Dave Axenty

My fascination with airplanes is something that has been in my blood since I was a kid. My earliest memories of flying were as a kid when I was shuttled between my divorced parents in Salt Lake City and San Diego. An absolute necessity, and definitely highlight of every trip was a visit to the cockpit. I would stand in awe, and never ceased to be amazed at the vast assortment of buttons, switches, dials, and gauges that blanketed the cockpit of each individual airliner. When not traveling on the real thing I was being pulled around the neighborhood in my first airplane, which Dad constructed out of cardboard boxes. I have the excitement around airplanes today, that I did then.

My first experience as a "co-pilot" was on my 8th birthday, when Dad surprised me with a tour of NAS Miramar (Top Gun), and a ride in a Cessna 172 up-and-down the San Diego coastline, thanks to his friend, a former Naval Aviator. Like most every other kid growing up one of my favorite pastimes, aside from playing baseball (another passion) was spending countless hours at the computer "flying" in and out of every airport imaginable in a Boeing 747.

During high school, and early college my focus shifted away from aviation, and was steered towards my first career objective: becoming a professional musician. It wasn't until spending two years as a proselyting missionary for the LDS Church in the former Soviet Union that I realized I wanted to return to my roots and become a career pilot.

My first experience as a pilot was in 2003, shortly after being laid off as the manager of ski shop, and marrying my wife. After giving up studying Russian Language & Literature at the University of Utah I transferred to Utah Valley University (then-Utah Valley State College) and enrolled in the Global Aviation Program. A good friend's brother, an instructor, took me up on my first flight lesson at the Skypark Airport in Woods Cross, Utah. Shortly thereafter I joined a flight club and began training for my private license. In October 2003 I obtained my private license in a Cessna 152, and immediately started training for the instrument rating, which I earned in June 2004. After obtaining at least 250 flight hours I tested for my commercial license in November 2005. The year 2006 was spent training to become a certified flight instructor (CFI). After completing that difficult, yet rewarding rating I began my first flight job as a staff instructor for the local FBO at the Skypark Airport. The next year I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Aviation Science and earned my commercial multi-engine and flight instructor-instrument (CFII) ratings, all while teaching private pilot lessons, and continuing to build multi-engine flight experience. The next year, 2008 I earned my multi-engine instructor (MEI) rating and was hired on as an instructor in the Flight Operations Department at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, one of the nation's elite college flight schools. At Westminster I've been privileged to work along- side with, and receive training from some of the top flight instructors in the Intermountain West.

Today, along with instructing part-time for Westminster College, and working as a Supervisor for SkyWest Airlines, I continue to provide independent initial, advanced, and recurrent training, professional pilot services and ferry services to pilots and aircraft owners of all experience levels and professional backgrounds. My clientele has included recreational hobbyists, zero-time aspiring career pilots, business owners, medical professionals, musicians, and educators as well as current, and former airline and military pilots.

Aside from the obvious, my hobbies and interests include skiing, boating, baseball, playing drums, traveling, shooting, and spending time with family. My wife Katie, a registered nurse, and I are the proud parents of three children: Mason, Sydney, and Abigail. We reside in Woods Cross, UT.

Certificates & Ratings

  • Commercial Pilot
  • Airplane Single Engine Land (ASEL)
  • Airplane Multi Engine Land (AMEL)
  • Instrument Airplane
  • Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
  • Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII)
  • Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)

Education

  • B.S. Aviation Science, Utah Valley University
  • A.S. General Studies, SLCC

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