Meet Chief Pilot & President of Top Gun Captain
Ray Brown
Time flies so does Captain Ray Brown. Captain Brown is the "National
Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year for 2005"
from the Cleveland Flight Standards District Office and owner of
Top Gun Flight Training. A
three time Master Certified Flight, Gold Seal Instructor,
and FAA
Safety Team Representative, he instructs out of Burke
Lakefront, Cuyahoga County and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
He is one of few pilots in the country to hold the Airline Transport
Pilot rating in both single and multi-engine land aircraft.
Prior to starting Top Gun Flight Training Ray was the chief flight
instructor for Cleveland Airports and Cleveland Flight Training.
Captain Brown was also awarded the 2001 National Flight Specialist
of the year from the National Association of Flight Instructors.
In addition to flight instructing Ray also serves as the treasurer
of the Cleveland National Air Show and sits on the board. Ray is
a member of AOPA and the Northern Ohio Business Aircraft Association.
At the time of this writing he had logged over 30,000 hours of
flight time and over 14,000 hours of dual instruction given. This
instruction has been given in aircraft as simple as the Piper Archer
III, and as complex as the Pilatus PC12/45.
Not all of his flying has been instructional in nature. Ray flew
as Captain in the KC-97 for the United States Air Force, the Martin
404 and the DC9 Jet for Southern Airways (now Northwest Airlines)
and numerous airliners for Wright airlines.
When not flying, he can be found riding his motorcycle, working
out or on the roller skating rink where he was a 5 time US National
Champion and is also a competitive skating judge.
At the end of the day though aviation is not only Ray's vocation
it is his avocation as well. He has flown and instructed in more
aircraft than anyone could count. He started flying at 10 years
old. His passion for flight came from his father who had a love
and desire to fly but never had the chance until he was 60 years
old. Ray had the opportunity to train his father and his dad received
his pilots license at age 62. Aviation has and always will be the
consuming passion in Ray's life. Captain Brown can be seen speaking
and presenting at aviation events in Cleveland Ohio and Orlando
Florida.
Ray has been rewarded seeing the pilots he has trained become airline
captains and corporate pilots. He has seen many of his students
both men and women purchase their own aircraft and fly for both
business and pleasure. Above all the most important facet of those
he has trained is each an everyone of them have all become personal
life long friends of his. Come share Ray's passion for flight with
him and schedule an appointment today!
