James Spudich is a private pilot of thirty-five years, with an instrument rating and extensive experience in many single-engine land airplanes. His favorites are the Piper Comanche 260C, which he co-owned for many years with two friends at Stanford University, and the Trinidad. He flies out of Palo Alto Airport. A Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford University, he has been an educator for more than thirty-five years. He served as Chairman of two Departments at Stanford and was co-founder and first Director of a bold interdisciplinary Stanford program known as BioX. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has published more than two hundred scientific papers, edited a variety of books, and trained more than one hundred students in basic research.

Alireza Ashayer, CFII, MEI, ATP, was trained at the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics. He has over 9000 hours, and has trained many students since 1997. He worked for cargo to parts 135 and 121 for over 3000 hours, and now flies for commercial airlines based out of San Francisco.