Bryan Zar

The National Association of Flight Instructors is proud to announce that NAFI member Bryan Zar has earned accreditation as a NAFI Master Flight Instructor.

From early childhood, Zar remembers attending the Belle Chasse Joint Reserve Base (NBG) annual air shows and watching the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds perform. His father, who served in the Air Force and National Guard, decorated Zar’s bedroom with framed military aircraft photos. Aviation was destined to play a role in his life.

Zar began flight lessons in July 2021 at age 41 to fulfill his lifelong interest in aviation. What started as what he called a mid-life crisis pursuit quickly turned into a second career. Zar proudly accepts NAFI Master Flight Instructor accreditation only three years after becoming a student pilot and having earned his CFI, CFII, and MEI instructor certifications.

Zar is a King Air Captain for Apex Aero located in Houma, Louisiana (KHUM), as well as an assistant chief instructor for Gulf Coast Aviation Flight School in New Orleans, Louisiana (KNEW). Apex is a Part 135 charter flight operator specializing in life-extending medical flights, which Zar finds very rewarding, and Gulf Coast Aviation is the largest Part 141 flight school in Louisiana. He enjoys flight instructing and assisting the next generation of pilots achieve their aviation goals. 

Zar is working towards a Master of Science degree in aeronautics at Embry-Riddle University, proving it is never too late to pursue your dreams. He believes continuing education is a vital part of his ability to provide significant flight instruction. Zar and his wife of 17 years, Brooke, have owned and operated Restaurant des Familles in Crown Point, Louisiana since July 2009. When not in the air or restaurant, Zar and his wife enjoy traveling with family and friends, playing tour guides to guests visiting New Orleans, and taking the occasional motorcycle ride.