Jake Lummis

Grade 2 Flight Instructor

Growing up, it was flying RC Model Aircraft that sparked Jake’s interest in aviation. Having attended airshows and completed a Trial Introductory Flight, a decision was made then to pursue aviation after school.

In 2014 Jake started flying lessons and trained/studied part-time while working. He then completed an Instructor Rating in 2018 where he then worked as an Instructor. Jake aims to become a Grade 1 Instructor, to complete his Multi-Engine and Instrument Rating — and then eventually fly larger aircraft in charter/air transport operations. 

Outside of flying, Jake enjoys the outdoors, camping, fishing, hiking and follows AFL (Big Western Bulldogs Fan!) and the F1. Jake prides himself on being a bit of a perfectionist, attentive and considerate person (we agree!).

Ask Jake what he enjoys most about his job and he will tell you two things — flying, and seeing students progress through the training.

Tom Logan

Grade 2 Instructor

Melbourne-born Grade 2 LTF Flight Instructor Tom Logan was fascinated by flying from a young age, and whilst he always really wanted to be a pilot, life had other plans initially. After high school Tom decided that learning to fly wasn’t really something he was able to afford, and so instead pursued a successful professional career as a Civil Engineer.

Fast forward 7 years, and that urge to fly was still there. Tom decided to look into his options again, found a way to make it work, and decided that he couldn’t let the opportunity pass him by. In another twist, Tom’s decision to switch from an established career to learning to fly came just before the COVID pandemic took hold. Despite the enormous challenges that presented, he wasn’t giving up.

Tom completed his CPL, MECIR and then a Flight Instructor Rating with us here at LTF – and now we welcome him to the team as a Flight Instructor. What a great success story, and an excellent example of why it’s never too late to chase your dreams.

Now as a professional pilot, Tom loves the feeling of being in the air and getting a perspective on the world that is totally different to what we get on the ground – and his ultimate goal is to become an airline pilot.

Brett Martin

Grade 2 Instructor

Grade 2 LTF Instructor Brett Martin was born and raised on the Mornington Peninsula, a beautiful coastal area south-west of Melbourne that he’s now lucky enough to fly over as part of his job!

After completing a Trial Introductory Flight at Tyabb Airport, Brett was immediately hooked – and once he had begun his studies to become a pilot, he simply couldn’t see himself doing anything else for a career. He hopes to work towards becoming a Grade 1 Flight Instructor, and would one day love to be flying airliners.

From Brett: “The part of flying I love the most is the feeling of freedom once you leave the ground. It’s something that will never ever get old.”

Paul Wydymus

Grade 2 Instructor

Melbourne born and raised, LTF Grade 2 Instructor Paul Wydymus started flying in 2016, and has been flying commercially since 2019. As a small child he was captivated by flying, and his passion for aviation continued to grow as he got older.

Key moments in his developing love for aviation included an experience flying in the B737 simulator at the Qantas Flight Training Centre in 2012, and then taking the controls of an aircraft for the very first time during a Trial Introductory Flight in 2013 – the latter of which really cemented his goal of becoming a pilot.

Now as an instructor, Paul’s passion and sense of pride is in putting in the effort to see his students improve with patience and perseverance, learn important new pilot skills and ultimately achieve milestones in their training.

Paul’s long-term goal is to work towards flying in an aeromedical role for the RFDS if the opportunity arises. At this stage though, he is just enjoying each and every aspect of flying and appreciating the fact that he is able to pursue something he is so passionate about. We are thrilled to have Paul join the LTF Flight Instructor Team!

Kenny Won

Grade 2 Instructor

Grade 2 LTF Instructor Kenny Won is originally from Korea and grew up in Hong Kong, and was fascinated by planes from a young age. He still clearly remembers a visit to the cockpit of an Airbus A320 during a flight when he was about 7 or 8 years old, and making the decision that this was what he wanted to do in the future.

Kenny started flying in 2017 in the USA, and obtained his PPL training part time whilst also studying at University. Following Uni, he returned to Hong Kong and worked in another industry for a couple of years before a career in the sky called to him.

He came to Australia and completed his CPL and Flight Instructor Rating with us here at LTF in 2019, and we’re now thrilled to welcome him back as an Instructor. Kenny’s ultimate goal is flying with an international airline.

