April Gafford

CFI/Mentor Pilot
Founder: JATO Aviation

Ratings Held:
ATP, CFI/CFII, MEI, Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP)
Type ratings: CE-500, SIC: CE-510, Cirrus SF-50 Vision Jet
Veterans Airlift Command Pilot

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20/SR22/SR22TN/SR22T, Pilatus PC12, TBM 850, Piper Matrix/Malibu/Meridian, Cessna Corvalis (formerly Columbia) 400/350, Cessna Citation 500/510.

Flight Experience/Training:
Over 4000 hours total flight time
Spirit Aviation: Part 135 Charter Pilot: King Air 200
JATO Aviation: Part 135 Charter Pilot: Pilatus PC12 UND/Cirrus Aircraft:    
Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot
Factory-trained: Cessna - G1000 CFAI plus; Columbia - Columbia 350/400:
Flight Safety: Citation I/II/V, King Air 200/C90B, Beech Baron, Cessna 414A
SIMCOM: Piper Matrix/Meridian, TBM 850, Pilatus PC12

Teaching Experience:
Over 3000 hours dual given Chief Flight Instructor: Diamond Aviation (2000 – 2009) and JATO Aviation (2004 – present) Turbine Transitions, Mentor Pilot , Technically Advanced Aircraft, WAAS FAA wings safety seminar instructor

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
Helping pilots achieve mastery of the aircraft and facilitating clients reaching their goals in aviation are incredibly rewarding to me. I also have a particular interest in Human Factors, developing best teaching practices, and promoting safety in aviation.

John Murphy

CFI/Mentor Pilot
Chief Operating Officer

Ratings Held
Goldseal CFI/CFII/MEI, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty
Cirrus SR20, Diamond DA-42, G1000-equipped Cessnas, Pipers, Beechcraft, and Mooney. Twin Cessna and Pipers.

Flight Experience/Training
Chief Flight Instructor/Flight examiner
Part owner of a flight school
Oversaw/Managed four flight schools in California
FAA Wings Safety Seminar Instructor
FAA Accident Prevention Counselor (Both OAK and SJC FSDOs)
FAA Recurrent Training Program (Flights/Ground training for pilots with had accidents/violations?
Ten Pilot Proficiency Awards

Teaching Experience
More than twenty-eight years as a professional pilot and instructor. 
A total of 18,500 hours with over 14,500 hours of dual instruction given for private, commercial. CFI, CFII, MEI, and ATP.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
You don't instruct for over twenty-eight years without enjoying the people you meet, see your students reach their goals, have enthusiasm for aviation, and love that view from the office window. 

Bob Wood

Lead Flight Instructor (CFI, CFII)

Ratings Held:
ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI

Aircraft Specialty:
C-172 Stretch, Cirrus SR20, 22. TAA (G-1000, Cirrus Perspective)

Flight Experience and Training:
5000+ hrs ASEL, 28 yrs, Flight Attendant-United Airlines, Cirrus Certified Training Instructor

Teaching Experience:
Initial Flight Attendant Training Instructor UAL 1992-1994, Voice Acting Instructor (1992-Present), CFI, CFII-Diamond Aviation (2006-2013), CFI, CFII-JATO Aviation (2013-Present)

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?      
“I make people’s dreams come true”

Mark Heidenreich

CFI/Mentor Pilot

Ratings Held:
CFI/CFII/AGI, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20/SR22TN/SR22T, Cessna, Tailwheel

Flight Experience/Training:
I've been intrigued with aviation since I was a young child, living in a house situated directly beneath the approach to LAX in the early '50s. I never gave serious consideration to a career path other than flying airplanes since then. My first lesson was in 1970, and I was instructing by 1973. In 1975 I found a solid corporate flying job I kept for the next 25 years. I began flying Cirrus aircraft in 2004. I left in 2000 to return to my native state and left corporate aviation for good in 2005.  

UND/Cirrus:    Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) – 2009

Teaching Experience:
I have been instructing again since 2009 and currently averaging 600 hours flight instruction annually.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
Because no two people will perceive and acquire new information and skill in exactly the same way, I enjoy the challenge of attempting to tailor my approach to teaching in a manner best suited to the individual student pilot. Emphasis on fundamental flying skills is a priority with me.

