About Mike Gozzo, owner and CFI of the Piper J3 Cub
Mike can be reached at 860-235-1564
“I grew up on Chester Airport as a kid. My father and his two partners bought N68952 and installed the O-200 engine to tow gliders for the glider club that resided at the airport for years. We spent a winter completely rebuilding N68952, and as a young boy I helped with everything from painting to rib stitching wings to final assembly. This Cub is more than an airplane to me, it’s part of my life. I spent my summers chasing tow ropes, flying gliders and getting rides in tow planes. I learned to fly in the Cub as I flew with my father and his partners along with a fair amount of glider time too. I soloed in the Cub before I had my driver’s license and have been flying it ever since. I completed my private pilot license in Cessna’s and got my rating at age 20.
The majority of my flight time since then has been in the Cub. I’ve flown all over the lower New England area and to the islands in the Cub and to just about every antique or EAA fly in that occurred over the last 30 years. My day job is as an electrical engineer for the Navy in Newport, Rhode Island and a couple a times each month in good weather I fly to work and back, this makes for a much more enjoyable commute. I have always been interested in training whether it be at work or at the local volunteer fire department, adding flying instructor to the list seemed natural.
After looking into it, I realized that I was well suited for Sport Pilot Instructor given all of my time in the Cub and could serve as a tailwheel endorsement provider as well as a basic Sport Pilot instructor. My background in aviation, growing up on the airport, giving many people their first flight in a small plane like the Cub and now the ability to teach has renewed my enthusiasm for flying and I hope to share that with you.”
