Doug Wolfe

I'm Doug Wolfe. I fly PC-12s as a single-pilot captain for a large US company, all across North America, working one week on and one week off. On my off weeks I'm a Part 61 flight instructor at Redlands Airport (KREI).

Since it's just me and my Cessna 172P, I take only a few students at a time. I prefer serious students who want to become commercial pilots, and I focus on commercial operations and standards from the very beginning.

How I got here

In 2020 I retired as a Lieutenant with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department after 31 years. During my time there I loved flying around in the department's helicopters and airplanes, and I often said that if I could do my career over again, I'd be a pilot.

About a year before retiring, I was trying to figure out what came next. My wife Dana is a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines and is often away, and I didn't want to sit at home on my own. When we talked it over she said, "You always wanted to be a pilot. You should do it." So I started training, and I hit it hard.

Within two and a half years I had all of my ratings, 1,500 flight hours, and my first commercial pilot job.

That first job was as Captain of a Cessna 208 Caravan out of Ontario for West Air, a FedEx contractor. It was great experience. After a year I moved on to become a Captain at U-Haul, flying company executives around North America in PC-12s. During my job search SkyWest Airlines gave me a conditional job offer and a start date, but I chose to stay, both for personal reasons and because I truly enjoy being a captain in single-pilot turbine operations.

Why I teach

After finishing my commercial training I started CFI training, hoping it would help me build time. A few lessons in, I felt I didn't have the experience or the credibility to teach anyone to fly, so I stopped.

It was only after three years of flying single-pilot IFR for FedEx and U-Haul that I decided I had the skills, experience and credibility to teach, especially single-pilot IFR.

What I expect

My goal is to get my students from A to Z as efficiently as possible without compromising safety. I only take serious students, meaning people willing to put in the work who have the finances to support it. This isn't cheap, and it takes serious effort.

I've also built a team concept, so students can work with and lean on each other for help and support. So far this model has worked for every student who makes the commitment and does what's asked of them.

If you have the passion, work ethic and financial means, let's talk.

Good luck on your journey,
Doug