Serving New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Gulf Coast Aviation is Southeast Louisiana's premier location for flight training, aircraft management, city tours, and photo flights

Come take the controls
during a Demo flight
for only ^$89

Aircraft

Aerial Tours

Flight Training

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. Brian is also one of the few flight instructors in the area who has achieved the Gold Seal Flight Instructor recognition from the Federal Aviation Administration. His enthusiasm for flying along with his knowledge in aviation makes him an excellent instructor. Brian recently completed his B.A. degree at Louisiana State University.
Brad Boyd brad@neworleansairplanes.com
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 holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University and a M.A. in Economics from The University of Texas at Arlington. David is also an economics instructor for both Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Delgado Community College. He is also pursuing an MBA in Finance and International Business from Tulane University.
Bradford Fournier bradford@neworleansairplanes.com
Cody Gould cody@batonrougeairplanes.com	Instructs in Baton Rouge
Patrick Read CFI, CFII, MEI patrick@neworleansairplanes.com	Patrick is from Kountze, TX and has enjoyed flying from a young age. He graduated from Texas A & M University in College Station, TX with a BS in Agricultural Leadership & Development, as well as a minor in Business. While at Texas A & M, Patrick was in the Corps of Cadets which solidified his interest in one day becoming a professional pilot. Patrick received his private license at the age of seventeen and pursued his instructor ratings at ATP in Dallas. Today Patrick's friendly demeanor and excitement about aviation have made him popular with students.
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.
Justin Smith justin@batonrougeairplanes.com	Instructs in Baton Rouge
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

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