With decades of combined experience from across the United States, our team delivers the highest quality flight training and pilot instruction available. Whether you’re pursuing your private pilot license, advancing through flight lessons, or working toward commercial pilot training, our instructors provide expert guidance every step of the way.
Instructor Ratings: CFI
Pilot Ratings: ATP
Dan Chouiniere is a retired public school music teacher who has also been doing flight instruction since 2003. Following retirement from school teaching, he worked for three years in Charter and Corporate aviation before returning to flight instruction. He holds an ATP rating and both CFII and MEI ratings with 3200 hours. He is certified in the King Air 250, 200 and C90 and has a BeechJet 400 type rating.
Instructor Ratings: Chief CFI
Pilot Ratings: AMEL
1990 graduate of Daniel Webster College, Nashua, NH with a BS in Aviation Management/Flight Operations. Became a CFI in 1991 and was instrumental in the development of the college flight and ATC programs. Has been teaching 25 years as a Professor of Aviation at SUNY Schenectady.
Instructor Ratings: Master CFI
Pilot Ratings: ASEL
Retired executive in healthcare information technology, obtained CFI in 2021 and have since accumulated over 2,200 hours of instruction time. Obtained my PPL in 1999, CPL in 2001, and have since flown over 8,000 hours, visiting 350 airports across 45 states. First owned a Cessna 172, then upgraded to a Mooney.
I now oversee a team of CFIs at Five Star Flight Academy and volunteer at a STEM camp at our local Empire State Aeroscience Museum for aspiring pilots aged 12-17.
Instructor Ratings: CFII
Pilot Ratings: AMEL
Attended SUNY Schenectady starting in Fall of 2019 and began flight training with Five Star Flight in fall of 2020. Became a CFI in 2023 and now building hours to move on to the airlines.
Instructor Ratings: CFI
Pilot Ratings: ASEL
Attended SCCC in 2021 and have done most of my training in the same Piper PA-28s I now instruct in. Since I was 10 I’ve been fascinated by the idea of flying in the stratosphere at over 500MPH. I spent much of my early-mid teen years at the airport just to watch the airplanes takeoff, and was lucky enough to take my first intro flight at the age of 12.
As a student I worked as an airport lineman with several corporate jets. I obtained my private certificate in 2022, and my commercial and instructor certificates in early 2024. Later that year I obtained my tailwheel endorsement in a 1946 Luscombe. Since I started flying, I have flown to over 60 airports across 13 states between Alabama and Maine. This experience was built between lessons, instructing, a few personal flights, and ferrying light tailwheel airplanes.
Today I mostly instruct private students here at SCC, and have experience instructing in PA-28s, Cessna 150/152/172s, and the Luscombe 8.
Instructor Ratings: CFI
Pilot Ratings: ASEL
Attended SCCC and began flight training in the fall of 2021. I graduated SCCC in 2024 and obtained my Certified Flight Instructor Certificate with Five Star Flight Academy. Now I am currently instructing for Five Star and time building.
Instructor Ratings: CFI
Pilot Ratings: ASEL
2021 graduate of Farmingdale State College for a Bachelor’s of Science. I pursued my aviation training through Schenectady County Community College Aviation Science program and Five Star Flight academy from student pilot to Certified Flight Instructor. Currently a CFI for Five Star and adjunct instructor teaching the private and commercial level ground school courses for the Aviation Science SCCC program.
Civil Air Patrol Billy Mitchell Award recipient. Soloed at age 16 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Graduated Purdue University in 1989.
Owner/Operator of Five Star Flight celebrating our 20th year!
