Headquarters Tour

AOPA's Pilot Information Center

As the foremost technical resource available to the general aviation community, the Pilot Information Center strives to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and technical expertise. Our skilled group of pilots and flight instructors has over 30,000 hours of collective flight experience and plays a pivotal role in AOPA's mission and objectives. During the course of a given year, our specialists respond to over 200,000 member questions and thousands of e-mails and letters.

Scott Avery joined the Pilot Information Center team in February 2007. He comes from the Richmond, Virginia, area, where he worked for an FBO at Richmond International Airport, supervising general aviation and airline servicing operations. Scott is an instrument-rated private pilot, and aviation runs in his family — he's a second-generation pilot, and his grandfather built aircraft for the Martin Company during World War II. Aside from flying, he enjoys restoring and operating boats.
Senior Technical Specialist Larry Barnhart joined the Pilot Information Center in December 2002. Before coming to AOPA, Larry was with Hercules, Inc., in Wilmington, Delaware, as a senior transportation specialist and import manager. He also served as the corporate flight department manager. Larry has been flying for 28 years and holds a commercial single-engine land, private multiengine land, and instrument and advanced ground instructor certificates. He currently resides near Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania.
Senior Technical Specialist Craig Brown joined the Pilot Information Center in August 1997. In addition to his A&P, Craig holds an ATP and a gold seal flight instructor certificate. In 23 years of flying, he has logged over 9,700 hours and has given over 7,600 hours of flight instruction. Craig says he has at least one gray hair for every student he has ever flown with! Craig lives with his wife and children near historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
As vice president of the Pilot Information Center, Woody Cahall is responsible for the Pilot Information Center, Medical Certification department, and Research Center. The department is also responsible for producing much of the technical information content on the AOPA Web site. In the years prior to joining AOPA, Woody was very involved in a wide range of general aviation activities. Woody has accumulated more than 10,000 hours of flight time in a wide variety of aircraft and operations. Among his airman credentials are commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates and instrument and multiengine ratings. Woody is a U.S. Army veteran and served a tour in southeast Asia.
Aviation Technical Specialist Sean Collins joined the Pilot Information Center in August 2007. Sean hails from Bangor, Maine. He graduated from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree in aviation science, studying aviation management and the professional pilot concentrations. He holds a commercial single-engine land certificate and instrument rating with plans of adding commercial-multi in the near future. When not working or flying, Sean enjoys following his favorite sports teams—Go Red Sox! Go Patriots!
Kathy Dondzila, Web information specialist, joined the Pilot Information Center team in August 2001. Kathy brings 15 years' worth of AOPA experience from the Air Safety Foundation, Seaplane Pilots Association, and AOPA's Marketing Department. Kathy is a 300-hour instrument-rated private pilot and holds an instrument and advanced ground instructor certificate.
Raymond Feliciano joined the AOPA team in February 2007 as a supervisor in the Pilot Information Center. He holds a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Raymond holds a commercial airplane single-engine land certificate with instrument rating and is working on his CFI rating. He retired after 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard. He currently flies and is active in the Civil Air Patrol, where he was formerly a squadron commander. Raymond is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and currently resides in Hagerstown, Maryland, with his dog Dini.
Daryl Governale joined the Pilot Information Center team in March 2007. Daryl has an extensive general aviation background including flight instructing, charter, aerial photography, and corporate flying. He holds a commercial pilot certificate (ASEL, AMEL), CFI (CFII, MEI), and a handful of endorsements. His flight time exceeds 2,500 hours including a variety of aircraft. When Daryl is not working or flying, he can be found tinkering with cars and spending time with his family.
Brent Hart came to AOPA in November 2000. He holds a bachelor's degree in Aviation Management from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Brent is a private pilot who has been flying for over 10 years. He has strong leanings to homebuilts (especially Pietenpol Aircampers), antiques and warbirds, and loves aviation history. He resides with his wife and two children in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Jim Knight, senior aviation technical specialist, joined the AOPA team in March 1997. He holds a commercial airplane single-engine land certificate and is also an instrument ground instructor. A native Floridian, Jim and his wife Jennifer currently reside in Hagerstown, Maryland. Besides flying the wild blue yonder, Jim also enjoys spending his free time working on his home and engaging in outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and flights to Ocean City, Maryland, for a taste of the ocean breeze and sand on his feet.
Claire Kultgen joined the Pilot Information Center team in July 2006. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Aviation Sciences from Baylor University. Claire holds a commercial airplane single-engine land certificate with instrument and multiengine ratings. She is an advanced ground instructor and is working on completing her CFI. Claire enjoys being outside as well trying anything adventurous and challenging; she also loves to travel and eat and is an avid sports fan. Sic 'Em Bears.
