About Me

 

Chase Franzen

FAA GOLD SEAL CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI

 

Hi, I’m Chase. I took a bit of an unconventional route to becoming a certificated flight instructor. This isn’t my job – it’s a passion I want to share with others.

I lead an IT Security team for a living. My background is scattered – I went to school for Economics and Political Science. Grad school for Business and Finance. I’ve taught as a college professor, own a restaurant, worked in management consulting, and renovate and own real estate investments. I also sail, rock climb, do ultra endurance races, snowboard, and scuba drive. Absolutely obsessed with traveling the world.

So how did I become a pilot? As a young kid, my uncle (a decorated Air Force pilot) invited me to fly with him. I was hooked. I knew, one day, I’d become a pilot as well. Fast forward 20 or so years later, I took a job across from Montgomery Airport in San Diego. Walked over one day at lunch, and signed up for the Plus One Flyers club.

I became a private pilot – saying I’d never go further. I lived in San Diego – why would I ever want to fly on anything but a perfect day? Then one day I decided I needed to be able to fly through the marine layer of clouds – thus needed the instrument rating. Then a commercial rating because I thought I may want to fly for a skydiving company for fun. My instructor (Travis) told me that I needed to become a flight instructor – so here I am.

I own two vintage fabric taildraggers – a 1941 Taylorcraft BL-65 with my girlfriend, and a 1959 Piper Pacer. The former has no electronics, a wood prop, does about 75mph, 12 gallons of gas, no flaps – the truest form of flying. The latter (pictured right) is an IFR powerhouse in an old frame. They are both incredibly machines that we get to be the caretaker for – and have touched both coasts in both of the airplanes (flown them both coast-to-coast).

Being a CFI/CFII allows me to merge my love of flying with my passion for teaching. I’m well over the 1,500 hours total time minimums for ATP – so I’m not leaving to go off to the airlines – I’ll be a life-long, part-time flight instructor. I now have over 1,000 hours of dual given, recognized as an FAA Gold Seal CFI (the top population of all flight instructors), and have signed off on ~25 checkrides. Teaching instrument flying and tailwheel are my jams, but I’ll do other stuff as well. If it sounds like we’d gel or if you have questions – let’s talk!

Book A Lesson 

Chase is an organized and diligent instructor. Each of our instrument lessons was productive and concluded with a comprehensive post-flight debrief that set clear goals for the next.

He offers detailed, continuous feedback that promotes proficiency beyond the standards. His ability to contextualize regulations and procedures results in engaging lessons and enduring understanding.

Beyond his teaching abilities, Chase is extremely personable and has an infectious enthusiasm for all things general aviation. I highly recommend him!

 

Christopher Bessler

 

Chase is a phenomenal CFII with remarkable teaching skills and personally designed programs using maximum efforts to make you succeed with your flying goals in a safe, efficient manner. The debriefing took the lesson to an additional level of learning with assignments for ground work to cover. I got my PPL in 1977 so have experienced many flight instructors during this time especially after many years off and can honestly say I have never known one to be as excellent and professional as Chase. He was knowledgeable of every aspect of my new glass panel and what it could do which I was just learning and started me on the path of the IFR world. Yes, I walked away way each time exhausted but not overwhelmed and as a safer, more knowledgeable pilot. He knows how to push and encourage you yet build your confidence at the same time. Chase is exuberant and passionate about aviation and teaching and would highly recommend him as a pilot and instructor.

Doreen Sieczkiewicz Freedman

 

I have had Chase as my CFII for my Instrument rating. He is an amazing instructor; his explanations are crisp, clear and for the technically minded he goes to the extra lengths to give you a scientific explanation of why you do certain things, why certain procedures are the way they have been designed and how the airplane and the power plant works for you to be come a better pilot in general. Chase is an interesting man – he used to be a professor before and he loves to teach and loves flying. It shows! I can’t recommend him enough; please take a lesson from him as he has a lot to give.

Pitam Mitra

 

Chase is an amazing instructor. He is very knowledgeable, and a great pilot. He instructs because he love to teach, and loves to fly, and it shows in his care for his students. He works very hard so his students succeed. He got me through my PPL, and I was very prepared for my Oral and checkride. I will continue to use him for everything! I would strongly recommend Chase as your instructor at, any point in your flying career.

