Stephen Michael Lind, J. D., ATP

Vita/Resume

EDUCATION

• Wausau High School, Wisconsin, “Lettered” in Varsity Sports and Music [1966-69].
• University of Wisconsin (SP), Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree/International Politics [1969-1973].
• U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, “Distinguished Military Graduate” UWSP [1973].
• Washburn University School of Law Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree (Dean’s List), Topeka, Kansas [1976-1979].
• U. S. Government (GSA)/Federal Protective Service Security Officer Course, Kansas City, Kansas [1977].
• University of Southern California Jet Helicopter Accident Investigation International School, Los Angeles, California [1981].
• General Motors/Detroit Diesel Allison Jet Helicopter Pilot Engine Course, Indianapolis, Indiana [1981].
• Certified Property-Casualty Underwriter Parts 5 & 6 passed, plus numerous seminars and classes on Aircraft Accident Investigation, Aviation Insurance and Environmental Claims Handling.

LICENSES and AUTHORIZATIONS

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Restricted Radio-Telephone Operator permit [1970].
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private Pilot Single-Engine Land Airplane License [1970].
• National Security Agency (NSA) security qualification: “Secret” Clearance [1973].
• U.S. Army Operator’s license for the M-151 ¼ ton Jeep; M-113  Armored Personnel Carrier; M-114 Scout Track; M-551 Sheridan Airborne Light Tank and M-60A1 53 ton Main Battle Tank (1973-1975).
• FAA Commercial Pilot License for Multi-Engine Land [1977] and Sea [2020], Instrument Airplanes and Gliders; Aero-Tow [1977-present].   FAA Small Unmanned Aerial System Remote Pilot rating [2018].
• Licensed Attorney, Kansas State Bar and United States Federal District Court Bar [1979-2017].
• FAA Certificated Flight Instructor for Helicopters and Instrument Instructor for Single-Engine Land and Seaplanes [1981-present].
• FCC Technician Class Radio License #:  N2YWW [1996-present].
• FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) License for Single-Engine Land and Seaplanes [2009-present].
• U. S. Coast Guard Boating/PWC Safety Course:  NJ Licensed Motor Vessel Captain [2009-present].

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

• Summer and part-time jobs in Wisconsin during high school and college working at a cheese factory, a lumber yard and a paper mill [1967-1973].
• Operations Officer (General Manager) for Security Systems of Topeka, Inc. [1976-79].
• Various flying jobs for the State of Kansas and for Kansas Air Ad, Inc. [1976-1979].
• Federal Protective Service Officer-in-Charge for Federal Building/Courthouse, Topeka, Kansas [1977-79].
• Associated Aviation Underwriters (AAU), Senior Claims Attorney, Detroit, Michigan Office [1979-1983].
• International Aviation Theft Bureau Board of Director’s Charter Member [1980-1991].
• AAU, Regional Claims Manager (8 state territory), Assistant Vice President, Chicago Office [1983-1987].
• Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Aviation Committee, FAA Heliport Task Force member [1984-87].
• Oshkosh Air Show (AirVenture) Aviation Insurance Claims Manager [1985 & 1986].
• AAU, Director of Branch Office Claims (10 offices nationwide), Director of General Aviation Liability & Director of Environmental Claims, Vice President, Home Office, Short Hills, New Jersey  [1987-1991].
• Updated and re-wrote the Claims Manual for an international aviation insurance company [1989].
• Sky Insight Consultants, Sole Proprietor, Aviation and Environmental Claims consulting.  Pilot Expert Witness and Aviation Consultant for various insurance and litigation matters [1991-present].
• New Jersey Property Liability Insurance Guaranty Assoc. Environmental Claims Team Leader [1992-95].
• Chief Pilot/Reporter, Shadow Traffic/WCBS radio station, New York City area, New York [1996-2002].
• MMU Fuels, Inc., Manager, aircraft refueling service West Tie Down, KMMU, New Jersey [1998-99].
• Chief Flight & Ground School Instructor and Board of Director member (Vice President/Aviation) Eagle Flight Squadron, Inc., KCDW & East Orange, NJ. [2000-present].
• Operations Safety Officer for the Morristown Flight Training Center, FTC FBO, LLC [1999-2020].
• Aviat Aircraft Factory Dealer for the Central Northeast Region-USA (NJ, NY, DE & MD) [2007].
• Member of NYC/NJ FAA Class B Airspace Response ad hoc Committee representing the Morristown (KMMU) and  Essex County (KCDW) airports for the Tri-State (NY, NJ & CT) area [2009-2010].
• Published Author with a book and articles on Aviation and Environmental subjects [1983-present].
• Published Aerial Photographer [1998-present].