Chun Ki (Peter) Cheung

Grade 2 Instructor

Chun Ki started flying in July 2018, right here at Learn To Fly. We have watched him progress through his CPL training, followed by a Multi-Engine Command Instrument Rating and Flight Instructor Rating. He is the first student to have joined the team having completed every single part of their training with us, and we are very excited to have him on board.

Originally from Hong Kong, Chun Ki has always been fascinated by the sky. After initially starting to study a different degree after high school, he realised quickly that his dream was to become a pilot. At age 18, on his own, he bought himself a plane ticket to Melbourne, organised accommodation, and booked in to start training with LTF – and the rest is history!

Whilst becoming an airline pilot in the future is the long-term dream, right now Chun Ki is focused on enjoying every step of his journey as he continues to learn. We look forward to watching his career grow as well!

Shayaan Sohtra

Grade 3 Flight Instructor

Shayaan is a Grade 3 a Flight instructor here at Learn To Fly. Growing up in the Middle East — Shayaan was always travelling to see family in other countries. Shayaan shares his favourite part about holidaying was boarding the aircraft, which kickstarted his fascination for aviation. He always knew he wanted to be a pilot from a very young age.

When Shayaan moved to Australia, he started flying at Moorabbin when he was 16. He was able to obtain his RPL at 17 and continued flying after finishing school and later finished his PPL, CPL with us here at Learn To Fly.  Shayaan also achieved his MEIR as well as FIR with us at Learn To Fly.

Shayaan is outgoing, vibrant and personable and always loves a good discussion. 

What hr enjoys about instructing the most is getting to know students’ dreams and ambitions and helping them achieve it! Shayaan believes that motivation is a great drive but flight training is sometimes be challenging so his goal is always to communicate and challenge students to think outside the box.

Shayaan is living part of his dream right now because ever since he started flight training he wanted to be an instructor. In the long term he aims to fly the PC-24 for the RFDS, helping people and meeting their needs.

Hannah Burnett

Grade 3 Flight Instructor

Hannah was born and raised in Melbourne. She studied for the Diploma of Aviation and went on to achieve her CPL and Multi-engine Class Rating. 

When going on holidays, Hannah often looked forward to flying. Pursuing an aviation career was always on her mind as a possibility after high school, but she first attended university for a year. After that year, she realised that her passion for aviation was stronger, and had never looked back. 

Hannah loves instructing her students, she takes great joy in passing on her knowledge and seeing them progress. She says it is very rewarding to watch them develop their own skills and show understanding of her lessons.

Hannah would love to one day fly for a major airline. In the immediate future, she looks forward to becoming a grade 2, grade 1, and then multi-engine instructor. 

Freddie Hui

Grade 3 Flight Instructor

Freddie came from Hong Kong to begin his flying career in Melbourne. He completed all his training at Learn to Fly achieving his RPL, PPL, CPL and MECIR right through to his Instructor Rating. Being 100% Learn to Fly made as a student, Freddie has continued his flying career with us as an instructor, coming full circle to help others achieve their goals. 

During Freddie’s childhood, he was always fascinated by planes flying through the sky. Now, Freddie says that he enjoys every moment of flying while passing on what he has learned to his students. He says that “students have the best classroom in the world from the cockpit, with a breathtaking view.”

Freddie is looking forward to progressing his career by pursuing his Instrument Rating and gaining experience in different aircraft particularly Multi-engine aircraft, which he hopes to master and one day teach. 

Lucas Rigg

Grade 3 Flight Instructor

Lucas was born and raised in Melbourne, bouncing around the South East suburbs.

Lucas grew up going to the Avalon AirShow with his dad whenever it was on, however, his journey to becoming a pilot began years later after finishing high school.

His first year out of school Lucas was looking for inspiration on what to pursue. After being prompted by a friend who had started their flight training, Lucas went on a whim and gave it a go. He completed his Bachelor of Science (Aviation) and began flight training. 2 years later he obtained his CPL and decided the next best step would be to start instructing.

In the future, Lucas is interested in starting to instruct aerobatics and tailwheel. Eventually, he hopes to fly for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and explore float plane flying.

