FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS

Gordon Alvord

Bradley Donaldson

Like most kids I wanted to be a pilot the first time I heard the roar of an airplane overhead defying gravity as if by magic. My first flight was a birthday gift from my grandfather in an Aeronca Champ. After that flight it was clear my future belonged in the sky.

In 1999 I graduated from the University of North Dakota with a BS in Aeronautics. With the ink still wet on my CFII I began teaching at a small airport in Spanaway, WA. After a year of learning everything I thought I knew from textbooks I moved to St. Louis and worked my way through the ranks to become Chief Instructor of a flight school with 30 aircraft and a dozen instructors.

Commercial aviation brought me back to Puget Sound in 2001 flying for Horizon Air. I flew turbo-prop aircraft around the Pacific Northwest becoming an airline captain in 2007. In 2008 I began flying jets for Alaska Airlines from the Arctic Circle to the Hawaiian Islands, and everywhere in between.

In 2009 my passion for teaching led to the creation of Rainier Flight Service. The future of general aviation depends on the next generation of pilots learning and becoming involved in the aviation community. I hope to provide an opportunity for people to learn in a safe, affordable and fun environment.

Certificates & Ratings

Airline Transport Pilot: Airplane Multi Engine Land

Commercial: Airplane Single Engine Land

Flight Instructor: Single Engine, Multi Engine, Instrument (Gold Seal)

Ground Instructor: Advanced, Instrument

I began flying at the age of 15 in gliders on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. At the age of 17, I was a private pilot and off to the University of North Dakota. In 1999 I graduated from UND with a BS in Aeronautics while serving as a Flight Instructor and Supervisor of Flight for the over 100 aircraft fleet.

Moving to Seattle after graduation, I flew for Horizon Air until 2007 on the Dash 8, equipped with "Fog Buster" Heads Up Guidance (HGS) technology. In 2007 I moved on to Alaska Airlines flying 737s in some of the most technologically advanced and challenging conditions.

My love for flying and the passion to teach has kept me involved in general aviation and instruction.

Certificates & Ratings

Airline Transport Pilot: Airplane Multi Engine Land

Commercial: Airplane Single Engine Land

Flight Instructor: Single Engine, Multi Engine, Instrument