About Us
Training Tomorrow's Pilots with Gliders
Our team knows primary instruction!
Superior Soaring is led by experienced instructors committed to helping you become a rated pilot. We begin with the basics and see you through to completion. Young pilots can get their student pilot certificate as early as 14 and fly solo when they have achieved sufficient proficiency.
With thousands of hours of flying time as instructors, our pilots have the experience and patience to help you achieve your dreams, whether you are 14 or 40 (50, 60, 70…!).
Every member of the team is a pilot!
The idea for a new Arizona gliderport that focuses on instruction is the brainchild of Principal Owner Fairfax O’Riley (far left), an aerospace engineer and software architect. Fairfax has more than 15,000 hours of flight time in more than a dozen different fixed wing and helicopter airframes. He spent many years building and deploying certificated flight simulators for the military and commercial flight sectors to analyze pilot behavior. He is a Major in the Civil Air Patrol Black Sheep Squadron in Scottsdale, Arizona. As education officer, he oversees operation of the squad’s glider.
Frank Gomez (proceeding left to right) is a former electrical engineer who has been flying gliders for nearly 30 years, for himself and as a Certified Flight Instructor. He is Superior Soaring’s Chief Pilot, responsible for overseeing all flight operations and instruction. He was graduated from Arizona State University.
Frank’s son, James Gomez, is a mechanical engineer, having recently graduated from Arizona State University. He flew gliders through his college years and has become an accomplished pilot and Certified Flight Instructor. He splits his time at Superior Soaring between flight instruction and operating our ground launch winch.
Jim Fallon is the Line Chief at Superior Soaring. He is responsible for developing safety and operational procedures, training line crew members and ensuring the safe conduct of glider ground and launch operations at the airstrip. He served in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy where he was a P-3 Orion pilot. Jim is a commercial pilot, adding his glider rating in 2019.
The business of flying is managed by Director of Revenue Mark Lambert. He spent 36 years in banking and insurance before joining Superior Soaring. Mark is a graduate of the Bank Administration Institute Graduate School of Banking. He is a student pilot, pursuing his initial Private Pilot/Glider certificate.
Contact any member of the team