Brandon Sundaralingam

Grade 3 Instructor

Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Melbourne, Grade 3 Learn To Fly Flight Instructor Brandon Sundaralingam has always loved anything aviation and travel-related. In 2017 he went for a Trial Introductory Flight and a session in the Boeing B737 simulator, and enjoyed it so much that he started flight training the following year.

After starting his training with another flight school, Brandon completed his CPL with us here at LTF. He then completed his MECIR with us, and then a Flight Instructor Rating, and now we’re thrilled to welcome him to our instructor team!

Brandon would one day like to see himself flying from the left seat of an Australia-based airline, and in the meantime:

“The sights you see from above are truly amazing, and the dynamic nature of flying keeps it fun/interesting 100% of the time.”

Luke Wu

Student Recruitment Manager

Luke Wu grew up in Singapore, where he obtained his Diploma in Aviation Management and Services before getting his Bachelor in Aviation Management (Hons) from Massey University in New Zealand. As a student, Luke always enjoyed delving into the inner workings of the aviation industry, understanding the many layers that encompass what we now see as a commonplace occurrence. 

Since moving to Melbourne with his wife and 3 dogs in 2022, Luke has rekindled his interest in working in the aviation sector whilst building on his passion for out-of-classroom teaching methods and student welfare management. Luke wants to help students realise their dream of becoming pilots, especially those from countries with more limited General Aviation opportunities.

Karen So

Student Admissions Manager

Karen’s first steps in the aviation world started when she worked for an international airline as a flight attendant. On her first operating flight into Haneda Airport (HND), Karen got to sit in the cockpit for take-off and immediately fell in love with flying. Karen then went on a Trial Introductory Flight (TIF) out of Moorabbin and there has been no turning back since. 

In 2021, Karen returned to Australia in 2021 for a Diploma of Aviation course, and has since gained a CPL (Commercial Pilo License) and Multi-Engine Rating. She is now working to complete an Instrument Rating. Karen also has a passion for teaching and would like to start her Flight Instructor Rating in the near future. 

In her current role as Learn To Fly’s Student Admissions Manager, Karen is on the ground inspiring and helping new pilots to chase their aviation dreams.

Maximillian Fairclough

Marketing Manager

A creative observer, Max travelled the world documenting and creative directing in the music and entertainment industry for over a decade. Growing up in Perth, his curiosity and drive persuaded him to follow his work to North America before settling back in Australia and calling Melbourne home.

While Max’s principal focus was in the music and entrainment world, he was a creative director and producer for several Tourism Australia campaigns. Also, he played a role in the creative and photographic operations at Uber.

With a constant aspiration to develop something new, Max brings a balance of his expertise and creativity here at Learn To Fly. In his role here, Max is tasked with creating, planning and delivering a strategic vision. He is responsible for maintaining a cohesive visual and thematic style that displays the day-to-day operations, achievements and mantra at Learn To Fly and ensuring all creative executions remain faithful to the brand.

Max finds incredible satisfaction and reward in making things that allow people to connect, engage and stay curious. He also loves flying. 

Cam Meyer

Grade 1 Instructor | Safety Manager

Aviation has always been a part of Cam Meyer’s life. Following in his father’s footsteps, he first took flying lessons in 1982; however, school and university delayed flying training in earnest until 1992. Cam’s interest in the technical aspects of aeroplanes and piloting is what led to him becoming a flight instructor, working at various flying schools at Moorabbin and at Avalon. 

Most of his flying in the past 12 years has been with aerial photographers and flight instructor training, but he had the most fun as an aerobatics joy flight pilot and training for a low-level rating. 

Cam developed an interest in aviation safety management when it started emerging as a “new idea” for general aviation in the early 2000s, introducing formal safety systems for the flying schools worked for and eventually taking it on as a full-time role in 2020.

Cam applies his extensive knowledge and experience in aviation and safety management to his role at Learn to Fly as a Part 142 Safety Manager. He is responsible for investigating and reporting on the company’s aviation risk exposure management and fostering a robust safety culture within the organisation, an ideal that must be fiercely defended and meticulously nurtured. 

Cam enjoys cycling to work every day with Pepper the dog in her trailer behind to find out what challenges have to be met each day.

