Kate Montressor

• Former Pilot Officer for United Airlines
• Over 18,000 hours
• Rated Boeing 727 fleet
• Commercial/Instrument, Airplane SEL/MEL
  CFI, CFII, MEI
  FAA Class I Medical, no restrictions
  Radiotelephone Operator’s Permit

Catherine "Kate" Montressor has flown over twenty-five different aircraft types, logged over 15,000 flight hours, and successfully trained hundreds of pilots for many years.

Soon after attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Montressor acquired her commercial, instrument, CFI and CFII ratings. She completely earned her own way through her education working at the local airfields as Dispatcher for Cirrus Flight Operations in Anoka, Minnesota, and Parts Manager and Maintenance Test Pilot for Thunderbird Aviation at Spirit of St Louis Airport, in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Montressor began instructing, becoming proficient in Part 141 and Part 61 operations. In Then she was promoted to Chief Flight Instructor and General Manager of Clear Lake Aviation at Houston Gulf Airport in League City, Texas. She was also appointed Chief Flight Instructor of the Bay Area Aero Club in deference to her skill. In 1980, she opened her own Part 141 flight school and Part 135 charter service at Clover Field in Friendswood, Texas, where she established her reputation as an astute businesswoman and exceptional flight instructor. She provided the area's only seaplane and conventional-gear training, certifying local FAA inspectors and NASA astronauts in these type aircraft.

In 1985, she was invited to join forces with D&N Flying Service at Almeda-Genoa Airport, becoming Assistant General Manager and Chief Flight Instructor, where she had responsibility for flight line operations, aircraft maintenance, grounds and building maintenance, budget recommendations, advertising, compliance with FAA regulations and supervising the work of subordinates. This partnership created opportunities in the local aviation community not possible otherwise, including a flight training program with the local Magnate High School and initiating the area's first air ambulance service with a direct line to John Sealy hospital in Galveston, Texas. Her talent at employee relations resulted in low turnover rate, unusual in the industry. In 1987, the Airport Authority approved Montressor's recommendation to install airport lighting, opening the field to commercial night operations and giving the local economy a much-needed shot in the arm. She continued successfully in this capacity until the airport was closed during the 1989 recession to accommodate growing local medical needs.

In 1989, Montressor was accepted as a Pilot Officer with United Airlines, working as a Boeing-727 Flight Engineer.

Montressor has worked with many flight operations, domestically including American Flyers and ATP Flight School, and internationally with Shivani Air in Nepal, and the Asian Academy of Aeronautics in the Maldives. She recruited professional pilots for Skylink in Jakarta, Indonesia, representing Lion Air, Garuda, and Citilink airlines.

Ms. Montressor is currently instructing in the San Francisco Bay Area.