FAA Designated Pilot Examiner — Rotorcraft
I'm an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner authorized to conduct practical tests in Robinson, MD 500, Bell, and Schweizer 300 helicopters, serving pilots and flight schools across the Northeast, with travel nationwide by arrangement.
Credentials
Helicopter flight hours
Years as a professional pilot
Designated Pilot Examiner since
I've spent 20 years as a professional helicopter pilot, logging 12,000 flight hours across some of the most demanding work in the industry: power line construction, agricultural application, Forest Service-rated fire and utility work, corporate flying, and Part 135 operations where I served as Chief Pilot and check airman. That range of operational experience is what I bring to the examiner's seat.
I'm a Certificated Flight Instructor - Instrument (CFII) and have held an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner appointment under the Portland, Maine FSDO since 2025. I conduct practical tests in Robinson, MD 500, Bell, and Schweizer 300 helicopters, and hold additional authority as a Foreign Pilot Examiner and Military Competency Examiner.
As a Basic Administrative Examiner, I also handle SIC and SOE limitation removals, Remote Pilot Certificate issuance, Night Flight limitation removals, and ATP limitation removals. I'm based in the Northeast and travel nationwide by arrangement.
Aviation has been my passion for my entire career, and it still is. What drives me in the examiner's seat is simple: I want to see safe, competent aviators entering this industry, and I take that responsibility seriously on every checkride I conduct.
I also believe the relationship between examiner and applicant matters. A checkride shouldn't feel adversarial — it's a professional evaluation, and I aim to conduct it fairly, thoroughly, and with respect for the work you've put in to get here. You can count on every ride being conducted strictly to the FAA's Airman Certification Standards, no more and no less. I look forward to working with you.
Operational background
Longline and precision hover work stringing and servicing high-voltage transmission.
Low-level aerial spraying and application work over row crops and orchards.
Bucket work and utility flying rated to Forest Service fire and land-management standards.
Point-to-point passenger transport for corporate and executive clients.
CFII-rated dual instruction, from primary training through instrument proficiency.
Oversight of a Part 135 operation, standardizing and evaluating other line pilots.
Aircraft examined
Private, Commercial, and Instrument practical tests in piston and turbine Robinson types.
Private, Commercial, and Instrument practical tests for MD 500 series aircraft.
Private, Commercial, and Instrument practical tests for Bell light turbine helicopters.
Private, Commercial, and Instrument practical tests in Schweizer 300 series aircraft.
Checkrides offered
Initial private certificate practical test, oral and flight portions, conducted at your base or mine.
Commercial certificate practical test including required maneuvers and precision autorotations.
Instrument rating add-on, including approach and holding evaluation.
Practical tests for pilots holding a foreign license seeking an FAA certificate.
Competency exams for military rotorcraft pilots transitioning to a civil certificate.
SIC and SOE limitation removal, Remote Pilot Certificate issuance, Night Flight limitation removal, and ATP limitation removal.
Scheduling
Submit a request below with your preferred dates and the test you need. This isn't an automatic booking — every request is confirmed personally.