Tara Borton

CFI/Mentor Pilot, Assistant Chief Flight Instructor

Ratings Held:
Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor, Instrument; Platinum Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (Platinum CSIP), ASEL, ASES, AMEL

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20/SR22TN/SR22T, Cessna 172/182/400T (Corvallis)

Flight Experience/Training:
Over 8200 hours total flight time

Aviation for me started when my grandmother and grandfather earned their pilot's certificates, bought a Cessna 182, and used it to pick up my brother and I at the Palo Alto airport for "visiting the grandparents" down in Southern California.  We flew with my grandparents and their monster white Samoyed all over the Western States.  We learned the Morse Code (no headsets) and watched VOR intercept and navigation on round dials. Years later, while in college, I took my first flying lesson and fell in love with the idea of becoming a flight instructor as I met CFI Mayetta Behringer, another amazing woman pilot!  I finished Stanford with a degree in Psychology, and by 1991, I too was a Certified Flight Instructor.  I began teaching flying in Southern California and in 1997 returned to the Bay Area airports. I began teaching in Cirrus aircraft in 2012.

Teaching Experience:
I have been flight instructing since 1991 and currently averaging 400 hours of flight instruction annually

I have been an instructor in many other areas since 1979 including personal swimming trainer, Masters Swim Coach, Training and Development department GTE Sylvania

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
Getting to know my students.  I take a personal interest in every student's flying goals and strive to help them achieve them.

Motto: Every day is an opportunity for learning something new!

Joe Romson

CFI/Mentor Pilot

Ratings Held:
Commercial ASEL, CFI/CFII, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus, Cessna, Light Sport, experimental Van’s RV (including aircraft construction)

Flight Experience and Training:
Private pilot since 1986, flying in San Francisco Bay area and Seattle. Additional training in gliders, aerobatic aircraft (C-150 aerobat, Citabria) and aircraft accident investigation.

Teaching Experience:
Biomedical educator for more than 30 years, (PhD in 1982, MD in 1986). Published author and lecturer, with areas of interest in Human Factors/Human Performance, Aviation Safety, Aero medical factors and Simulator based training.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
Both the opportunity to share a very special activity with people (becoming a pilot or advancing their goals as a pilot) and seeking news ways to educate and develop better, safer pilots.

Daniel Heraldez

CFI/Mentor Pilot

Ratings Held: 
Commercial ASEL/AMEL, CFI/CFII/MEI, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty: 
Cirrus SR20/SR22/SR22TN (Avidyne and Perspective), C172-G1000

Flight Experience/Training:
Approximately 2100 hours total time

UND/Cirrus: Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot
NASA Ames Research: Contractor working on projects related to pilot performance and automation.

Teaching Experience: 
Experience teaching in PA28, C172SP, C172-G1000, C182-G1000, DA-20, DA-40, SR20, SR22, SR22TN

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI? 
Guiding a person with no aviation experience into becoming a safe, responsible, and competent pilot. There is great joy and exhilaration when your student successfully completes their first solo flight or safely returns from their first cross-country flight. It's also quite satisfying knowing that what I do helps promote and advance general aviation.

Keith Johns

CFI/Mentor Pilot

Ratings Held:
CFI/CFII, CSIP, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20, SR22, SR22T, Cessna 172, Garmin Avionics

Flight Experience/Training:
I started my professional life teaching and playing music (trumpet). As a kid flying had always been a distant dream. By my late 20’s I decided to go for it, and after my first flight I knew I wanted to be a flight instructor. I continued to teach music and play my trumpet professionally as I earned my PPL, Instrument rating, and Commercial certificate in 2000, 2001, and 2002 respectively. My career as a Flight Instructor began in 2009. In 2016 I earned my CFII certificate and my Cirrus Training Center Instructor qualifications. I completed my CSIP qualification in 2022 at Cirrus HQ in Knoxville, TN.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught instrumental music privately and in small groups for over 25 years. Together with my wife / business partner we own the Myriad Music School and Dance Academy in San Mateo with over 600 students and 30 instructors. I began flight instructing at Diamond Aviation in 2009 and joined JATO in 2014. I recently passed 2500 hours of flight instruction and hope to pass the 10,000 hour mark before retirement.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
As a teacher, discovering each student’s learning style and identifying their strengths and challenges is a deeply rewarding process for me. Beyond developing the essential skills of becoming a pilot, I hope to guide my students to discover new insights and experiences that inspire them toward the endless pursuit of a better self.

