About Blue Mountain Aviation
My name is Nick Wymetalek, and I am a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFII) dedicated to helping aspiring pilots achieve their aviation goals. My instructional style emphasizes creating a safe environment where students can make mistakes and learn from them, giving them the confidence to correct their errors. I adapt my teaching style to each learner to better suit their needs.
I pursued a career in aviation after my grandparents inspired me to travel as much as possible. I began my training towards my Private Pilot License at Twin Oaks Airpark in mid-2023 and achieved my certification in early June 2023. During the following months, I continued to build cross-country hours and work towards my instrument, in which I formed relationships with fellow pilots and learned from their mentorship. After completing my rating in October 2023, I began working towards my commercial rating and accomplishing the next step in becoming a Certified Flight Instructor and a career-focused pilot.
After I attained the skill set required as an Instructor and ultimately received both my CFI and CFII, I continued to build a community at Twin Oaks and strove to diversify my teaching practices. I flew with a broad range of experienced instructors and pilots while I was working on solving the perspective shift of moving from the left seat to the right. I have experienced many of the same frustrations and mistakes as my students and, as a result, aim to provide both skilled instruction and responsive support.
My name is Gabriel Gouaux and I am a Certified Flight Instructor(CFI), unlike some other pilots, as a child I was never fascinated by planes. I didn’t grow up with pilots, I didn’t enjoy taking flights and I hated turbulence. Quite frankly I never thought much about it as a career until I went to college. I thought to myself, “man I really don’t like any of these classes” so, lo and behold, I ended up knocking on the door of Twin Oaks to start flight training.
I began in the summer of 2022, and every summer thereafter I returned from the University of Oregon to fly. I kicked it up a notch after receiving my private pilot's license and eventually earned my privilege to instruct.
As for now, I dedicate as much time as possible to flight instructing at the airport and can provide training for budding sport, private, and commercial pilots, as well as transition training to the RV-12.
My name is Ben Gillam, I was born and raised in Alaska and grew up around aviation my whole life. Different from some other instructors out there…I started my love of aviation deep in the backcountry of western Alaska. Flying into rivers and lakes, landing on peaks and deep in valleys…camping, hunting, fishing, and wild places were synonymous with aviation and left a lasting love for adventures in my heart.
It was always a dream of mine to fly. I love the mountains, the ocean, and teaching people to fly. So I began flight training in Alaska, but shortly thereafter moved out to Chicago for two years to pursue aviation in a more corporate setting. I honed my skills on the radio and in complex and busy airspace out there and developed a love for teaching and TAA operations. However, my love for the wilderness always shone through and so I got float-rated and I moved home to Alaska for a season as an adventure guide and pilot out in western Alaska where it all began! I am a registered guide and seasoned back-country pilot thanks to that time, and from experience, there is truly nothing like the backcountry…upon the end of the season, I moved out to Oregon and began training to be an MEI…Between IFR, Multi-Engine, Backcountry, and classic Private pilot my experience and love for aviation is vast and multifaceted…so let’s fly together, and let’s have an adventure!