MILITARY

• U.S. Army Airborne and Ranger Schools (Officer Cadet Class), Fort Benning, Georgia [1972].
• U.S. Army Basic Armor Officer School, Fort Knox, Kentucky [1973-1974].
• 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Warfare Officer School, Fort Riley, Kansas [1974].
• United States Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol) Captain, Search & Rescue (SAR) Pilot [1969-present].
• U.S. Army Paratrooper (Airborne) Qualified - Jump Aircraft:  C-5A Galaxy, C-141 Starlifter jets, C-130 Hercules prop-jet, CH-47 Chinook, CH-46 Sky Knight, UH-1 Huey and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters [1972].
• U.S. Army Ranger Qualified (elite light infantry). 14,000 Second Lieutenants were commissioned in 1973; 80 were Airborne-Rangers.
• Approved Instructor for all Light Infantry subjects including Mountaineering/Tactical Climbing, Cliff and Helicopter Rappelling, 1, 2 & 3 Rope Bridge Building/River Crossing, Arctic (snowshoes/skis) and Amphibious (U.S. Navy LCM/rubber assault boat) Operations, Land Navigation, FM Radio Communications for Air & Artillery Fire Missions/Encoding-Decoding, Survival, First Aid, Demolitions (C-4/TNT), Hand-to-Hand Combat and Light Weapons (M-16A1 automatic assault rifle; M-1911 semi-automatic pistol; M-203/M-79 40mm grenade launcher and M-60 7.62mm medium machine gun).
• United States Army Reserve Officer Commission as a Second Lieutenant-Armor Branch [1973].
• U.S. Army Armor Officer School graduate; qualified as a Main Battle Tank and Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Platoon Leader (1973).
• Approved Instructor for all Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Platoon subjects including tactical employment of two M-114 20mm automatic cannon scout tracks; two M-106 4.2” tracked mortar carriers; two M-113 M-2 .50 cal. heavy machine gun armored personnel carriers (APC’s) with 20 soldiers; and two M-551 Airborne Armored Sheridan light tanks with 152mm gun/launcher systems firing various conventional rounds plus the Shillelagh infra-red guided anti-tank/anti-helicopter missile (43 men).
• Commanding Officer of the Lead Tank Platoon - First Infantry Division (‘Big Red One’), 1^st Brigade, 1^{st Bn}/63^rd Armor, Bravo Company, 3^rd Platoon (“Third Herd”), with seven (7) M-60A1 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs @ 56 tons apiece; combat-loaded) [1974-75].
• Qualified during annual Tank Gunnery as “Distinguished” (Expert) Tank Commander/Platoon Leader (7 M-60A1 MBTs) [1973-75].
• U.S. Army “Expert” Qualification for all Main Battle Tank weapons including Vickers M-68 rifled 105mm (4”) main gun; M-85 .50 cal. anti-aircraft/material heavy machine gun (personal weapon); M-73 7.62mm co-axial machine gun and M-3 .45 cal. automatic sub-machine gun (28 men) [1973-75].
• U.S. Army “Expert” Qualification for the M-1911 .45 cal. semi-automatic pistol [1972].
• U.S. Army “Sharpshooter” Qualification for the M-16 5.56mm Automatic Assault Rifle [1972].
• U.S. Army Tank Company Supply Officer (17 MBTs & 128 men) [1973-75].
• U.S. Army Tank Company CBR Officer (128 men) [1974-1975].
• U.S. Army Tank Gunnery Assistance Team (TGAT) Leader for Central USA (CONUS) [1974-75].
• Recipient of Certificate for Outstanding Service with the 1^st Battalion/63^rd Armor/1^st Infantry Division [1975].
• Officer Evaluation Report (OER) scores were 196 and 199 out of 200 [1974 & 1975].
• Offered and declined an U.S. Army REGULAR Officer’s Commission - three times [1973-1975].
• Department of Defense/U.S. Army Honorable Discharge as a 1^st Lieutenant [1979].
• Service-Connected Disability rating of 10% by U. S. Veteran’s Administration (Vietnam Era; hearing loss from MBT cannon fire).
• Eight (8) of my airplane flight students have been accepted to the U.S.A. Military Academies (4 to the Air Force, 2 to the Navy, 1 to West Point [Army] and 1 to the U. S. Coast Guard Academy).