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” - Mark van Doren
“The real secret to success is enthusiasm.” - Walter Chrysler

Ramon Rick

CFI/Mentor Pilot

Ratings Held:
ATP, Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI, Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP)
Type Ratings: SF-50, CE-510S, CE-525S, EMB-500, EMB-505
EASA+UK Class Rating Instructor
EASA+UK Class Ratings: TBM

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20 / SR22 / SR22T / SF50
Diamond DA42 / DA62
Daher TBM 900 / 910 / 930 / 940
Cessna Citation Mustang / M2 / CJ3+
Embraer Phenom 100 / 300

Flight Experience and Training:
Over 2500 hours total flight time
Simulator Training, VisionJet SF50: Cirrus Factory
In-Aircraft Training, TBM 940: Daher Factory
Simulator Training, TBM 900 - 940: SIMCOM
Simulator Training, Citation Mustang/M2/CJ3+: FlightSafety
Simulator Training, Phenom 100/300: CAE
Stanford PhD in Applied Physics
Stanford MBA in Business Administration

Teaching Experience:
Over 1800 hours of dual instruction given. Focus on Ground Instruction, Private / Instrument / Multi-Engine Training, Turbine Transitions. Mentor Pilot for single-pilot turboprop and jets.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
I love mentoring fellow pilots and sharing my passion for advanced technology in aviation.

THOMAS DANIEL

Gold Seal CFII, Platinum CSIP, Dean of Avionics College at COPA University, https://cfi.thomas-daniel.com

Ratings Held:
CFI/CFII, AGI, Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot CSIP) EASA (Europe) and South African PPL

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20/SR22/SR22TN/SR22T, Cessna 172/182, TAA (G1000, Perspective), tailwheel (Citabria)

Flight Experience/Training:
Over 7000 hours total flight time including 4000 hours instruction given, flying single-engine pistons all over the United States, in Central and South America, Bahamas, Europe, and South Africa. For the last ten  years, I organized annual trips to Mexico, averaging 12 airplanes. I own and fly a Cirrus SR22TN out of San Carlos.  

Teaching Experience:
Teaching full-time for Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial, CFI, and transitions to Cirrus. I am also a Dean of Avionics College at COPA University, where I develop courses and teach at the Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP).

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI?
I am obsessed with safety, but I smile each time we take off, and I want you to smile, have fun, and enjoy flying. Each pilot, each aircraft, and each flight brings new discoveries, which I want to share with you.

Patrick Shea

Certified Flight Instructor

Ratings Held:
Commercial ASEL, Commercial ASES, AMEL, CFI/CFII, MEI, AGI/IGI, Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus, Cessna 150/152/172/182, Piper Warrior/Archer/Arrow, G1000

Flight Experience/Training:
Over 2,000 hours dual given. I am a homegrown San Carlos Pilot and Instructor. I earned my Private Pilot and CFII at the San Carlos Airport and the CFII right here at JATO Aviation. I accrued about half my flight time in the area as well as in the Sierras and up and down the Pacific Coast. I am a graduate of Purdue University's top-ranked Professional Flight Program. I received the rest of my ratings and instructed under Part 141, giving me experience under both Part 61 and Part 141. 

Training Experience:
I have about half of my instructional time at San Carlos and the other half from my time instructing at Purdue University. I have experience instructing in Cirrus, Piper, and Cessna under both Part 61 and Part 141.

What is Rewarding to You About Being a CFI?
More than anything, I enjoy growing with my students. You never stop learning, not even as a CFI! I also enjoy watching students have the same energy that I remember having within my self when I was learning to fly.

As one of my old CFI's once said: "If we aren't having fun, we are doing something wrong."

Mara Eilers

Certified Flight Instructor

Ratings Held:
Commercial ASEL/AMEL, CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI, Cirrus Training Instructor (TCI)

Aircraft Specialty:
Cirrus SR20, Piper Archer/Arrow, Cessna 172

Flight Experience:
I began flight training during my freshman year at Purdue University, earning all my certificates and ratings. While there, I gained experience in a variety of aircraft, including the Cirrus SR20, Cessna 172, and the Piper Archer, Arrow, and Seminole. I also have experience in the university’s Hawker 900XP, A320, and 737 simulators. I graduated from Purdue a year early with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight Technology.

Teaching Experience:
I became a CFI shortly after finishing my sophomore year at Purdue, after which I began instructing university flight students in the Piper Archer. I also taught instrument students in Cirrus SR20 and Piper Archer simulators under the university’s world-class 141 program.

What is rewarding to you about being a CFI:
I still vividly remember the encouragement and inspiration my instructors provided me while I was a flight student. My daily goal as a CFI is to provide the same positivity, motivation, and dedication to my students that my instructors did for me. It is incredibly rewarding to play such a role in helping my students achieve their goals of becoming pilots and seeing their love for aviation grow.