David and Suzanne
David McVinnie started his pilot training in 1980 at Luck Field, a small airport South of Ft. Worth, Texas and earned his Private certificate in early 1981. Shortly thereafter, David was transferred to Langley AFB, VA where he completed training for his Instrument rating and Commercial certificate at the Langley AFB Aero Club. He finished his CFI training at the Lowry AFB Aero Club in 1985. He returned from an overseas assignment in 1989 and started actively instructing at the Kelly AFB Aero Club. He earned his CFII certificate in 1993 at Wright Flyers in San Antonio. He completed his multi-engine training at the Kirtland Flight Center in 1996 and returned to San Antonio in April 1997 to complete his MEI training. Mr. McVinnie passed his Single and Multi-Engine Airline Transport Pilot checkrides in April 2001. Dave completed Cessna 300/400 Initial Training at CAE SimuFlight in 2007. He completed Piper Malibu initial training with Lester Kyle in September 1999 and Piper Meridian training at Simcom in December 2001 and Meridian recurrent training at Legacy in 2016. Mr. McVinnie is a lifetime member of the Piper M-Class Owners and Pilots Assocation (PMOPA), formerly the (Malibu/M-Class Owners and Pilots Association) and is recognized as a PMOPA Master Aviator. He worked as an associate instructor for the Malibu/Mirage Safety and Training Foundation (MMSTF) and currently serves on the PMOPA Safety Committee. He served as the Committee Chair of the M-Class Standardization Instructor Pilot Program (MSIP) in 2023/2024 and was recognized as a Platinum MSIP in November 2024.
David conducts risk management briefings and accident analysis for PMOPA.
David and his wife Suzanne, also a pilot, moved to Albuquerque in 1994 and have actively worked in the aviation community ever since. He's served as the Chief Flight Instructor for two Part 141 flight schools and established an immigration approved program for one.
In February 2008 he completed his type rating in the Eclipse EA500 and worked for Team Aviation Training (TAT) as a simulator instructor. David completed the Cessna FITS instructor course at Independence and is a G-1000 qualified instructor. He also completed the Garmin G-3000 course in June 2016 . David is qualified in Avidyne, Chelton, and Aspen equipped aircraft.
Dave added a Commercial Airplane Single Engine Sea class rating to his certificate in July 2010 at Kenmore Air.
David McVinnie has been an active Aviation Safety Counselor and FAA Safety Team (FAAST) Representative since 1992. He completed Phase XXII of the original Pilot Proficiency Program and Master Phase 10 under the new wings program. He was selected as the Southwest Region General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year in 1995, and received an FAA Flight Safety Award in 1997. He earned his Gold Seal in 1995 and was recognized as a Master CFI by the National Association of Flight Instructors in November 1997. He was selected to serve as a founding member of the National Instructor Safety Council in 2004 and served on the NAFI Professional Standards Committee in 2008. He is a Charter/Life Member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and served as the Chairman of the CFI Professional Accreditation Committee.
Mr. McVinnie served as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the Albuquerque FSDO from November of 2005 to April 2024 (over 18-years). The Albuquerque FSDO selected him as the CFI of the Year in 2009 and 2014. He has over 13,000 hours of general aviation experience including more than 9,500 hours as a flight instructor.
TSA:
David McVinnie is registered with the TSA as a training provider. He is approved to provide instruction to non-immigrant students in owner aircraft as long as the individual is in the United States on an appropriate visa and in-status.
Note: Individual instructors cannot issue an M-Visa.