OUR FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS
Who We Are
Jason M. Jeffery - Owner
Airline Transport Pilot, CFI CFII MEI
Experience: Jason has been flying since 2008 and instructing since 2012. He's earned his Gold Seal on his flight instructor certificate for his high first-time pass rate for all his students.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, snowboarding, fishing & hunting, outdoor sports, shooting, recreational flying, and cooking.
Michael Ha
Commercial Pilot (Land & Sea), CFI CFII
Experience: Michael has been flying since 2009. With extensive flight instructor experience under part 141 and 61, Michael specializes in international students and accelerated training courses.​
Hobbies: Outdoor activities, sound engineering, traveling, fantasy sports.
Kevin Pryor
CFI
Experience: Native to the LA area, Kevin has been flying since 2016. He fell in love with flying after his intro flight which ignited his passion for aviation. As a flight instructor, he is looking forward to passing on his knowledge to his students.
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Hobbies: Golfing, gaming, wake boarding, snow boarding, playing cards, being at the beach, and exercising.
Luke Lauriano
CFI
Experience: Luke was born and raised here in Long Beach California, and he has been flying since March of 2018. He has a bachelor’s in Business-Finance from Cal State University of Long Beach, but he decided to stray away from the field of finance and accounting to pursue a dream of becoming an airline pilot. As a flight instructor, he has a passion for teaching students how to become safe and competent pilots.
Hobbies: Golfing, basketball, surfing, snowboarding, video games, board games, exercising, traveling, reading, and writing.
Amanda Villapudua
CFI
Experience: Meet Amanda. Flight attendant turned pilot. Amanda began her training in 2020 and has completed her entire pilot training from Private to CFI at Pacific Air Flight School. Having flown for a major airline and accumulated a wealth of real-world aviation knowledge, Amanda hopes to share her expertise with aspiring aviators.
Hobbies: Dancing, reading, traveling.
Eric Ramos Cervantes
CFI, CFII
Experience: Eric started flying in 2017 but his passion for flying came from a young age when his dad would take him to airshow's and watch planes take off at John Wayne. He takes pride in his students, teaching them all aspects of flying to make them safe responsible pilots. It's not about how many pilots, "The engine is the heart of the plane. But the pilot is the soul."
Hobbies: Loves paintball, video games, shooting, mountain biking, hiking, car cruises.
Wendy Unland
CFI, CFII, MEI, IGI
Experience: Since she was 6 months old she has been traveling by plane all around and caught the bug. After finishing her bachelor's degree at Cal State Fullerton, she decided to enter into the aviation industry like her dad, who worked for McDonnell Douglas. She then completed her flight training and earned her Commercial Single, Commercial Multi, Instrument, CFI, CFII, and her MEI going 7 for 7 at ATP Flight School starting at zero time. She is now building her hours for the airlines by flying with friends and instructing!
Hobbies: Working out, spending time with friends, travelling, hanging out with her dog
Jackson Commins
CFI
Experience: Jackson has been flying since 2021 but has always had a passion for aviation. His uncle always told him stories about his time flying for the military and that inspired him to start flight training.
Hobbies: Hiking, backpacking, flying, and motorcycle riding.
Ryan Maier
CFI, CFII, and MEI
Experience: A South Bay native, brings a unique background as a former collegiate athlete, coach, and athletic director to the cockpit. After years of leadership and mentoring in sports, he made the leap to pursue his lifelong passion for aviation. Now a certified CFI, CFII, and MEI, he’s dedicated to creating a fun, supportive, and safe learning environment for his students.
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Hobbies: Playing with his dogs, Golfing, Onewheeling, snowboarding.
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Brandon Hoff
CFI, CFII
Experience: I used to work in the telecommunications industry but my true passion was aviation. I started flying in 2019 and pride myself in teaching my students how to be safe and capable pilots.
Hobbies: Camping, road trips, shooting, cooking, archery, wrestling, board games
Evan Phillips
CFI, CFII
Experience: Evan’s passion for aviation started when he was young, growing up near Seattle, Washington into a family of pilots and watching the Blue Angels perform each summer. After graduating from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Business – Finance he went on to work in the aviation sector. After working closely with jet engines and airlines, Evan decided to pursue a career as a pilot, starting his training in 2021. Now a CFI and CFII, Evan looks forward to sharing his passion for flying with the next wave of aviators.
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Hobbies: Playing hockey, camping, running, swimming, skiing/snowboarding, cooking, and traveling.
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Blake Snyder
CFI
Experience: Blake started his flying journey in 2020 by pursuing a college degree in aviation and received his Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight. He did most of his training in Texas and enjoys the art of flying. Being local to Southern California, and now as an instructor, he wants to share his passion for flying with his students and teach them not only to be safe, but skilled and competent pilots.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, video games, hockey
Blake Phillips
CFI, CFII
Experience: Blake has lived in California all of his life and started flying in 2021. He completed all of his training here at Pacific Air. His love of aviation and flying came from his grandfather who was a test engineer on the Northrop B-2 Spirit program. As a flight instructor, Blake enjoys teaching his students how to become the best pilots they can by use of real world experience and challenging environments.
Hobbies: Video games, Motorsports, working on cars, shooting, computer building
Casey Worden
CFI, CFII
​Experience: Casey Worden is a dedicated flight instructor who brings professionalism, discipline, and real-world experience to the cockpit. Born and raised in Orange County, Casey earned his degree from the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Riverside. After spending many years working as a licensed realtor and title representative, Casey chose to pursue his long-standing passion for aviation in the fall of 2023—a decision that quickly became a defining turning point in his career.
​As a flight instructor, he is passionate about developing safe, responsible, and confident pilots. Casey emphasizes strong fundamentals, sound aeronautical decision-making, and a safety-first mindset in every lesson. His approachable teaching style and dedication to student success help create a positive learning environment where pilots can grow their skills and confidence both in the air and on the ground.
Hobbies: Golf, Skiing, Traveling, Exercise and Spending time with family.
Xavier Hassard-Johnson
CFI, CFII
​Experience: Xavier started flying in 2022 at pacific air flight school. His father was a Fedex captain and mother was a flight attendant so aviation has always been in his life. Now a CFI and CFII Xavier loves sharing his passion of flying with our future aviators.
Hobbies: Soccer, surfing, golfing, running, traveling