John Stonecipher, President & CEO
A former FAA
Designated Pilot Examiner and Certified Instructor Pilot with more
than 25 years of industry experience, John is a founding member of
the Helicopter Association International Helicopter Flight Training
committee. In addition to his tenure as a Robinson Helicopter
Company (RHC) Test Pilot and RHC Company Instructor, John has been
credited with qualifying dozens of FAA Safety Inspectors, FAA
National Resource Inspectors and experienced flight instructors in
both the Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters.
In 2007, John Stonecipher and Guidance Helicopters, Inc. acquired Congressional Recognition as the recipient of the 2007 Arizona Small Business Success Award. Mr. Stonecipher is a member of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Air Group and a former member of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott's ABA Industry...
With over 20 years of professional aviation involvement, he has had a multitude of experiences. Initially serving in the Army as a CH-47D Helicopter Flight Engineer and earning his FAA Airframe and Powerplant ratings (A&P), the Army led him to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus where he graduated with a BS in Professional Aeronautics. At the same time he obtained his Multi-Commercial Instrument ratings and FAA Inspection Authorization (IA). He also spent over 6 years as an Aviation Accident and Failure Analysis Investigator contracted to major aviation insurance companies as well as corporate pilot and fleet maintenance manager. With over 2,400 flight hours, attending several factory maintenance courses, and over two decades of maintenance experience, Jason is well suited for the Director of Maintenance position at Guidance Aviation.
“JJ” has 35 years experience in aviation. He earned a BS in Aircraft Maintenance and an MS in Aviation Safety. He has been a certified flight instructor, helicopter pilot, airplane pilot, glider pilot, military navigator and bombardier, jet fighter mechanic, helicopter mechanic, maintenance instructor, pilot ground school instructor, and a university aviation professor. He has over 2,000 hours as pilot and flight instructor and nearly a decade of aircraft maintenance experience. He has been designing, implementing, and improving methods of teaching aviation for the past twenty years. The 21st Century Flight Training System at Guidance Aviation is the result of the last two decades of his career finding and developing the best methods for turning students into professional aviators.
Chris came to Guidance as a student in 2005 while enrolled in the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University helicopter flight program. In 2010, he was brought onto the Guidance team to assist in the development of the fixed-wing training curriculum and played a critical role in the approval of Guidance as a degree granting institution, recognized by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. He is a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators and has an extensive knowledge of aviation safety, as well as an education in Aviation Business Administration. Chris also sits on the ASTM F-37 committee as a voting member for Light Sport Aircraft and is the Sales Manager for GA Sales and Distribution. Chris is dual-rated in helicopters and airplanes.
Rick joined Guidance in 2004 when a student at the college he teaches at suggested he meet with Guidance's CEO, John Stonecipher. "I was hooked immediately on the people and the business model and I am still here. I have never worked with so many creative and innovative people in my life. We constantly re-engineer our processes to produce a better result. This is not work it is fun".
Born in Iowa and raised in Prescott Valley, Arizona, if Mindy's not at Glamis riding Quads with her husband, son and two 80lb Boxers who think they are lap dogs, Mindy is busy keeping everyone organized at Guidance.
After five long wet years on the Oregon coast, Kelly feels back home in Prescott. Being born and raised on a ranch in Miami AZ, her love for the desert never dimished.
John has been flying for over 25 yrs and has 8500+ flight hours to date. In 1989 he became a flight instructor in Scottsdale, Arizona. By 1996, John was promotoed to Cheif Flight Instructor and flight school manager. Eventually O'neill landed a job in Prescott as an instructor and Designated Pilot Examiner (DPR). In 2012, O'neill was offered a postion at Guidance Aviation as Chief Pilot, helicopters.
I have always been fascinated with aviation. When I was a kid I could recognize almost every type of plane or helicopter and I had little models hanging from my ceiling. When I was in high school, I wanted to make my dream a reality and started researching a career as a helicopter pilot rather than anything else because I wanted to get paid for something I would gladly do for free. Every day there is a new challenge and I am always learning. Even on the hardest days I still go home thinking, "I got to fly a helicopter today, not bad..."
"I have wanted to be a pilot since I was about 5 years old. I never had the opportunity until I got out of the Army in 2009. Initially I started flying airplanes in southern Utah. One day while flying the airplane I saw a R-44 helicopter doing long line work on the side of a mountain. At that point I decided that helicopter pilots were way cooler than airplane pilots.
"Helicopters mean adventure! Ever since I was old enough to pretend a flashlight was a cyclic, I've had an interest in helicopters. But my path to Guidance was a circuitous one - I was a landscaper, teaching assistant, Army Officer, and geologist before finally getting an opportunity to do this using my Veterans benefits. I am continually impressed with the Guidance program. It is safe, well thought out, and students are provided with all the tools to succeed. The high altitude training and scenery here are outstanding. I enjoy teaching in the helicopter, and also look forward to someday flying glacier tours in Alaska. I've always loved the high country, and enjoy the outdoor sports, physical fitness, and blacksmithing." - David Micale
"I learned
of Guidance Aviation through
On a mid-tour leave from Iraq in 2009, now a U.S. Army Veteran, Martin found Guidance. Martin is one of Guidance's newest Instructor Pilots (Jan, 2012), but Jason's work isn't just limited to flight instruction. He's one of two U.S. Veterans helping to manage Student Services at Guidance and proudly states that he's also a van operator - "It's a Benz" as he puts it. Clearly, staying active is important to Martin as his favorite pastime, bull riding, in conjunction with his task load at Guidance, indicates that. When asked why he chose helicopters, he replied, "When I was a kid, I just knew I wanted to fly and not be limited to runways. My ideal job will be single pilot, Forest fire fighting, Utility work (long line), or Heli skiing." -J.Martin, US Army
Ever since I was a little kid I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, and that was to fly helicopters. I was born in Norfolk, Nebraska and moved to Arizona when I was 11. Once I became old enough to work I got a job at a local helicopter tour company. I saw their everyday enjoyment of going to work and that helped give me the drive I needed to complete school. Working with the tour pilots showed me that my dream was achievable. I have only wanted one career in my life, and that is to fly EMS. I am one of the few people who can say that they enjoy going to work and actually mean it." -J. Rolfes
An Instructor Pilot and Stage Check Pilot at Guidance since 2010, when he's not flying, you may find him building rock crawlers or four wheeling in his jeep. "I've always wanted to see the world from a bird's eye view. My dream job is to be a utility fire fighting pilot and a heli skiing pilot." - J.Coplan
