Inside the Career of a Sport Pilot CFI

While there are many variables, training student pilots is always rewarding.

Friday, September 16, 2022 at 08:31 AM ET

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Sport CFI Jake Leonard (right seat) prepares to launch with student pilot Josh Dorsey in an Aeroprakt A22LS. [Photo: Andy Humphrey]

Key Takeaways:

Sport pilot CFI Jake Leonard, who initially used aviation for missionary work, now operates Heavenbound Aviation in Ohio, teaching diverse students with a varied fleet.
Leonard customizes flight training by thoroughly assessing each student's specific aviation goals, desired aircraft, and mission, ensuring tailored and effective instruction.
The time and cost to earn a Sport Pilot Certificate vary significantly, depending on individual factors like age, learning ability, determination, and lesson frequency, typically averaging 25 to 40 hours.
He highlights the transformative experience of first solo flights, which often ignite a deep passion for aviation and can inspire students to pursue advanced ratings or aviation careers.

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As a missionary in Peru, sport pilot CFI Jake Leonard learned quickly that aviation was going to be extremely beneficial in his effort to reach deep inside the jungle and preach the gospel to previously unreached people groups. He started flying in Peru to cut the two- to three-day, 400-mile boat trip (one-way) from Iquitos to his remote destinations, but Leonard realized he gained immense satisfaction from teaching others to fly, so he earned his sport instructor certificate.

With approximately 500 hours now in his logbook, Leonard is busy teaching sport pilot students from McKnight Airport (5OI8) in Johnstown, Ohio, operating from the field’s two turf runways in a Quicksilver Sport 2S, a 1938 Taylorcraft BC-65, a 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, and a pair of Aeroprakt A22 LSAs. Teaching under the banner of Heavenbound Aviation, Leonard is able to reach a wide spectrum of sport pilot students as well as certificated students who desire to earn a tailwheel endorsement or receive Part 103 ultralight training.