FLTops.com MISSION

FLTops.com is an on-line information service for professional pilots and applicants. The owners and principals are active pilots for major airlines and have long experience in commercial aviation and publishing. FLTops.com is owned and operated by CyberCompass Corporation.

The company specializes in low cost and high quality information available through the Internet with no printed publications. Click here for a complete description of the information available at FLTops.com. Through innovative pricing and focused delivery of information about U.S. pilot employers, FLTops.com plans to become the on-line market leader.

Meet Our Front Line Team
Laurain Small Manager of Research and Development Phone: 888 LEFT SEAT Email: small@fltops.com Laurain Small is Manager of Research and Development for FLTops.com. Her experience includes more than 21 years in both airline and corporate aviation. She has worked closely with the airlines for the past 15 years in several positions, including Aviation Jobs Coordinator for FAPA and Sales/Information Manager for Flying Careers Magazine. Prior to working with FLTops.com, Laurain worked in corporate aviation as the Customer Service Manager for Hangar One. She initially began in the industry working in Customer Service for Northwest Airlines. Laurain graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management.

Andrew Stutzman Corporate Account Executive Phone: 888 LEFT SEAT Andrew Stutzman is a DFW-based line pilot for a major regional airline and an aviation consultant specializing in technical skills, interview preparation for pilots and brand management for aviation companies. Andrew has been in the aviation world since 1995 and has held a variety of roles, among which were Assistant Chief Pilot of Airline Training, Airline Training Manager, and Vice President for FAR Part 141, 142, and 61 training schools. He specialized in teaching ATP preparation, 14 CFR Part 61, 91 and 121 regulations, Jeppesen/Instrument procedures and resume/interview techniques. He has worked with numerous pilot recruiting departments within the regional airline industry and has helped place hundreds of pilots with 121 carriers. Andrew helps aviation companies structure their marketing and pilot recruiting efforts, producing effective and tangible results at minimal costs.

David Jones Consulting Editor Phone: 888 LEFT SEAT Email: editor@fltops.com David Jones' aviation experience dates back to October 1991 when he joined FAPA, where he later became editor of Career Pilot magazine. Jones later became editor-in-chief of Flying Careers magazine. He also has private- and public-sector public relations experience and began his career as a daily newspaper reporter. Jones is a graduate of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.

Lisa Treon Staff Writer Phone: 888 LEFT SEAT Email: Lisa@fltops.com Lisa Treon began her career before graduation by building resumes and writing cover letters for aspiring airline pilots in Louisiana Tech University’s professional aviation department – unofficially, that is! She married one of those pilots and has migrated in and out of the aviation publishing world over the years. Lisa was a staff writer for FAPA’s Career Pilot magazine, as well as FLTops.com in its formative years. She spent some time helping establish another airline pilot career-oriented magazine, serving as assistant editor and feature writer; she also managed the production of the monthly publication. Lisa is a cum laude graduate of Louisiana Tech with a bachelor of arts in journalism and minor in marketing. Her experience includes writing, editing, marketing and public relations for a variety of industries.

Judy Tarver Career News Editor Email: judy@fltops.com Judy Tarver is an aviation consultant, writer and speaker specializing in the field of pilot selection and recruitment. Over the 30 years she has worked in the industry, she was Manager of Pilot Recruitment for American Airlines where she was responsible for facilitating the hiring of over 7,100 airline pilots and has consulted with several major air carriers and other aviation associations such as the Air Line Pilots Association and the University Aviation Association. She has worked on several FAA committees that related to pilot selection. As a recognized expert in the field, Ms. Tarver owns and manages Pilot Counseling Services and is able to provide insightful and useful feedback to give pilots an edge in planning and pursuing their career as a pilot. Tarver is the author of Flight Plan to the Flight Deck: Strategies for a Pilot Career (available at www.sportys.com) and several magazine articles that have appeared in Aviation for Women, Flight Training, Air Line Pilot and Airline Pilot Careers.

Mike Schukert Collegiate Aviation Liaison Email: mike@fltops.com Mike joined the retired ranks in 2000 after a collegiate aviation teaching career spanning over 20 years. Much of this time was concurrently served as an active-duty and reserve officer in the U.S. Air Force from which he retired in 1991. Although he held professorships at Ohio State and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mike's last and longest-tenured academic appointment was with the Department of Aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University. An ardent believer in institutional outreach and the nurturing of government/industry linkages, he conceived and edited the University Aviation Association's first Collegiate Aviation Directory in 1982 and, in 1983, he went on to serve as the organization's president. His numerous co-curricular involvements include faculty internships with Delta and Northwest Airlines, and a post-doctoral fellowship with the Federal Aviation Administration. Mike is an instrument-rated Commercial Pilot and Certificated Flight/Ground School Instructor . His academic credentials include degrees from the University of Arizona (BA, 1963), the University of Florida (M.Ed., 1969) and Ohio University (Ph.D., 1976). Mike and his wife, Denisha, currently reside in Palm Coast, Florida

Robert Mark Corporate Communications & Media Relations Email: rob@fltops.com Robert is a veteran aviation journalist, pilot and public relations executive. A former corporate pilot, Mark is type-rated in the HS-125, the CE-650 and the CE-500. He's also a contributing editor to Aviation International News magazine. Robert Mark is a former vice president with Ogilvy, Adams and Rinehart public relations. He is the author of McGraw-Hill's Professional Pilot Career Guide. Mark holds a masters degree in marketing communications from Northwestern University and a bachelors degree in English from Northeastern Illinois University.

