About Us

Established in 1981

AeroTechniques has been operating continuously since 1981, when Joe Rizzo started training pilots at Tri-Cities Airport with his Cessna 172 as a part time instructor. Tom Spura joined Joe when he returned to Endicott in 1996, and Jim Kaufman recently began teaching early in 2001. When Joe retired from IBM in 1998 AeroTechniques expanded to a full time flight school, and in June 2001 we relocated to modern, comfortable facilities in the Miller Aviation Building (now the First Air Building) at the Binghamton Regional Airport.

Since 1981, pilots have been completing training with AeroTechniques for Private, Commercial, Instrument, and Flight Instructor Certificates and Ratings; additional endorsements for Tailwheel, Complex, High Performance, Flight Reviews, Specific Make/Model Proficiency Training, Stall/Spin Training, and Formation Flying. Several of our students have established careers as professional pilots.

We're dedicated to helping people achieve their aviation goals by offering diverse training opportunities, including required training for all FAA pilot certificates and by teaching to standards that exceed FAA minimum requirements. We understand that learning to fly requires the student to commit a significant amount time, effort and money, and that each student is an individual with unique learning styles. The one-on-one relationship between our instructors and students affords the best opportunity for our students to achieve their aviation training goals.

Our instructors all share a love of flying that is surpassed only by their dedication to bringing out the best in their students, and we believe that a good deal of what pilots learn is by observing and imitating other pilots whom they respect. We also understand that a good learning environment must be a safe, comfortable environment.

So, if you're looking for an accelerated process for getting a pilot certificate over the next thirty days, we can probably help you locate a flight school somewhere in Florida that will promise you that. If you want to learn how to fly, however, let us show you the rewards that are possible when you take to the air in a capable training airplane with a dedicated teacher. Come to the airport. We'd enjoy meeting with you to set up a schedule and training plan that will meet your needs.
Instructor Staff
Joe Rizzo has been flying for over 30 years and has been an active flight instructor since 1976 with Glider, Airplane-Single Engine, and Instrument-Airplane ratings on his Instructor Certificate. Since he began his flight training in 1968 he has flown over 6,000 hours, with more than 5,000 hours as flight instructor. He has Airplane-Single and Multiengine-Land, Glider, and Instrument-Airplane ratings on his Commercial Pilot certificate. He started AeroTechniques as a part time flight school in 1981 at Tri-Cities Airport when he bought his first airplane, a Cessna 172, which we still use for flight training today. Since he retired from IBM early in 1998 he has been instructing full-time. The FAA Rochester FSDO appointed Joe as an Aviation Safety Counselor in October 2000.
Tom Spura has been flying since 1980 with Airplane-Single Engine and Instrument ratings on his Instructor Certificate and Airplane-Single and Mulitengine-Land and Instrument ratings on his Commercial Pilot certificate and has been an active flight instructor since 1986. Tom's flying experience includes a total of 1800 flight hours with 600 hours as flight instructor. He's an aeronautical engineer currently with Lockheed Martin, and he instructs evenings and weekends.
Jim Kaufman has been flying since 1970 and he became a flight instructor in April 2001. Jim is an Airplane-Single engine Flight Instructor and has Airplane-Single engine, Instrument-Airplane, and Glider ratings on his pilot certificate. Jim's flying experience totals more than 1200 hours, including aerobatic competition and glider towing. He has rebuilt a Citabria, a Pitts S-1 biplane, and has partially completed a homebuilt Steen Skybolt biplane. Jim works at his day job at Lockheed Martin, and he instructs evenings and weekends.
Ed Whalon began his flying career in 1978 as a Navy Pilot. After he earned his wings he flew the P-3 Orion for 15 years and was a P-3 Instructor for 12 years. His Navy career took him to airfields all over the world as well as the Continental United States. Ed has Airplane-Single and Multiengine-Land and Instrument ratings on his Commercial Pilot certificate, and in 2003 he earned his civilian CFI certificate with an Airplane-Single Engine rating. Ed’s flying experience includes a total of over 4000 flight hours with 500 hours as flight instructor. He is a Systems Engineer with ENSCO, Inc. specializing in Aircraft Avionics and Sensor Systems design and integration at Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY.
John Hrebek holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with over 9,400 hours of flight time and 5,800 hours as a flight instructor. He is experienced in many different types of aircraft, including both piston and multiengine turbine aircraft, helicopters and tailwheel airplanes, and has been continuously involved in flight training ever since he started flying in 1980. John, who has Single Engine, Multiengine and Instrument Ratings on his Flight Instructor certificate, is widely known in the local area for his flying skills in both corporate and private aviation. He has been teaching since 1987, and in February 2001 the FAA Rochester FSDO appointed John as a Designated Pilot Examiner.