Senior Technical Specialist Rodney Martz came to AOPA in 1990 from the finance and banking industry. He is a 1,900-hour private pilot who started in aviation as a lineman during college summers back in 1969. Rodney has a diverse background including real estate, FBO operations, maintenance, finance, and corporate operations. He currently owns a D35 Bonanza and a Cessna 140, both of which are getting "long-term" annuals!
Toni Mensching joined the Pilot Information Center team in February 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Business degree in Flight Operations and a Master of Commercial Aviation Management degree from Delta State University in Mississippi. Toni has logged over 2,500 hours and has experience as an instrument-rated flight instructor as well as an airline pilot with US Airways, where she was on the accident investigation team of ALPA. While living in her hometown of Memphis, she was employed with FedEx Pilot Recruitment. She now lives in Frederick, Maryland, and is a faithful Red Sox fan. Toni is also a registered chief judge with the National Intercollegiate Flying Association.
Aviation Technical Specialist Brittney Miculka joined the Pilot Information Center in August 2007. Brittney holds a B.S. in aviation human factors from the University of Illinois, where she competed as a member of the University Flight Team and was awarded "Top Female Pilot" of NIFA Region 8. She is a CFI and CFII and just finished a year instructing at University of Illinois' Institute of Aviation. Brittney spent a semester with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation in fall 2005 as an intern. After graduating and gaining some flight instruction experience, she is very happy to be back in Frederick at AOPA!
Chris Prichett joined the Pilot Information Center in May 2007. Chris has a B.A. in psychology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He began his flight training here in Frederick, Maryland, and worked for several years as a CFI at Harford County Airport in Maryland. Chris has over 2,500 hours total time. He will be moving to the Sykesville, Maryland, area in the near future with his fiancée, Sande.
Digital Products Support Specialist Eddie Tyeryar joined the Pilot Information Center in December 2007 but started with AOPA in September 2000 in the IT department as a LAN support/telecommunications specialist. Eddie's computer interest began shortly after purchasing his first computer while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. With no local computer support, it was a fix-it-yourself environment! He served seven years with the Army and during that time was deployed three times. Eddie currently resides in Urbana, Maryland, with his wife and son.
Senior Technical Specialist Tom Zecha joined the Pilot Information Center team in October 2005. He holds a B.S. degree in geography with a concentration in cartography from Frostburg University in Frostburg, Maryland. Tom has logged over 6,000 hours and has given over 2,000 hours of flight instruction in his 17 years of active flying. He is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and also holds certified flight instructor and advanced ground instructor certificates. Prior to joining AOPA, Tom spent the last five years as a full-time traffic pilot for a Baltimore radio station and the director of operations of a Baltimore flight school.
Patty Bentley joined the AOPA staff in June 2003 and serves as the assistant to the vice president of the Pilot Information Center. With more than 18 years of administrative experience, Patty has a wide scope of experience that is an asset to the Pilot Information Center and the association. Patty has an 11-year-old son and lives in Frederick, Maryland.
Medical Certification For many of our members, this team is the reason they are able to fly! Our medical specialists respond annually to more than 20,000 phone calls and e-mails, with questions that cover the spectrum of medical conditions from color vision and high blood pressure to kidney stones and heart disease. The medical staff works closely with the FAA Aeromedical division in Oklahoma City and with the Office of Aerospace Medicine in Washington to ensure that the information we provide members is accurate and comprehensive and that our advocacy efforts result in the best possible outcome for the member.
Gary Crump has been at AOPA since 1987 and is the director of the Medical Certification Department. He was an operating room technician for 10 years and a professional firefighter and emergency medical technician for six years before returning to school to complete his bachelor's degree in Aviation Management at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with instrument, multiengine, and single-engine sea ratings. He and his wife, Lisa, live within the shadow of the Presidential retreat, Camp David, in the town of Thurmont, Maryland.
Senior Medical Technician Jo Ann Wilson joined the Medical Certification department in 1994. She attended the Frederick Community College School of Nursing and has worked in numerous fields of nursing, including hospital medical surgical care, emergency department, maternity, and pediatrics. She was also an activity director at several local nursing and retirement homes. Jo Ann, her husband Jim, and her mom reside near Libertytown, Maryland. They have two grown children, Amanda and Anthony.
Jacquie Brown joined the Medical Certification group in October 2004. She has a diverse medical and customer service background, which includes Frederick Memorial Hospital, American Homepatient, Baltimore Headache Institute, and York Health Systems. She is married and the mother of two and resides in southern Pennsylvania.
Marianne Hays joined the medical certification department in June 2007. She attended the Medix School in Baltimore, Maryland and has worked for over 15 years in the medical field. Her medical office background includes internal medicine, ophthalmology, and medical laboratories. Marianne and her husband, Bill, live in Frederick, Maryland with their two sons, Adam and Kevin.