MIKE "HILTS" HILTON

CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP - USAF Lt. Col. Ret.

Chief Pilot, Co-Founder

Mike has flight experience in over 30 different aircraft including the F-16, F-117 and the RO-6A. He has provided flight instruction to civilian, government, and military pilots alike. As Chief Pilot, Mike (aka "Hilts"), oversees all of P2J's flight training operations and flight instructors. Hilts is a key player in management and developments of our relationships with key industry partners and organizations.

DOUG "SMASH" YUROVICH

CFI, CFII, MEI - USMC Col. Ret

Assistant Chief Pilot, Flight Instructor, Safety Director

"Smash" has flight experience in over 60 types of aircraft, including the F-4, F/A-18 and the Harrier. He served as a US Navy, Marine Corps Detachment, Test Pilot at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Smash also serves as our Safety Director creating, managing, and improving our safety-of-flight guidelines and procedures. He's a distinguished member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is the Chief Test Pilot at P2J.

GARRETT "SWING" LOWE

CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP - USAF Lt. Col Ret.

Flight Instructor

Garrett is a career professional aviator with over 5500 total flight hours in both civilian and military aircraft; an extensive Air Force flight instruction background in trainer and fighter aircraft with combat tours in the F-16.  Currently, as a commercial airline pilot, Garrett is rated in and has flown the 737, 757 and 767 aircraft.  As a Piston2Jet flight instructor, Garrett, aka “Swing”, brings more than 25 years of teaching experience to new aviators.

Our Team

SCOTT PARDUE

CFI, CFII, MEI

Flight Instructor

Scott is an Air Force veteran with experience in multiple types of aircraft and is a skilled aerobatic pilot. Scott is one of our full time instructors who holds the distinction of being a licensed A&P mechanic.

PAUL BRIEDE, JR.

CFI

Flight Instructor

Paul is a Flight Test Engineer / Mission Pilot with Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, VA. He was formerly with Boeing Flight Operations in Seattle, WA performing production flight testing on the 737 program as a Systems Operator. He was also a Test Director/Flight Test Engineer on the KC-46A Test Program as well as the Lead Flight Test Engineer on an internal AI/Machine Learning R&D aircraft project at Boeing. Paul's experimental flight test experience ranges from commercial (737, 767, and 787), military (USN P-8A, USAF KC-46A) to research and development programs (Cessna Caravan, Diamond DA-42 'Centaur'). 

GORDON LANDALE

CFI - US Army Ret.

Flight Instructor

Gordon is a retired Army Officer with over 26 years of service, 17 of which were in Special Operations as a Green Beret.  He used his GI Bill to turn his flying hobby into a post-military professional pilot career. The only thing he enjoys more than flying is being able to share it with others, helping people reach their goals, building safe, competent, and confident pilots while having fun in the process.   A veterans’ advocate, Gordon also volunteers his time helping transitioning veterans use their benefits to pursue educational opportunities.  Passionate about safety and continuing education, Gordon is also a FAA Safety Team (FAAST) volunteer representative.

JULIAN DION

CFI

Flight Instructor

Julian Dion, a veteran of the Austrian Armed Forces, was trained to be an instructor by none other than "Smash" himself. Julian has experience in all popular civilian trainer aircraft and has previous experience in teaching, namely being an English teacher in Nepal and a snowboard instructor in the Alps. He is a prime example of the quality of training that one can receive at P2J.

JONATHAN "DUSTY" LOVELESS

CFI, CFII

Co-Founder, Marketing and Content Creation

Jonathan has had a serious addiction to aviation since he was a child. As the years have passed he has become a professional pilot, airshow junkie, warbird aficionado, and flight instructor. Dusty has accumulated 4,000+ hours of flight time in 20+ aircraft types including the King Air 350, MC-12W, T-6/SNJ Texan, and various other classic and general aviation aircraft. Dusty works to grow Piston2Jet through creative marketing strategies and assists in the creation of new and exciting flight training opportunities that you won't be able to find anywhere else!

CLAIRE ORSINI

CFI, CFII

Flight Instructor

Claire is a seasoned aviation professional with an extensive background in the airline world as a flight attendant and is part of a major airline cadet program! She is a multilingual Certified Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor with countless hours in our cornerstone Diamond Aircraft DA-20's and DA-40's. She hopes to become an airline pilot one day connecting continents and people together in a way only a true professional like herself can do.