Kirby Ortega got his flying start with his birth at Eglin Air Force Base, while his father—the man who would teach him to fly—was serving as an Airman. Ortega has been recognized for 16,000 hours of incident/accident free flying, as well as the Citation Jet Pilots Association Gold Standard Award, the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the Federal Aviation Administration Regional Flight Instructor of the Year, and the FAA National Flight Instructor of the Year. He was a member of the National Association of Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, the FAA FAAST Team and is a NAFI Master Flight Instructor and Designated Examiner for the FAA. Kirby has logged over 28,000 flight hours and provided more than 16,500 hours of dual instruction from single engine piston airplanes, turboprops and jet aircraft. Kirby lives in Wichita, Kansas with his wife, Teresa, who is also his business partner in multiple aviation ventures.