504-246-2700 1-877-24-GO-FLY

Located at the Lakefront Airport, Gulf Coast Aviation is New Orleans' premiere location for flight training, city tours, photo flights and aerial survey

Come take the controls
during a Demo flight
for only ^$59

Your Pilots and Instructors - Even though we do provide the safest and most modern training aircraft, our primary strength is the quality of our Flight Instructors. Our expert instructors pay the closest attention to safety and undergo continuous re-training to ensure that they deliver no less than excellence in flight instruction. Because of both the high quality of our instructors and the efficiency of our curriculum, our students complete their training in 10-15 less hours than the national average! That results in a savings to you of thousands of dollars! We can provide several references from current and past students who will tell you that their instructor is keeping them on track and saving them money.

Brian Bechtel CFI CFII MEI brian@neworleansairplanes.com	Born and raised right outside of New Orleans, Brian has always had a passion for flying. He started taking flying lessons when he was 12 and soloed at age 16! He continued his training and earned his private pilot certificate at the FAA minimum age of 17. He then started flying right here at Gulf Coast Aviation where he earned his Instrument rating, Commercial Multi-Engine rating, CFI, CFII, and MEI. Because he earned his Commercial Multi-Engine and MEI ratings in our DA42 Twinstar, he has become an expert on G1000 and FADEC systems. His enthusiasm for flying along with his knowledge in aviation makes him an excellent instructor. He is currently attending college at Louisiana State University where he is working on his B. A. Degree, and plans to graduate May of 2008. His long term goal is to become a corporate pilot and to continue sharing his passion of flying.
Paul Boudreaux CFI CFII MEI paul@neworleansairplanes.com	Paul was born in New Orleans and grew up in Folsom, LA. He started flying as a junior in high school, and earned his private pilot license at the Hammond airport in 2001. He moved to Mobile, AL to study meteorology at the University of South Alabama, and while there he finished his instrument, commercial, and CFI ratings at a part 141 Cessna Pilot Center. He then taught at that school for two years, gaining a lot of experience with the CPC curriculum. Paul’s training and education provided him with a solid foundation in aeronautical knowledge, a benefit that he enjoys passing on to other pilots. His teaching style combines a relaxed and fun environment with an unwavering commitment to safety and professionalism, a technique that has proven itself to be very effective for his students. Paul enjoys being a flight instructor, and he hopes to always remain active in general aviation flight training.
David Cusimano CFI CFII MEI david@neworleansairplanes.com	David earned his Private license over ten years ago right here in New Orleans. While working as an Aerospace Engineer for Lockheed Martin, he continued his flight lessons and earned his Instrument Rating in Arlington, TX and his Commercial, CFI, and CFII in Grand Prairie, TX. After deciding that he would rather fly the planes than make them, he left the engineering world and completed all of his Multi-engine Ratings at ATP in Fort Lauderdale, FL. David also earned the FAA's highest pilot certificate, the Airline Transport Pilot, in one of our DA42's. He brings both flying knowledge and the firm understanding of aerodynamics, which is essential for instructing advanced students, to the team. He is easily able to convey his skills to both beginning and advanced students alike. David has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University and a M.A. in Economics from The University of Texas at Arlington.
Bill Evans CFI bill@neworleansairplanes.com	A New Orleans native, Bill earned his Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating, and all of his cross-country Commercial flight time right here at Gulf Coast Aviation. He enjoyed the training so much, that after earning his Flight Instructor Certificate, he returned to instruct with us. After getting his Commercial Certificate, Bill spent a lot of time flying the beautiful terrain around Seattle, WA. Bill has spent time in sales for the Seattle Mariners and now is also head of Marketing for Gulf Coast Aviation. His familiarity with our CPC King School Curriculum makes him an expert instructor. Bill has a B.A. degree from Louisiana State University. Email him if you have any questions about the CPC Training Program.
Jeff Salles CFI CFII MEI jeff@neworleansairplanes.com	Born and raised in New Orleans, Jeff was working on his Private Pilot Certificate when Hurricane Katrina moved him to Pensacola, Fla. He Finished up his Private Pilot certificate with ATP's Private Pilot Nationwide Program. He continued training with ATP in the Career Pilot Program in Jacksonville, FL where he earned his Instrument rating, Commercial license and CFI, CFII, and MEI ratings. After finishing his training Jeff moved back to New Orleans to instruct full-time for Gulf Coast Aviation.
Leigh Smith CFI, CFII, MEI leigh@neworleansairplanes.com	Leigh was born in Topeka, KS to an Air Force family and was raised traveling around the world in the fashion of the military. Leigh attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and is a big fan of Peyton Manning. While at Tennessee he earned a B.S. in wildlife and fisheries biology as well as fairly impressive athletic honors including, three-time All-American and three-time SEC champion status in the sport of track and field. He also completed his private pilot rating while at school. After Tennessee Leigh also attended ATP flight school and completed their airline career pilot program in February 2006. He then was employed by ATP before moving to New Orleans and Gulf Coast Aviation. His track and field motivation and skills carry over to aviation making him a very successful flight instructor.

Proud member of the Aircraft Owner's and Pilot's Association