INTRODUCTORY FLIGHTS STARTING AT $200.00
Meet the Team
Josh Minze-Owner/Chief Instructor
Commercial Pilot ASEL-AMEL, FAA Gold Seal CFI, CFII, IGI, Drone Pilot
For lack of a better description, Fort Worth Flight School is the brainchild of Josh Minze, a 41Yr old tail-wheel flyer from Springtown, Texas. Josh got his start in flying helicopters at KFTW in 2008 being motivated simply by his desire to be a pilot. Josh has a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Utah Valley University with an emphasis on Air Traffic Control, Weather, and Airport and Fixed Based Operations Management. Josh was also a Professor of Aviation at Tarrant County College aiding in starting their aviation pilot program. He currently holds a Gold Seal CFI rating, CFII, IGI, and a Drone Pilots License. With nearly 7000 Hours of Instruction given Josh has flown most every type of general aviation aircraft and remains unique in his field to continually finding passion in delivering instruction. He prides himself on his student’s success, making aviation dreams come true, while quite possibly enjoying seeing the students achieve goals more than the students themselves. You are likely to find his students flying people like yourself at air carriers such as American, Southwest, Envoy, and Mesa, or in various military and fighter aircraft, and even aerial applications such as crop dusting and wild-land firefighting.
Before Josh started Forth Worth Flight School, he had a myriad of jobs in Communications, construction, HVAC, and at one point he was a roadie handling merchandise for some of the largest Christian Music acts. Josh’s passions outside of aviation are God, family, friends, people, animals, Motorsports (especially Motorcycles), snowboarding, cliff diving, mountains, nature, space, education, and peace of mind to name a few.
When Josh is not flying you will find him spending time with his beautiful 5-year-old daughter Eden and Loving Supportive Wife Edie. They often attend family functions and participate in family outings enjoying the outdoors.
A word from Josh: “When I was going through school, I was not your average-age college student. I knew I would be teaching for a living, or at least for a while, to build hours. If I ended up good at teaching and I enjoyed it, then maybe for longer than needed to simply build the hours. Therefore, I didn't cram with rote memorization, like the common flight instructors who are on the airline track. I wanted to truly know what I was talking about and not just try and talk my way through the instructor check-ride process. I studied extremely hard committing everything to memory with repetition and an abundant frequency of practice.
I am exceptionally skilled at helping people learn to fly for their initial ratings. This allows me to live that special once-in-a-lifetime moment over and over again. It is truly an amazing feeling! I am very enthusiastic about teaching and flying IMC. It is not exactly easy, and I enjoy the challenge and complexity, yet the simplicity of the system. I’d also say that Tailwheel is more than likely what really sets me apart. I am very relaxed and comfortable with my teaching methods, allowing the students to really learn hands-on at their pace. You fly the airplane; I'll just keep us alive and show you what makes the plane happy. Rest assured I have the same controls where I am sitting, and it won’t get out of hand. My teaching style is based on the more you enjoy the experience while learning something new the easier it is retained. Concrete knowledge and understanding of the material, with a safety-first mentality, is what I strive to achieve with every student I meet.
I also take pride in the “never stop learning” philosophy. I not only learn firsthand daily while instructing, I also continuously purchase flight training material to study in the evenings to increase my understanding of the continually changing complexities of aviation and stay fresh. Aviation truly is my passion, it’s one of the places I can truly experience flow state. I really can't explain what it is like to live in that reality for a 'job' on a daily basis. I am living a dream!”
Motto: Love God, Love People, and Listen.
Quote: " Flying is the Second Greatest Thrill Known to Man, Landing is the First."
Jesse Keath-Flight Instructor/ Team Manager
Commercial Pilot ASEL-AMEL, Independent Contractor CFI, CFII, Drone Pilot
Jesse has been pivotal in the success of the school over the last few years. Jesse comes to us from Overland Park Kansas and holds Certified Flight Instructor Airplane (CFIA), and Certified Flight Instrument Instructor (CFII) ratings. Jesse completed his training at US Aviation Academy as part of the Tarrant County College Professional Pilot Program in Fort Worth, a part 141 school.
Before Jesse came to FWFS he was a Karate Instructor and his motto was “Strike Hard, Strike Fast, No Mercy!”. While that particular motto was a joke what isn’t a joke is his passion for teaching. When Jesse isn’t flying you will find him enjoying a myriad of hobbies. He is a 1st-Degree Black Belt in American Karate, studies Ju-Jitsu, favors the responsible ownership of firearms, and trains in safe weapon handling, ammunition crafting, Archery, Parkour, guitar playing, and Stunt Driving. When he isn’t working out his skills, he enjoys time at home with his family. His favorite plane from the flight school is the Cirrus, N453CD but he hopes to get his hands on a Boeing Dreamliner B787 one day.
Jesse’s motto is “Just Fly It” and we couldn’t agree more with him.
James Postels-Flight Instructor
Commercial Pilot ASEL-AMEL, Independent Contractor CFI, CFII, MEI, and AGI
James comes to us from Iowa and holds Certified Flight Instructor Airplane (CFIA,), Instrument Instructor (CFII) Multi-engine Instructor (MEI), and Advanced Ground Instructor (AGI) ratings. James has been flying since 2013 when he started at KMMK Meridiam Markham Municipal Airport in Connecticut. In 2018 he decided to finish his training and pursue being a flight instructor to share his love of flight and his passion to mentor new aviators. In conjunction with his career as a flight instructor, James holds a BS degree in International Business and works for Lockheed Martin, where he has spent 10 years in the aviation defense industry.
When James isn’t working, he enjoys taking time to enjoy music, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife. His favorite airplane flown to date is a Mooney M20F. His goal as CFI is to provide the safest and highest quality flight education to his students.
James’s motto is “Learn from the mistakes of others. You will not live long enough to make all of them yourself”. Fort Worth Flight School couldn’t be more excited to have James and all of his talents leading the way for our students.
Philippe Bratz-flight Instructor/International Student Support Representative
Commercial Pilot ASEL, Independent Contractor CFI FAA/EASA
Philippe comes to us from Munich, Germany, and holds a Certified Flight Instructor (CFIA) Rating and is also a Commercial Pilot under the FAA and the European EASA authority. Prior to joining us, Philippe was a Cabin Crew based out of Dubai, UAE where he worked for the renowned 5-star airline named Emirates Airlines. While doing this for 9 years, Philippe had the privilege to work on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 fleet whilst traveling many distant continents and managing large crew members of up to 28 individuals per flight. He started flying in 2013 and conducted his flight training under the FAA and EASA in many different locations such as Florida, Spain, and England.
Outside of flying, Philippe loves to enjoy any outdoor activities connected to the beach, sun, and swimming. He also is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and is a huge fan of Martial Arts in general.
Philippe's favorite aircraft are the Boeing 777, 747, Skunkworks SR-71 Blackbird, and the Diamond Da-42.
The Motto that impacted Philippe’s life the most: ‘’Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working’’.