Like anything truly worthwhile, pilothood is a journey. It's a journey of challenge. Of excitement. Of self-discovery. It's a journey that ends with a monumental sense of achievement - your pilot's license! And then begins anew each time you climb into the cockpit and take to the sky. You cannot get there without solid instruction. Great Basin Aviation is proud to employ the best instructors in Northern Nevada that will aide you in becoming a safe, proficient pilot. Read on below for a more detailed description of our offerings. 

Our Instructors

Certified Flight Instructors

Ground Instructors 

​Danny Britson
Chief CFI

Danny is a part-time CFI/CFII who enjoys all aspects of flight training, especially primary and instrument training. He learned to fly and received his instructor ratings while serving in the US Air Force, since then he has flown as a corporate pilot and has over 1600 hours as an instructor. Danny has a Bachelor’s Degree is in Professional Aeronautics with a minor in Aviation Safety from Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University.
 Danny enjoys skiing, home improvement, watching his kids play sports and flying his Cessna 421C all over the West Coast. Danny is an avid Manchester United fan who does not allow any Liverpool or Manchester City clothing on any of his flights.​

Bob Bennett
Check Instructor 

Bob is a CFI/CFII who has instructed with Great Basin Aviation for the last several years. Bob has been a pilot since 1972 and a flight instructor since 1988, with over 8000 flight hours in general aviation aircraft. Bob is an advanced instructor with Great Basin Aviation and specializes in advanced instruction including CFI/CFII, flight reviews, endorsements, and discovery flights.

Richard Brong
Check Instructor 

​Richard learned to fly in Reno in 2006 and has been active in the local flying community ever since. His FAA certificates include CFI, Instrument, Commercial, Advanced Ground Instructor, and UAS Remote. Richard attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he earned a Master of Aeronautical Science with a specialization in Educational Technology and spent about 20 years as a high school science teacher. He also volunteered in the Civil Air Patrol for several years. Richard is an educator at heart and enjoys using his background in education and aviation to help students reach their goals to their highest potential. 

Cody Lucero

Cody is an active-duty Sailor in the U.S. Navy, stationed at Fallon Naval Air Station. He earned his Private Pilot License with Great Basin Aviation in August of 2020. Now an advanced ground instructor, his eagerness to pass on his knowledge to up-and-coming pilots is unmistakable. He has always had an interest in aviation, which is why he joined the Navy as an aviation support equipment technician at the young age of 17. Since he joined, he has been stationed overseas in various countries, but in early 2020 he returned to the USA and dove headfirst into flying airplanes. Cody’s free time is spent working towards his bachelor’s degree in psychology and racking up flight time for his advanced pilot ratings.

Jacob Hetland 

Originally from Southern California, Jacob moved to Reno where he attended UNR and graduated with his Bachelors of Science in Community Health Sciences, Kinesiology. Shortly after graduation he made the move back home to SoCal where he competed flight training and earned his ratings through CFII and MEI. He started his instructing career in Hawaii and has moved back to his beloved college town to continue teaching and flying. To continue progression as a pilot he has recently obtained his commercial sea plane add on. In his free time he enjoys, skiing, surfing (where there is waves), the outdoors, and of course, flying. Being a pilot is the only thing he has ever wanted to do. As a kid his mom would take him to the airport where he would stare at planes for hours and would never want to leave, something he still enjoys today. 

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Troy Ware

Born and raised in San Diego, Troy Is naturally a very laid-back guy. After high school Troy received a scholarship to play football at Boise State and graduated from the university in 2015 with a BA in Communications. Due to injuries Troy decided to embark on a different path and dove into aviation and received all his ratings in southern California where he finished with his CFI. Troy then followed his significant other from Southern California to Reno where she is originally from. In his free time he enjoys watching and playing any sport you can think of and also anything outdoors including camping, fishing, and hiking. Troy takes pride in his students and looks forward to watching you grow! 

 

Jack Darlington

Jack has been an aviation enthusiast since he sat in the cockpit of an American Airlines MD-80 when he was 7 years old.  He is from Tucson, AZ and was recruited to Reno to be a wide receiver for the Wolfpack. He spent two years working for the basketball team at USC prior to starting his career in foodservice for Unilever. He is looking forward to helping others pursue and achieve their aviation goals and aspirations.  He is available to fly early mornings, evenings, and weekends.

Nik Joshi

Nikul (Nik) grew up in East Africa, Tanzania. He moved to USA when he was 11. He began his aviation career at Stead Airport. He then  finished his Commercial single, multi-engine rating and CFI rating in Reno. Nikul earned a college degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he received a degree in BA in Aeronautics from ERAU in 2009.  Nikul is in  the Nevada Air Guard, he enlisted in 2013, then commissioned in 2018. When he isn't working and flying, he likes to mountain bike, hike and camp.

