Mary Latimer
Pictured on left is Mary Latimer with a recent Gift Attendee Willow Hetrick who received her PPL at the 2012 event.
Mary has been a flight instructor since 1974 and is a designated pilot examiner (private, commercial, and instrument). She is a corporate pilot flying a Conquest II, and an A&P mechanic with Inspection Authorization. She
is also a retired air traffic controller after twenty-four years of service.
She is considered one of the best ground school instructors.
She and her husband, Lawrence Latimer have been in aviation since meeting in 1970. They have been involved in aerial application industry, ferry, maintenance, rebuild, flight training, freight, and corporate areas...plan on taking a seat when the stories start! No one ever wants to leave when she starts!
Mary was named Flight Instructor of the year for the Lubbock Region in 2013!
She is a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner within the Lubbock Region. and is primarily based in Vernon Texas (F05 airport).
Mary has been a flight instructor since 1974 and is a designated pilot examiner (private, commercial, and instrument). She is a corporate pilot flying a Conquest II, and an A&P mechanic with Inspection Authorization. She
is also a retired air traffic controller after twenty-four years of service.
She is considered one of the best ground school instructors.
She and her husband, Lawrence Latimer have been in aviation since meeting in 1970. They have been involved in aerial application industry, ferry, maintenance, rebuild, flight training, freight, and corporate areas...plan on taking a seat when the stories start! No one ever wants to leave when she starts!
Mary was named Flight Instructor of the year for the Lubbock Region in 2013!
She is a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner within the Lubbock Region. and is primarily based in Vernon Texas (F05 airport).
Lawrence Latimer
Lawrence is commercial pilot, flight instructor and helicopter instructor and A&P mechanic, and also a corporate pilot currently flying the Conquest II. He began his training before meeting Mary and was starting in the aerial application industry at when they met.
This is what Lawrence does best, taking those who might have been strung along, have been scared or overwhelmed, needing to overcome bad initial training, or just a major confidence boost. He just has a knack for it. He is one of women's biggest supporter in aviation and most women and men always want to fly with him again and again. He will be brutally honest when required,
He and Mary teach year round from Wilbarger County Airport (F05) located in Vernon Texas.
Lawrence is commercial pilot, flight instructor and helicopter instructor and A&P mechanic, and also a corporate pilot currently flying the Conquest II. He began his training before meeting Mary and was starting in the aerial application industry at when they met.
This is what Lawrence does best, taking those who might have been strung along, have been scared or overwhelmed, needing to overcome bad initial training, or just a major confidence boost. He just has a knack for it. He is one of women's biggest supporter in aviation and most women and men always want to fly with him again and again. He will be brutally honest when required,
He and Mary teach year round from Wilbarger County Airport (F05) located in Vernon Texas.
Tamara Griffith
Tamara is pictured on the left with Chloe from the 2015 class.
Tamara is the daughter of Lawrence and Mary and the only child. She was born into aviation already in planes at a month old. Had her first tool set at 4 years of age and was starting to learn the instruments also (she called them all clocks - this clock tells how high, this clock says how fast). She thought everyone had a plane and living on the airfield next to the hangars its not hard to see where she had that mindset.
Tamara is commercial pilot, flight instructor, and A&P with her inspection Authorization (like her mother and likely the only mother daughter IA's). Tamara has been a corporate pilot, freight pilot, and has crossed both oceans, flown to, in and around many other countries. She is currently an independent flight instructor/ferry pilot and also a mechanic with Fox Aviation International Inc. (www.foxaviation.com )
She gives the other perspective of the story to Mary's from when she was the passenger in some.
She lives in Justin Texas Near DFW and teaches out at Propwash Airport (16X).
Tamara is the daughter of Lawrence and Mary and the only child. She was born into aviation already in planes at a month old. Had her first tool set at 4 years of age and was starting to learn the instruments also (she called them all clocks - this clock tells how high, this clock says how fast). She thought everyone had a plane and living on the airfield next to the hangars its not hard to see where she had that mindset.
Tamara is commercial pilot, flight instructor, and A&P with her inspection Authorization (like her mother and likely the only mother daughter IA's). Tamara has been a corporate pilot, freight pilot, and has crossed both oceans, flown to, in and around many other countries. She is currently an independent flight instructor/ferry pilot and also a mechanic with Fox Aviation International Inc. (www.foxaviation.com )
She gives the other perspective of the story to Mary's from when she was the passenger in some.
She lives in Justin Texas Near DFW and teaches out at Propwash Airport (16X).
Amanda Griffith
Yes she is the third generation pilot! (even more rare the third gen female pilot and flight instructor)
She obtained her flight instructors certificates in Oct. 2012 a couple days prior to the start of GIFT week that November.
She is an excellent instructor in her own right and has trained many since obtaining her certificates. Obtained her Gold Seal Instructor December 2013 and likely one of the youngest Gold Seal Instructors! (at age of 19)
When she earned her CFI certificates, there were only 4 other girls under 20 that held flight instructor certificates. Over the last two years she trained to be come an aerial applicator. She did a lot of practice with water and has moved on to actually spraying chemicals on fields to kill weeds. Only a handfull of women can call themselves aerial applicators. She has since left the aerial application career behind, partly due to the drought kept her from flying enough initially and has since moved towards corporate and independent flight instruction. That's aviation sometimes we go where the jobs/money are. She is well on her way in whatever aviation goal she sets for herself! She can be found teaching in Elk City, Oklahoma.
She has a special love of Cub Crafter Carbon Cubs and most anything tailwheel and aerobatic!
She obtained her flight instructors certificates in Oct. 2012 a couple days prior to the start of GIFT week that November.
She is an excellent instructor in her own right and has trained many since obtaining her certificates. Obtained her Gold Seal Instructor December 2013 and likely one of the youngest Gold Seal Instructors! (at age of 19)
When she earned her CFI certificates, there were only 4 other girls under 20 that held flight instructor certificates. Over the last two years she trained to be come an aerial applicator. She did a lot of practice with water and has moved on to actually spraying chemicals on fields to kill weeds. Only a handfull of women can call themselves aerial applicators. She has since left the aerial application career behind, partly due to the drought kept her from flying enough initially and has since moved towards corporate and independent flight instruction. That's aviation sometimes we go where the jobs/money are. She is well on her way in whatever aviation goal she sets for herself! She can be found teaching in Elk City, Oklahoma.
She has a special love of Cub Crafter Carbon Cubs and most anything tailwheel and aerobatic!
