Sean began his passion for flying at a young age watching the space shuttle land at Edwards Air Force Base. Finding his way into the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he soon discovered that along with airplanes, he loved flying helicopters.  Sean either held a job, was rebuilding offroad vehicles, or has been an entrepreneur since the age of 14. Therefore, it seemed natural for Sean to envision Upper Limit Aviation in the summer of 2003. He worked on a business plan with his family, scouted a location, and started Upper Limit Aviation in the spring of 2004. Things started small, he hired one CFI, bought a Robinson R22, found a handful of students and went to work.  Within one year, the fleet had grown to three R22’s. In 2005, his family joined him full time in the business. Sean has flown a variety of utility work in both piston and turbine powered helicopters.  Most recently, Sean piloted a Bell 206B performing magnetometer surveys for New Sense Geophysical.  Sean will be flying a Bell 206L4 this summer on a US Forest Service firefighting contract in Utah.

President, Co-Founder
School Director
Lois Reid
Lois has a varied and multi-faceted background. She has been with Upper Limit Aviation from the beginning, helping to formulate the original school business plan and acquire equipment. Her love of aviation and strong business background has helped form a strong, financially sound corporation. Lois is sometimes the opposing force to Sean’s abundant enthusiasm. Lois runs the day-to-day school and office operations and works to secure both business and student financing for the future. Lois has the ability to surround herself with an extremely competent staff.

 

Karl began his career in 1979, flying the first production Robinson R-22 for renowned Robinson instructor, Tim Tucker.  Karl has over 12,500 hours of accident, incident and violation-free flight hours.  He retired from the county of Los Angeles Fire Department in 2005, where he piloted Bell 205A1, 412 and Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk helicopters.  In his nearly 30 years of helicopter flying, Karl has performed a wide variety of utility missions including firefighting, EMS, seismic, construction and drill-moves.  He has operated throughout contiguous United States, Alaska and Mexico.  Karl has recieved numerous commendations from various agencies, including the United States Forest Service and the United States Senate.  Karl oversees all flight training and is in charge of instructor stadardization. He, along with his staff of instructors, teaches advanced mountain flying techniques to all levels of students at Upper Limit Aviation.

Brad rejoined Upper Limit after flying tours for Papillon Helicopters in the Grand Canyon. Brad has a love of the outdoors and holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Vermont in Recreation Management.  Before becoming a pilot, Brad worked on helicopter firefighting crews.  Brad trained at Upper Limit and worked as an instructor before leaving to fly in the Grand Canyon. Brad is highly valued and an intregal member of the Upper Limit Team.

Piper recently graduated from the University of Utah with a major in Political Science, with an emphasis in political theory and a minor in German.  She has worked for Upper Limit since 2006, assisting students at all stages of their training. She has watched novice pilots become instructors, and move on to become established helicopter pilots in the industry. She enjoys watching students succeed in such an exciting profession and looks forward to many more years of continued success for Upper Limit students. She is an invaluable  asset  to the Upper Limit family. 

Check Instructor for Private, Commercial, and Flight Instructor Certification Courses
David Smith
Dave, a Utah native, knew he wanted to fly very early in life.  After moving and living around the country Dave found his way back to Utah and college. Dave's life followed a couple of divergent career paths before choosing to become a helicopter pilot. Dave attended college and became a journeyman plumber before flight training. We knew Dave was an exceptional instructor. However, Dave has earned proof of his dedication and committment to training by attaining his FAA Gold Seal. Flight Instructor certificates bearing distinctive FAA Gold Seals are issued to flight instructors who have maintained a high level of activity and who meet special criteria. Along with Dave's CFII certificate ratings, Dave holds an Advanced Ground Instructor Rating and has taught a high percentage of students which in turn have passed their FAA examinations. (100%)

Director of Maintenance:
Inspector Authorized (I/A) / Fixed-wing Private Pilot
Jarrod Deardon
Jarrod is an exceptional addition to the Upper Limit Team. Jarrod's experience and unrelenting attention to quality and detail reassures pilots, instructors and students that the helicopters they fly in are safe and maintained to an uncompromising standard. Jarrod, a native of Utah, was a general contractor when a decade ago he decided on a new career path in aircraft maintenance. As a pilot, Jarrod found that his natural curiosity and abliity to solve porblems led him into the maintenance side of aviation. Jarrod is friendly and always ready to answer questions. He brings to Upper Limit his maintenance expertise, energy and an unsurpassed committment to quality. Jarrod's pride in his work and accomplishments show. Jarrod and his family enjoy living in Utah.

A&P Helicopter Mechanic
Chris Sasser  (Also a dual (fixed-wng and helicopter) rated private pilot)
Jeff Drown
Brad Koffel
Derek Jorgensen
Rick Beerly

Certified Flight Instructors (CFI)
Aaron Mordecai
Shane Oldfield
Preston Aro
Simon Robertson
Bill Culbreath

Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII)
Anna Mastaglio
Qile Lakey
Aaron Winfield
Jennifer Bartely

Office Staff/
Administrative Assistants:
Michelle Germer
Sadie Giles
Brian Bench