Evan Van Gilson as a young boy has always been fascinated by fast and loud vehicles.  His first experience with helicopters was around the age of six years old when the New Jersey State Police landed in the parking lot of his mothers work for a community event.  He remembers saying “This thing is awesome!”  In high school he began searching eBay for experimental helicopters joking about how one day he was going to buy one, with the money he didn’t have, and learn how to fly it.  As many young adults, when Evan graduated High School he went straight into the work force which instead of flying, he went into the law enforcement industry.  About 6 years later, Evan got his second experience with the N.J. State Police helicopter, but this time he actually got to fly in it.  Evan stared out of the window and pointed out all of the areas he recognized!  He felt like he was in a different world and he LOVED IT!  Evan told everyone about it and finally started taking lessons in helicopters.  It was a tough career move to make, but in his mind he kept saying “It’s now or never.”  He decided to follow his dream and fulfill his love for flying which has since lead Evan to great places, people and experiences.  And now it has lead Evan to you, the person reading this!  Evan has worked for 8 different helicopter companies in which 3 he is still working for.  Evan currently flies aircrafts that have just 2 seats to some that seat 10 in both Helicopters and Airplanes.  Evan has held positions for 135 Charter Captain and Company Check Airman, as well as Captain Positions for Privately owned aircrafts that he is a part of managing.

Hunter Godeck is an experienced pilot currently specializing in flight instruction in helicopters. He studied at Smoketown Helicopters, Boston Helicopters and Green Mountain Flight Academy, experiencing a variety of different flight environments from the mountains and forests of Vermont to the busy airspace of downtown Boston to the summer thunderstorms of central Pennsylvania.  Hunter is originally from Williston, Vermont and currently resides in Malvern Pennsylvania. In his free time Hunter enjoys playing hockey, training dogs and stand-up comedy at local open mics.  Hunter is excited for his new adventures at Platinum Helicopters and is looking forward to sharing the experience of helicopter flight with many new people this year.

Giovanni Di Tomaso is a young pilot who comes from the Alps, in Italy.  On those mountains is where his passion for helicopters started. He remembers seeing a helicopter ambulance rescuing a person while skiing and ever since then, helicopters have been stuck in his head. After finishing high school he decided to follow his dream and fly to America to start his training. He completed both FAA and EASA programs within two years in Portland, Oregon and is now flying at Platinum helicopters as a Helicopter Flight Instructor. His goal is to keep improving as a pilot and as an instructor in order to share his passion with students and one day he strives to fly a helicopter emergency service in the Italian mountains.

Ryan Majette is a new flight instructor and a New Jersey native who completed all of his training right here at Platinum Helicopters. He also holds a foreign EASA private rotorcraft license with flight experience throughout the UK. Ryan was always fascinated by helicopters, wondering how they work, and the physics involved in how they fly. For many years helicopters remained a recurring thought in the back of his mind until this curiosity eventually got the better of him, he went on a demo flight and was instantly hooked! Ryan is thrilled to finally be in a position to share the fun of flying with students and customers.