Nathan Geis

 

Chase is professional, incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and absolutely qualified for the job of CFI/CFII/AGI. He’s an encyclopedia of aviation knowledge.

He knows systems (yes, all of them), he understands and respects weather, the rules and courtesies of communication, practicalities and logistics of cross-country planning, and is the only person I know that understands and can explain the lift equation. He can (and will) reference any FAR, and has the ability to jump in any airplane and give you a tutorial on any piece of glass in there. He doesn’t just recite, but has demonstrated how to safely handle emergencies, and won’t leave you alone in an airplane until you can demonstrate the same. He will make sure you truly understand the fundamentals, maneuvers, know what and how to use all of your available resources, and will do everything he can to ensure you have every single tool you need to succeed. He can and will be tough on you. His expectations and standards are high.

All of this makes Chase a phenomenal instructor.

What makes Chase the person you want analyzing your ADM, as your mentor, your aviation advocate, your cheerleader, accountability buddy, partner, and frankly, any part at all of your aviation journey, is that he genuinely cares. He wants to see you succeed. He will do everything he can to ensure you do. To ensure you leave him a better pilot, a safe pilot. He wants to build an aviation community. And he wants you to be a part of it, and to feel like you belong to it.

Perhaps because I’m his girlfriend, his application of caring is amplified, but I know, whomever you are and whatever rating you’re after, he will always care.

At one point in my training, I decided I no longer “cared at all about flying a Cessna.” So Chase introduced me to taildraggers, aerobatics, and vintage airplanes. He actually gave me permission to hate the 172 (as long as I could demonstrate being safe and proficient so I could jump to the next airplane that interested me more). He purposefully re-introduced me to aviation, and I fell in love for the first time.

Feeling absolutely electrified with excitement and terror on my first solo, returning home exhausted after my first cross country flight, or shaking hands with the DPE as he congratulated his newest private pilot; for these moments I owe a massive thank you to Chase. The magical moment, of my own airplane’s wheels peeling off the earth, of finally seeing familiar terrain after six weeks of flying across the country, or opening the hangar doors to the place that finally feels like home, I owe that, to Chase. That I went from thinking I would never love aviation, to believing I will never fall out of love, with flying, I owe that too, to Chase.

Whatever your aviation dreams and goals are, yes, you’ll require a competent, knowledgeable instructor. But we don’t just need more “auto” pilots in the sky. The future of aviation requires as much love, passion and excitement for flying as it does textbook knowledge. The aviation community is only going to survive through those with genuine excitement , admiration and absolute ecstatic appreciation for the ability to get in the air, and yes it needs to be coupled with that brainiac textbook knowledge.
Chase flies because he genuinely LOVES to fly. And lucky for those of us that need a CFI, he happens to be incredibly smart, and great at instructing, which is why, students that find him, keep him.

Tarynne Mingione

 

Chase loves what he does and he shows up every lesson with energy to help you improve. His positivity is so helpful to build confidence and skills over time. His encouragement versus correction ratio is just right to keep the progress coming. I highly recommend Chase!

Josh Weeks

 

In over 4yrs of flight training, from my private pilot certification to instrument now to commercial, I have had over 10 flight instructors (mainly due to instructors moving on in their career). Chase is by far the best and easiest to learn from. I haven’t had a lesson yet where I haven’t felt more confident about my abilities and what I need to do to be a better pilot and the confidence that I can attain those goals. Beyond being incredibly knowledgeable about how to fly at many levels, Chase’s knowledge about the rules and regulations and the “spirit” behind them makes it easier to understand, and integrate. Chase is not only a very capable, knowledgeable pilot, he is the best teacher I have had to date. Chase not only teaches flight and knowledge, but builds confidence as well. While I would never say that being or learning how to be a pilot is easy, in perspective, learning has never been as easy and as fun as it has been with Chase. 

Randy Borman

 

I had the ambitious goal of completing my commercial rating in the San Diego area, a place where I had never flown. I got a call from Chase who gave me a very logical timeline about how to accomplish my goal and put me at ease about how I could accomplish my goal. Upon reaching San Diego, Chase very methodically helped me understand the airspace and practice areas, identified areas where I needed to practice for both my oral exam and practical checkrides and helped me fine tune my weak areas. I was able to accomplish the goal we set of getting my commercial certificate in under a month. During my time, I appreciated Chase’s willingness to keep to my timeline, over-prepare me as much as possible so that my checkride went as well as possible. Despite my short timeline, Chase’s schedule flexibility was excellent and his demeanor was cool, calm, casual and fun. It’s clear he’s passionate about getting more people in the air and I look forward to flying with him again soon.