Sean Torbett

Check Instructor ​

Sean, a CFI/CFII/MEI, spent 5 years in the 82nd Airborne (jumping *out* of planes). After returning from the Persian Gulf War, he transitioned to working in the engineering side of broadcast television at several stations around the country and then here in Reno. While in Reno he began working on his private pilot certificate. At the conclusion of his television engineering career, he took the opportunity to make aviation his main focus. He left town to attend ATP and earned his CFI, CFII, and MEI. Sean enjoys flying and wants to help others realize how attainable being a pilot can be and how piloting skills can be progressively built on to grow into something larger if desired.

Kurtis Hornung

My passion for aviation started as a child, my father was a pilot for the CHP. I spent a lot of free time as a kid playing in their simulators whenever they allowed me. Once I turned 18 I enlisted in the military and served 7 years in the Army infantry. Once I got out I knew I wanted to pursue becoming a pilot professionally, I enrolled at American Flyers and did private through CFI/CFII in Houston, TX. I moved to Reno to further advance my military career, flying for the Nevada National Guard. On my time off I have been spending a lot of time with my daughter at Lake Tahoe or any of the parks around town. 
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Eric Tallberg

A former US Air Force Firefighter, Eric learned to fly in New Hampshire in 2004 and has been continually adding to his aviation credentials. Eric holds a full-time software product manager job for a Boston-based company, but he can be available for those 9-5’ers wishing to learn to fly but have a limited scope of time in a typical workday. His experiences since he started flying in 2004 include flying his Piper Warrior across the country (NV – NH) and into Canada a few times. He is also working on his CFII,  Glider rating, and Multi-engine while also participating in other pastimes: running, hiking, biking and skiing with his wife.

Logan Krupp

Logan Krupp is a CFI, CFII, and MEI. Logan was born and raised in Carson City, NV who originally began his flying career in Oregon where he received his private pilots license, and then received his advanced ratings in Southern California. After completing flight school Logan has instructed students in California, Oregon, and even the bush Alaska for a small time. Logan has a strong dedication to his students and finds great joy in watching them grow as pilots in reaching their goals whether they are learning to fly as a hobby or pursuing a career in aviation. Nothing makes Logan happier than getting up in the skies and flying airplanes, but when he’s not he enjoys hiking, kayaking around Tahoe, and going for motorcycle rides.

Sean McSweeney

S​ean, CFI, thought he was just earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but in reality the quiet buzz of the then bustling general aviation traffic pattern for San Jose International was circling his head. Upon graduation in 2000, Sean's flying aspirations immediately kicked off with his first solo taking place south of the San Francisco Bay Area at San Martin (E16). He's proud to say he obtained his Private Pilot license in a Piper Tomahawk (PA38), flying out of Reid Hillview (RHV). He continued his training with ATP out of Sacramento in 2003, where he earned his Instrument rating, along with single and multi-engine Commercial ratings. Having subsequently completed a couple of life migrations, first to the Tahoe area and then to Reno, he started renting aircraft from Great Basin Aviation in 2019 where he earned his Instructor Certificate. The fresh Reno sky must have had an impact, and he shook-off the tails of his previous career as a business-analyst, freeing him to pursue and share his longtime love for aviation with others.

Stefan Arnone

Stefan is a full time CFI-Airplane and CFI-Glider. He grew up in Reno and learned to fly at the Carson airport in 2013. He later completed his instrument, commercial, multi-engine, and CFI-A training at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, where he earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Science, graduating in May 2019. He has also spent summers since 2011 working at Truckee-Tahoe Soaring Association, where he earned his private glider (2014), commercial glider (2018), and CFI-G (2019) add-on ratings. Stefan speaks fluent German and enjoys skiing in the winter and soaring in the summer, and is excited to be back home in northern Nevada to continue his aviation adventures as a flight instructor! ​​​ 

Chris Buckley

Chris is a CFI who achieved all her current ratings and endorsements while flying with Great Basin Aviation.  She's a journalist by trade, but has always looked to the sky for inspiration.  A few years ago, on assignment, she had the chance to fly in an Extra 300L during the Reno Air Races.  A few barrels rolls made a big impact, and the next day it was a short walk to the GBA office. She holds two degrees from Northwestern University and worked as a reporter all over the country before finding the Sierra Nevada skies.

Ethan Chinowsky

Ethan is a CFI/CFII who completed all his advanced training with Great Basin Aviation. He originally started flight training in New Zealand where he received specialty instruction in mountain flying and crosswind takeoffs/landings. Growing up, he was always that one kid that would get distracted by airplanes, no matter what he was doing. Now, he enjoys sharing his passion and love for aviation and flying with everyone! When he’s not flying he’s enjoying the outdoors, mountain biking, lifting in the gym, planning his next adventure, or cooking up a meal.
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Josh Bunker

As an ATP, Josh spends his days flying for Skywest and instructing part-time with Great Basin Aviation, specializing in Rotor Transitions. Most of his flight hours are as a Chinook pilot, instructor pilot, and instrument flight examiner for the Nevada National Guard. Nevada has always been home for Josh and he and his wife are lucky enough to raise their two young boys in Northern Nevada. When he is not flying regional jets, instructing, or hovering above in a Chinook, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful family and creating fun, delicious, intoxicating home brews (and sharing them with GBA staff).