Leadership Team
Our leadership team consists of skilled and experienced aviation experts who have a deep passion for the flight training and are dedicated to delivering exceptional training and support to our students.
Blake Murphy
Owner | CFOBlake has a desire to grow as a person everyday and to help others do the same. During his aviation career, Blake worked as a CFI, CFII and MEI. He did most of his instructing as a multi-engine instructor for a Local flight school before opening SimpliFly with JT. He has over 1500 hours of flight time, most of that dual-given. Blake was flying for a private charter company before he took a break from flying to focus all of his attention on the flight school and helping as many people as he can become professional pilots. When the time is right Blake plans on returning to the airlines while continuing to build the flight school.
JT Lesueur
Owner | CEOJT has a passion for helping people become better. He learned how to have great customer service while working at LeSueur Car company, his family's dealership. Instead of continuing on at the dealership he decided to pursue his dreams in aviation. JT and Blake decided to start the flight school in the beginning on 2020. He now flies for Southwest Airlines, has his ATP and is a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He has also received type ratings in the CRJ, Phenom 100, Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737. One of his favorite parts of working in aviation is the ability to bring his wife and three kids to different destinations.
Jordan Cortez
Chief Pilot | Program DirectorJordan was raised in Arizona and hired at SimpliFly in early 2021. After receiving his Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University, he began flight training at Falcon Field Airport in 2020. He is an ERJ-175 First Officer at SkyWest Airlines and also was recently promoted as the Program Director at SimpliFly. One of the few things he enjoys more than flying is teaching others. Jordan's mission at SimpliFly is to mentor the next generation of pilots and help them take advantage of the numerous opportunities in aviation.
Nate Benham
Director of OperationsNate was a school guidance counselor & basketball coach for 12 years before changing careers to aviation in 2019. All of Nate’s 3 younger brothers are pilots as are his dad & grandpa. Nate is married with two boys & a baby girl due in September & says he’s scared to death far more about having a girl than signing off students for their first solo. When not flying Nate plays city league hoops with his friends & enjoys watching his boys play youth league sports & doing whatever the Mrs requests. Nate finds a lot of joy in both flying & teaching new students to fly.
Our Instructors
At SimpliFly, our dedicated instructors prioritize delivering top-notch flight training to students. They combine their extensive aviation expertise, passion for the field, and commitment to creating a safe and supportive learning atmosphere. By doing so, they enable students to reach their aspirations and develop into proficient pilots.
Carsten Brady
Certified Flight Instructor
Ally Murphy
Certified Flight Instructor
Zach Figgins
Certified Flight Instructor
Dan Klim
Certified Flight Instructor
Takoda Timpauer
Certified Flight Instructor
Parker Reynolds
Certified Flight Instructor
Matt Barcelos
Certified Flight Instructor
Anders Jones
Certified Flight Instructor
Sal Nasta
Certified Flight Instructor
Doug Gillette
Certified Flight Instructor
FLY WITH THE TEAM THAT MAKES BECOMING A PILOT SIMPLE
We are a team of aviation experts in Mesa, AZ with decades of combined experience in the flight training industry. Our simple and effective training programs are designed to get you safely in the air as quickly as possible.