Hello, I'm Ryan D.

My path to aviation was anything but direct. I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a pre-med psychology major convinced I was headed toward medicine. However, during my senior year I caught the flying bug and never looked back. After graduating UIUC, I went straight into flight training while balancing working in a hospital. What began as a passion quickly became a profession, and now I am almost done with my flight training. Currently working on CFII. The psychology background hasn't gone to waste either. Understanding how people learn, process information under pressure, and make decisions in high-stakes environments makes me a better instructor. Flying is as much a mental game as it is a physical skill, and I bring that perspective to every session. My pre-med coursework pushed me deep into physics, chemistry, and biology. Subjects that turned out to be far more relevant to aviation than I ever expected. That foundation gives me the ability to break down complex aerodynamic and physiological concepts in a way that actually makes sense to student pilots. If you're a student who's ever felt overwhelmed by the volume of ground knowledge required for your certificate, you're not alone, and you've come to the right place.