John Sabato

Airline Interview Preparation Consultant

John Sabato from Prepared Consultancy Australia is our expert Airline Interview Preparation Consultant. John has a wealth of experience across various sectors of the aviation industry, with a career spanning more than 10 years.

For 7 of these years John flew with Cathay Pacific, where he was a First Officer, flying the Airbus A330 and A350 type aircraft on long-haul routes. John’s own journey to becoming an airline pilot with Cathay was assisted by the comprehensive preparation offered by an airline interview preparation course.

This pathway has provided him with a unique perspective on the process and requirements, and an understanding of just how important that first airline application and interview is. It has also given him a huge passion for assisting others to get their own “first airline start”. We’re thrilled to have John on board for our Future Cadet Pilot Program and Airline Interview Coaching Session courses, to help give the next generation of airline pilot hopefuls the sound preparation and competitive edge they need to succeed in their applications and interviews.

Ahamed Zayaan

Web Developer

Originally from Kandy in Sri Lanka, Ahamed studied a BSc Degree in Computer Sciences in the UK before moving to Australia. He has been working as a Web and EDM Developer here in Australia for more than 5 years, and recently launched his own digital agency “Webtual Digital”.

Ahamed is a guru in all things digital and web development – his specialties include WordPress (and Plugins), ACF, HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript and JQuery, MySQL, online commerce, graphic design and much more.

We aim to lead the way when it comes to the capabilities of our online presence and training platform, making flight training more accessible to more people from more places, and creating a training model for the next generation of pilots. We’re thrilled to have Ahamed’s talents on hand in the web and digital space to help make that a reality.

Nicholas Perrett

Student Recruitment Manager

Nicholas Perrett grew up in Brisbane and his first involvement with aviation was using his pocket money to buy a LEGO Airport set when he was 12 years old. Living under one of the Brisbane Airport flight paths, he often looked up in wonder at these giant engineering marvels cruising overhead and got his first taste of flying on a Qantas Mystery Flight to Sydney in a Boeing B767.

Nicholas studied commercial photography at Griffith University before taking on a career in property valuations that saw him travel extensively throughout Australia. Some 20 years later he has revisited his early interest in aviation and is currently studying a Bachelor Degree in Aviation Management, whilst also taking on the role of Student Recruitment Manager at LTF.

As well as looking forward to working with our student pilots, Nicholas hopes to start flying himself and achieve his own Private Pilot Licence in the near future. His long term career ambitions include working with a major airline like Qantas in a high-level management role or to procure the next generation of their aircraft fleet.

Darren McPherson

Training Consultant

Senior Captain Darren McPherson has over 30 years and 18,000 hours of flying experience. Starting his career as an aero club boy, Darren is a great example of what can be achieved through perseverance and dedication.

His experience as an aviation career specialist has helped countless pilots to achieve their dreams of flying for major airlines around the world. We are extremely lucky to have his wealth of knowledge on board here at Learn To Fly as a highly valuable associate consultant.

Sarah Steele

Principal Executive Officer

Sarah Steele joins Learn To Fly as our Principal Executive Officer, she grew up in Townsville Queensland and was drawn to aviation through a love of maths and physics, as well as the fact that it looked like a fun and exciting career path.

Sarah obtained her CPL in 2012, adding a Multi-Engine Command Instrument Rating (MECIR) in 2018, and lists flying charters over to the islands off Townsville in a twin-engine Piper Chieftain as being some of her favourite moments in her pilot career so far.

As a previous IFR Charter Pilot, flying Chieftains in North Queensland, Sarah is passionate about supporting students throughout their study at Learn To Fly and providing career advice on their next step after graduating.

Ahmed Ibrahim

Deputy Safety Manager

Grade 2 Multi-Engine IFR Flight Instructor Ahmed Ibrahim has been flying for over 20 years. As a child growing up in Cairo, Egypt, he always wanted to be a pilot and loved looking down at the terrain far below every time he flew.

Ahmed has always enjoyed instructing and teaching throughout his career. 5 years ago he decided to combine his hobby and passion to become a full-time instructor.

