Vonda Benson

After a discovery flight at age 50, Benson researched aviation and discovered the industry was lacking professional full-time flight instructors. Her husband Brian was surprised when she announced she was going to retire from her 30-year career with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to finish her journey to become a full-time flight instructor and that they were going to start their own business. Brian put his own flight lessons on hold and supported her journey.

After obtaining her instructor certificate in May 2020 and CFII in December of that year, Brian was the third student she signed off for a checkride. Brian is now a pilot, an Advanced Ground Instructor, and is working on his instrument rating.

Together, they own a thriving flight school in central Wisconsin where an emphasis is placed on ground instruction along with the flight instruction. They are adding an additional full-time flight instructor this year. They value building strong relationships with the aviation industry across the state. Benson says her favorite aspect of being an instructor is watching students build their internal skills, which she loves to watch happen in real time. She is honored to make a difference in two totally different fields — corrections and aviation. Benson’s own journey to becoming a CFI was filled with many challenges, the biggest of which was figuring out her learning style. As a result, her motto has become: If we don’t quit, we win.