Neil Hathi

 

My flying endeavors started about 10 years ago and have used 5 different CFII’s over the years with finally completing my IFR rating. I’ll say this, out of every trainer I’ve used, Chase has been the most proficient on multiple levels. Sure any pilot who’s flown for a long time can be knowledgeable, but that doesn’t mean they know how to convey it or teach it. Also many CFII’s only focus on “going flying” and there’s so much more that goes into flying from rules, regulations and nuances. This is where Chase really shines. His knowledge is borderline like reading through the FAR/AIM but better. He can describe and explain what everything means way beyond just reading it from a book. I have zero hesitation in recommending him to anyone looking to learn more or take their first flight behind the yoke.

Doug Smith

 

I just earned my Instrument Rating, my proudest achievement yet as a pilot. Chase approaches each lesson with a mindset to make sure you advance in knowledge, skill, and experience with every flight. Training for your Instrument Rating is hard work (anything worth achieving is supposed to be hard, right?) but Chase makes sure you are still having fun! Chase is more than just an instructor; he is a partner who is committed to helping you achieve your goals and training you to the highest professional standards.

André Hutchinson

 

Chase fits into airport culture incredibly well for several reasons. He is constantly curious and learning from others around the field and hangars. A pilot’s license is a license to learn! Knowledgeable and skilled in the cockpit and equally patient with a great sense of humor and humility. His level of preparation and organization allows you to feel safe and enjoy flying as you step up your game. I believe he has even been able to teach his girlfriend how to fly and lived to tell the truth; I couldn’t even teach mine to parallel park without getting into an argument.

Tyler Long

 

Chase has been really helpful to me as an IFR student. He is really an excellent instructor. He is always very patient and so very insightful in his teaching methods. It is always a pleasure to learn from and fly with Chase. I highly recommend him for Instrument students.

Jack Arnold

 

Chase is an excellent CFI who carries himself in a professional pilot oriented manner and has the ability to teach students many different ways. Every flight with Chase is a learning experience and he brings a unique style of teaching to the table with very detailed answers to my questions both in flight and on the ground. I would recommend Chase to anyone looking for a CFI for all types of pilots, whether that would be student, recreational and professional pilots.

Bryan Toma

 

Chase helped me get my Instrument Rating. He is an excellent pilot with knowledge that is truly impressive. As a CFI, his ability to teach while still making flying a fun and safe experience brought me a comfort and confidence that I had never felt in an airplane before. Anyone who flies with Chase will become a more knowledgeable and safer pilot. I cannot recommend him enough for ground or flight lessons.

Guy Milner

 

I came to Chase by way of referral. I had come back to flying after a significant layoff, and wanted to become instrument current after a 15+ year lapse. His boundless enthusiasm for all things aviation is infectious. After talking about what I wanted to do, Chase outlined a well paced plan to get me to IPC condition. Each lesson was demanding, but not overwhelming.

Mistakes were learning opportunities, complete with explanations of where my rust had interfered with my progress. Debriefings were on target, complete with notes of what to cover on the ground. The time was used wisely and efficiently. His structured style for IFR fit me well, with easy to learn flows and memory aids. I completed my IPC, and flew soft IFR the next day.

Chase is thorough, professional, and extremely knowledgeable. If he doesn’t know an answer at the time, by your next session he will. Thank you for getting me back up in the clouds!

Bob Marks

 

I’ve had the privilege to fly with Chase since he began his aviation journey. From day one, I knew Chase would make a great instructor. He was quick to learn new concepts and was able to perform maneuvers nearly perfect. Since our first flight, I’ve watched him earn each certificate and rating at an incredible pace. Chase will challenge you and will transform you into a good and safe pilot. Whether you are new to aviation or need to earn your instrument rating or commercial certificate, Chase will provide you quality instruction and will help you reach our aviation goals. I highly recommend Chase without any reservations.

Hector Torres