrument rating at Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma and currently has a total of 500 hours of flight time. Outside of aviation, Owen graduated from NC Wesleyan with a BA in Business. He has lived in the Raleigh, NC area for the past seven years and enjoys flying and traveling.

Kirk Rabe

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial MEL, Instrument, CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI

Kirk began flying in Montana and finished his training in Minnesota, followed by flight instruction work in Daytona Beach and New Jersey. He has over 3000 hrs with 1800 hrs of instruction given across a wide range of training aircraft equipped with traditional avionics as well as the new G1000 "glass cockpits". He's an active charter pilot with FlightGest Aviation and has also done interesting corporate shuttles and even aerial survey work for FlightGest. For example, his survey work in Canada, while flying just 200 feet over beautiful terrain, provided breathtaking views and experiences at locations across the entire Canadian frontier - from Newfoundland to the northernmost regions of Saskatchewan to Calgary! Be sure to ask Kirk about his flying adventures.

Hanna-Mari Salo

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial SEL, CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI

Hanna-Mari started flying at the age of 14 in Finland. "I've wanted to fly since I was a little girl. As a teenager, I started flying gliders by accident when my friend wanted somebody to sit with her in the ground school classes. After a few, that was all I wanted to do." After moving to the US with her family in 2007, she got her commercial and instructor certificates and is actively promoting flying among women as an officer in the international women pilots association, The Ninety-Nines. She loves to introduce people to flying, and to see her students achieve their goals. According to Hanna-Mari, flying is a way of life. "For me it represents freedom, challenge, and independence. Also, it's a way of relaxation and personal challenge. Being a member of the aviation community plays a big role too."

Casey Jones

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial SEL, Instrument, CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI

Casey is originally from Elkins, WV and moved to Raleigh in 1998. He has had an interest in aviation from the time he was young, reading flying magazines and dreaming about one day being able to fly. He earned his private certificate in 2001 while training at RDU and obtained his instructor's certificate in 2008. Casey has a B.S. in Computer Science from West Virginia Institute of Technology and works full time as a Senior Systems Engineer. In addition to his passion for teaching and aviation, he loves spending time with his wife and two boys, riding motorcycles, hunting, fishing, cooking and gardening.

Clint Robson

Licenses/Ratings: Commercial SEL, Instrument, CFI, CFII

Clint obtained his Private Pilot license at Morristown, NC in 2002 and his Commercial and Flight Instructor ratings from FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, FL. Clint previously instructed at FlightGest before pursuing a First Officer opportunity at Air Wisconsin airlines. After Air Wisconsin, he worked as a Business Analyst and part time flight instructor for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in Frederick, MD. Clint also has a Bachelors degree in Applied Computer Studies from Penn State Univeristy and has a local, full time position as a Business Systems Analyst. For fun, Clint enjoys travel, Golf, and Hockey.

Mike Overholzer

Licenses/Ratings: ATP MEL, CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI

Mike grew up in Atlanta, GA and discovered his passion for aviation in a Cessna 152 sixteen years ago at the Fulton County airport (FTY) in Atlanta. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School. Mike has over 1,600 hrs total time and 1,000 hrs instruction given. Currently a fractional Cirrus SR20 owner at RDU, he has over 500 Cirrus SR20 and SR22 hours and enjoys providing instruction in a wide variety of aircraft including Cirrus SR20/SR22, Bonanza, Baron, Mooney, Cessna and Piper.