Timothy Miller

Flight instructing isn’t W. Tim Miller’s primary job, or even his retirement job. As Echelon Biosciences Inc. CEO and an adjunct professor at the University of Utah, Miller flight instructs primarily on the weekends. “It’s a thing I do to decompress to my day job,” he says.

A CFI since 2006, Miller says flight instructing is a passion for him. “My philosophy is that I believe flying is a forever learning process, and I think that a good knowledge foundation is important in being a safe and effective pilot. Ongoing development and refinement of that knowledge in training is critically important.”

Miller’s students say he is dedicated to their success as well as their safety. “Tim Miller teaches for the pure joy of teaching and translates that joy, and confidence, to his students. He believes I will succeed, and makes me believe it,” says one.

Miller says, “I’m always encouraging them, always being optimistic, always looking for something in a particular session that they do well to bring their attention to—to let them know they’re progressing and learning and living up to my expectations.” He also practices this approach at Echelon Biosciences and teaches it to undergraduate business students at the University of Utah.

Teaching takeaway: Miller is known for emailing his students useful information gleaned from a variety of sources. Among his favorites are safety quizzes from the Air Safety Institute, as well as runway safety resources from the local flight standards district office.