AVIATION

• First flight [1966] (DC-3 then Ford Tri-Motor); 17,000  flight hours; 10,500 cross-country with 7,200 hours flight instructing, 570 night and 700 hours as an instrument single-pilot.
• 1,000 flight hours of towing banners and flying “SkyCaster” night advertising tail wheel aircraft [1975-1979].
• U.  S. Civil Defense/USAF Aux. Aerial Radiological Monitor; post-nuclear strike bomb damage assessment (BDA) Mission Pilot [1975-1979].
• Corporate Pilot for two State of Kansas Attorney Generals [1976-79].
• Human Organ Transport Pilot, Kidney Foundation of Kansas [1977-1979].
• Flew “bush” airplanes in the Yukon and Alaska (formation cross-country from Manhattan, Kansas -Anchorage, Alaska) [1978].
• AAU Corporate Pilot/Maintenance Officer for company A-36 and F-33 Beechcraft Bonanzas [1979-1991].
• Chief Pilot/Reporter for Shadow Traffic/WCBS with 7,000+ flight hours over the New York City environs [1996-2002].
• Maintenance Officer for the Eagle Flight Squadron, personal and company aircraft (4) [1991-present].
• Researched/wrote Safety & Operations SOP Manual for the FTC FBO, LLC [2002-present].
• Worked/investigated 400+ jet helicopter accidents plus 2,000 fixed-wing crashes [1979-present].
• Owner since 1991 of a 1966 Beechcraft Debonair “high performance/complex” airplane (5,000 hours).
• Flown over 150 different models of aircraft including:  P-51 Mustang WWII fighter; F-80 Shooting Star (T-33) jet fighter; Turbine Legend turbo-prop; AT-6 Texan; T-34 Mentor; Siai Marchetti SF-260WF; Glasair III fighter trainers; Rolls-Royce powered Breezey, MES amphibious Air Cam; Pitts S-2A; Grob (glider); Super Decathlon aerobatic planes, Bell 206L-II & III; Hughes 500C; Robinson R-22; Brantley B-2B; Hughes TH-55; Enstrom F-280 helicopters, an ABC A-60+ Airship (Blimp), and was in a Hot-Air Balloon crash. 
• U.S. Army trained on full-motion combat flight simulator for CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, 101^st Air Mobile Division, Fort Campbell, KY. [1991].
• Researched/built/self taught-flew a 7 foot long radio controlled 1/6^th scale AH-1 Huey Cobra attack helicopter model (first drone in the U.S. Midwest) [1975].
• Test Pilot for maiden flight of Baby Ace D Experimental airplane built by a high school industrial arts class [1982].
• Spin and Upset (unusual attitude) Recovery training for Flight Instructor candidates [2009-present].
• Aerobatic lessons and rides [2007-present].
• Complex/High Performance Airplane and Tailwheel training and endorsements [2007-present].
• 400+ New York City aerial tours [1983-present].
• Aerial resupply by parachuting food (C-rations/MREs, etc.) and beverages to campers & refugees.
• Six (6) unsolicited in-flight engine shut-downs resulting in uneventful/no damage forced landings.

AFFILIATIONS

• Civil Air Patrol Captain & Squadron Legal Officer [1966-present].
• Disabled American Veteran (DAV) Gold Commander Club [1977-present].
• U. S. Army Armor/Cavalry Officer’s Association Life Member [1979-present].
• Lawyer-Pilot Bar Association member [1979-2016].
• National Rifle Association Life Member [1979-present].
• Seaplane Pilots Association member [1981-present].
• Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association member [1983-present].
• 32^nd Degree Master Free Mason and Masonic Shriner [1984-1993].
• American Legion past Post Commander and Color Guard Captain, Whippanong Post 155 [1996-2016].
• St. Joseph Lakota Indian School “Premier” Supporter [2005-present].
• New Jersey Aviation Association (NJAA) member [2007-present].
• National World War II Museum Charter Member [2007-present].
• Morristown Airport Association (MAA) member [2008-2015].
• Tuskegee Airman, Inc. member [2009-present].
• Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition Board of Directors Officer, Vice President of Operations [2010-2014].

AWARDS

• YMCA Shark level and Life Guard qualified (YMCA & Boy Scouts) Danville, Illinois [1962-66].
• Boy Scouts of America Life Scout rank (19 Merit Badges) with the Order of the Arrow [1963-1966].
• AMVETS (American Veterans) Top Reserve Officer Training Corps graduate National Award [1973].
• West Law Publishing ‘Top Paper’ National Award for the Uniform Commercial Code law examination [1979].
• USAF/CAP Bronze Medal of Valor for flying a Red Cross blood re-supply (night/snow) SAR mission [1979].
• USAF/CAP Command Aviator Pilot Wings [1992-present].
• USAF/CAP Service Ribbons with Devices for 2 “Saves” and 4 “Finds” flying SAR missions [1966-1979].
• U.S. Army National Defense Service Medal [1975].
• U.S. Military Cold War Veteran Service Ribbon (2007).
• Morris County, New Jersey’s Vietnam Era Veteran Medal [2007].
• Morris County, New Jersey’s Cold War Veteran Medal [2008].
• American Legion New Jersey State Champion Color Guard Captain, Wildwood, NJ [2006, 2009 & 2011].
• State of New Jersey Gil Robb Wilson Award for “Outstanding contributions to New Jersey Aviation” [2009].
• State of New Jersey Governor’s Aviator Medal [2009].
• Essex County Civic Club 105^th anniversary Crispus Attucks Award [2015].
• New Jersey Legislature Assembly Resolution “Commending his meritorious record of service, leadership, and commitment” [2015].
• The FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of violation/incident-free operation {2020].