As an ultimate pilot career goal, he would love to one day own his own flying school teaching next generation ATPLs and specialising in high-performance aircraft instruction.

Joshua Best

Student Training Manager | Grade 1 Instructor

Josh started his flying training at age 16 but was born with aviation in his blood. He remembers flying around the Victorian Gippsland region in Cessna 172s with his grandfather as a small child, as well as regular trips to some of the larger airports to watch the “big planes” coming and going.

As a Flight Instructor, Josh loves the fact that every day there is something different to teach. He’s also a big fan of the fact that typically, every customer or student leaves with a smile on their face after flying.

Whilst Josh would one day love to fly in a domestic passenger transport role, his ultimate goal is to join the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Nick Harris

Head of Operations | Grade 1 Instructor

Originally from London, Senior Base Pilot and Grade 1 Flight Instructor Nick Harris has been flying for over 12 years. He tells us that it “seemed like a good idea at the time” to become a pilot, but we think that maybe it had more to do with growing up watching the Concorde take off over his house (um, that’s pretty awesome).

As an instructor, Nick loves seeing how excited students get after their first solo, or after passing their flight test.

He hopes to one day fly a Tiger Moth around Australia – and in fact, he’s actually building one at the moment to do just that!

John Chan

Hong Kong Flight Training Consultant

John Chan is our Learn To Fly Flight Training Consultant in Hong Kong. He initially completed his flight training here with us in Melbourne back in 2016, before returning home to Hong Kong.

Since his return, John has worked with us to help promote aviation in Hong Kong and to educate fellow Hong Kongers on how to fulfil their dreams of becoming a pilot.

In his Flight Training Consultant role, he is able to provide valuable advice to future Hong Kong pilots that are thinking about a career in aviation, especially the students who want to apply for airlines’ cadet pilot program.

If you are based in Hong Kong and you are thinking about learning to fly, get in touch with John or email him at [email protected]

Kenny Kang

Singapore Theory Instructor

LTF Singapore Flight Training Consultant Kenny Kang has nearly 50 years’ experience working in the aviation and airline industry in Singapore. From 1972 through to 2019 he worked in a range of roles for Singapore Airlines including 34 years as a pilot, retiring at age 65 as a Captain on a Boeing B747-400 aircraft.

Now that he has retired, Kenny is passionate about using the huge amount of knowledge and experience that he has built to assist future Singapore Airlines pilot hopefuls. If you are hoping to one day fly for Singapore’s national airline, Kenny can help you to choose the right pathway.

You can get in touch with Kenny by emailing [email protected].

Shuntai Tan

Singapore Flight Training Consultant

Shuntai Tan is our Learn To Fly Flight Training Consultant in Singapore. He initially completed his flight training here with us in Melbourne back in 2017, before returning home to Singapore.

Since his return, Shuntai has worked with us to help promote aviation in Singapore and to educate fellow Singaporeans on how to fulfil their dreams of becoming a pilot.

In his Flight Training Consultant role, he is able to provide valuable advice to future Singaporean pilots that are thinking about a career in aviation, or just wanting to fly for fun. Shuntai can assist you in organising both theory training onshore in Singapore and flight training in Australia.

If you are based in Singapore and you are thinking about learning to fly, get in touch with Shuntai by email [email protected].

Roshan Thomas

Flight Training Consultant

Roshan Thomas is from Chennai in India. As a youngster, his godfather (who still works for Lufthansa) would take him to the airport to see the big Lufthansa Boeing B747s and Airbus A340s, and Roshan decided then and there that he wanted to be the guy flying those one day.

Starting his flight training journey in Australia in 2018, Roshan amassed more than 350 flying hours and mastered 4 different aircraft types (Diamond DA40, Diamond DA42, Sling 2 and Super Decathlon). He also completed 7 Licences/Endorsements/Ratings including PPL, CPL, MECIR, Formation Flying Endorsement, Tailwheel Endorsement, and the Aerobatics & Spinning Endorsement – all of them with us here at Learn To Fly.

Now back in India, Roshan is looking forward to being able to help and guide Indian pilots wanting to complete their flight training with LTF in Australia and successfully meet DGCA requirements on their return. He hopes to one day work in a senior management pilot role flying widebody aircraft with a major international carrier.