About Us

Train with high time experienced instructors

Your instructors are highly experienced CFIs with thousands of hours of instruction and experience in flying charter, Alaska bush flying, sailplane flying, and airline experience. While it is common for most flight schools to hire instructors with less than 500 hrs total time who will simply build time untill they are hired by the airlines, Your instructors here have chosen a career in general aviation and flight instruction.

All training is conducted through a partnership with Westwind Aviation, which we share office and hangar space with.

Allan Willis CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP

Allan started flying in Kentucky but soon moved out west to fly sailplanes over the Grand Tetons, from there to a short stint in Southern Utah instructing in the Desert and then on to Alaska where he worked as a CFI, Scenic tour pilot, bush pilot, and for a small commuter airline. He has also flown and instructed in Hawaii before moving to San Juan Island.

Daniel DeShon ATP, CFI, CFII, MEII

Dan is a highly experienced pilot and flight instructor with over 9,000 hours of flight time. He flew First Officer for Horizon Airlines on the Fokker F-28 regional jet and American Airlines as First Officer on the Douglas DC-9. In over 3,000 hours as an instructor, Dan has signed off over 100 pilot's licenses, ratings and flight reviews. Dan also has experience as a simulator instructor and airline interview specialist for regional and major airlines. Dan is the owner and founder of Westwind Aviation, located in Friday Harbor and our officemates.

Located in the San Juan Islands

With its beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, wonderful views, diverse accommodations and easy going, laid back way of life, the San Juan Islands offer a wonderful vacation retreat. Located in the northwest corner of Washington State, the islands are nestled between the Cascade and Olympic mountains.

the islands lie in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountains, they average only about 20-28 inches of rain a year (half the rainfall of nearby Seattle) and 280 days of sunshine. In the summer we can often go for weeks without rain, which is why the San Juans are referred to as the Banana Belt of the Northwest. Temperatures average in the 70's during the summer with lows at night of around 55-60.

The San Juan Islands are made up of a chain of 172 islands lying between Canada's Vancouver Island and the Washington State mainland. Northwest Sportplanes is based in the town of Friday Harbor, located along the eastern shore of the second largest island in the chain, San juan Island.

The town is the county seat and business center for the islands and includes a harbor full of pleasure boats and commercial fishing boats. The town of Friday Harbor is a quaint town with wonderful restaurants, art galleries, gift shops, a live theatre, whale museum and historical museum. The largest four islands of the San Juans are served by the Washington State Ferry System, the largest ferry system in the United States and the only link for automobile travel to the Islands.

While the San Juans are well known for their natural beauty, they are also known for the abundant wildlife. The most famous resident of the waters surrounding the islands is the magnificent Orca whale, with three resident pods spending much of their time here hunting salmon. The islands are also home to minke and grey whales, seals, sea lions, river otters, a large population of bald eagles and more than 250 other species of birds.