Flight Instructors in Southern California--Sunrise Aviation

Email a staff member	Our Instructors undergo a unique internship program, and all are required to gain aerobatic experience in the first six months of employment. Our CFI's are employees of the company, not free-lance contractors, and no other institution in Southern California can match our record of successful instructor training: in addition to providing our own staff, we have placed instructors at many other major flight schools. More than 60 of our instructors have gone on to careers with the airlines. Here are the current (February, 2015) statistics: 15 Instructors, averaging 5500 flight hours and 3400 hours dual instruction given. Many are aerobatic pilots and have tailwheel endorsements, and 3 have aerobatic competition experience. 4 are instrument instructors. 3 now own or have owned at least one airplane.	Computer Testing Student Loans Contact Info Location / Directions / Maps Out-of-State- Students Visitors from Abroad FAQ Gallery Links FaceBook Group Page Library / Articles Purchase Initial Flights Search

Senior Staff

	Michael Church--Chief Instructor Church started in aviation as a sport parachutist and then moved to airplanes and gliders. He has been teaching flying--airplanes, aerobatics and soaring--for over 40 years and has given more than 12,000 hours of flight instruction. He is recognized as a Master Instructor and Master Aerobatic Instructor and was honored by the FAA in 2005 as National Safety Counselor of the Year. Selected articles by Church are published in the Library section.

	Lyn Carlson--Director of Training Lyn earned her Flight Instructor Certificate in 1978 and has since provided more than 5,000 hours flight instruction. Widely known and respected nationally, she earned National Flight Instructor of the Year honors from the FAA in 1995. In addition to acting as Sunrise Director of Training, Lyn is an FAA Designated Examiner, responsible for providing FAA Pilot Checkrides to hundreds of Southern California pilots every year.

	Pam Hengsteler--Assistant Chief Instructor Pam has worked as a flight instructor since 1992 and has given more than 5000 hours of dual instruction. An assistant Chief Instructor at Sunrise for much of that time, she was honored by the FAA with the 2002 "Exceptional Aviator Award" in recognition of her career flight instructor accomplishments.

	Diane Myers--Chief Multi-Engine Instructor Diane is a Continental Airlines captain (retired), with extensive experience in that airline's training department. She owns and actively flies a cabin-class Cessna 414.

	Jon Nash--Senior Aerobatic Instructor Jon has been with Sunrise for more than a decade He has extensive Unlimited Competition experience and campaigned on the airshow circuit for three years in his Edge 540.

Staff List / Courses Taught										Legend
Instructor	Priv	Comm	IFR	Multi	TW	Aero	HP Aero	Cirrus	G1000	Priv=Private Comm=Commercial IFR=Instrument Multi=Multiengine TW=Tailwheel Aero=Aerobatics HP Aero=Pitts / Extra G1000=Garmin 1000
Michael Church Chief Flight Instructor
Lyn Carlson Director of Training
Pam Hengsteler Assistant Chief Instructor
Diane Myers Chief Instructor Multi
Bill Hill
Garry Felker
Josh Davies
Matthias Duenner
Yan Gendlin
Jair Griffith
Peyton Graham
Tucker Hartwig
Gary Meister
Kee Nguyen
Ocean Wang