Andy Simonds Senior Staff Writer Email: andy@fltops.com In 1980, Andy Simonds first soloed in a beat-up fire-prone Cessna 152 Aerobat in Madison, Wisconsin. After a tour in general aviation as a CFI and Part 135 charter pilot, Andy started collecting uniforms from American Eagle, TWA, Airborne Express and, finally, American Airlines where he is currently a First Officer on the B-757 and B-767. Whether left seat, right seat, back seat or jumpseat he never met an airplane he didn't like. Andy would fly all airplanes to which somebody (who had the guts) gave him the keys including Metroliners, Jetstreams, B-727s and the DC-9. In an effort to improve his seniority (while believing there is comfort in crowds), Andy has been continually involved with airline pilot recruiting, interviewing, career counseling, aviation seminars and aviation writing. Some of Andy’s musings, opinionated perspectives and photographs are published through Simco Creative, LLC and can be likewise criticized by going to the Simco Creative blog. A graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor of Music degree, he majored in education and vocal performance. Experience gained from teaching in secondary schools and flight schools led to instructional and supervisory positions at the various air carriers including ground school instructor, flight instructor and check airman. Even after all the industry turbulence, he still believes that a rational perspective keeps the pessimists at bay, allowing the joy of the craft to rise to the surface where it is alive and well and resides in the hearts of those willing to embrace it.

Greg Laslo Staff Writer Email: greg@fltops.com Greg Laslo is an award-winning magazine writer, advertising copywriter, and editor. He has been a pilot for 16 years and has written about aviation education, flight training, and flight instruction for more than a decade. He’s currently editor of NAFI Mentor, the monthly magazine of the National Association of Flight Instructors, as well as a contributing editor to EAA Sport Aviation magazine. In addition, he’s written for Flight Training, Avionics News, Aviation International News, and Twin & Turbine magazines, as well as a variety of non-aviation publications on topics ranging from scuba diving to wine. He’s a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

David Freeman Web Developer Email: david@nissi-design.com David is responsible for the "back-end" of the website. He is a longtime commercial pilot and a professional web designer/developer. David has written and publishes several aviation related books. His latest, Highways in the Sky - Adventures of a Working Pilot, is a series of adventure stories and learning experiences spanning a 30 year career as a military aviator, flight instructor and corporate pilot.

Jamie Freeman Database Programmer Jamie is an all-around IT guy. He specializes in not specializing, knowing a little bit about a lot of things in the IT world. We leverage this expertise to solve many of our behind-the-scenes problems. Jamie's background includes stints in the Army, and a career in software development and application support in the telecom and oil and gas sectors. He holds a Management of Information Systems degree from Texas A&M and enjoys family life, sports and video games.

Meet Our Principals
Louis Smith Chairman and President of CyberCompass Corporation Phone: 888 LEFT SEAT Email: louis@fltops.com Louis Smith, President of FLTops.com, is a retired Northwest Airlines captain, completing his career flying the DC-10 on international routes. Captain Smith began his airline career with Hughes Airwest in 1976. He holds an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) rating, a Flight Engineer (FE) certificate and is a graduate of the University of Tennessee (Martin). Smith, a veteran of the United States Air Force, flew the C-9A on aeromedical evacuation missions from 1971 through 1974. Outside of the cockpit, Smith's vision has long been in managing businesses whose primary mission focused on publishing and organizing information that would help current and aspiring commercial pilots succeed in their career--before and after landing the cockpit job. Getting a job in commercial aviation requires more than stick-and-rudder skills, and Smith has spent the past 33 years assisting pilots in reaching their career goals by providing a one-stop shop for the information required to stay on top of this dynamic and complex industry. Smith founded CyberCompass Corporation, the parent company of FLTops.com, in 1996, and by 1998 was in business as a Web-only career planning service for professional pilots. Smith, 60, was the founder of Future Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA), and served as its CEO from 1974 to 1996. During that time, FAPA served more than 100,000 pilots, aviation maintenance technicians and flight attendants through its publishing, career seminars, career counseling and other advisory services. Over the years, he has been quoted in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, Aviation Week & Space Technology, USA Today, and hundreds of others. Smith also has appeared on CNN during a live broadcast and on National Public Radio as an expert panelist discussing a pilot labor dispute.

Daniel S. Huntington Director of CyberCompass Corporation Daniel S. Huntington is a B-767 first officer with Delta Air Lines. He previously served as first officer with American Eagle, and first officer and captain with ValuJet. Huntington, 44, is an Airline Transport Pilot, holds a Flight Engineers Certificate and has a masters degree in Math and Computer Science from Emory University.

Mark J. Stevens Director of CyberCompass Corporation Mark is a Delta Air Lines flight officer currently serving as Captain of an MD-88. Stevens, 48, is an Airline Transport Pilot and has a Flight Engineers Certificate. He is a 1981 graduate of the University of Michigan Business School.