FCA Staff
Get to know our Amazing Staff!
Jim Powell - President/Owner, CFII, MEI
Jim is Chief Pilot/Instructor of the FCA Flight Center and comes to us with an incredible aviation background. Jim was Chief Pilot and Aviation Manager for National and Worldwide Fortune 500 companies. He has started, owned, and operated successful Part 135 Air Charter companies, flying many highly prominent clients including the Kennedy Family, Presidential Candidates Michael Huckabee and Mitt Romney, the President of Liberia, and the music group Boston and Natalie Cole, to name a few. Jim has accumulated over 9000 hrs with approximately 4500 hrs of which is dual given in various single-engine and multi-engine aircraft with instruction from Private through CFII candidates and maintains a 100% pass rate. Jim was one of the first instructors in the country that went through the Cirrus Standardized Instructor Training (CSIP) and assisted Cirrus with the development of the instruction manual that is currently used worldwide today. Schedule him for flight training and enjoy your lessons with another very
Alex Roman III - CFI, CFII, MEI
Alex Roman is a CFII and MEI. He is a great flight instructor who has plenty of real life flying experience and enjoys the dual time with his students. One of the best you'll find anywhere! Alex graduated from University of Virginia and has experience in over 30 different aircraft and has flown extensively throughout the eastern US. Alex is comfortable with primary and instrument students.
AihoA BOROWICZ - Talent Acquisition
Aihoa is a private pilot and an FCA alumna who has joined the team to recruit dedicated and enthusiastic instructors, ensuring future students have the same outstanding training that she had. Whether you’re a new or veteran instructor, she’d love to hear from you! Aihoa enjoys tennis, snowboarding, and finding new places to eat. You can find her regularly departing for dinner from KFIT.
Richard Riley - CFI
Richard, nicknamed "Bo", has been an active pilot for more than 10 years. He has flown over 4000 hours including 1000 in a Cirrus SR20 and 2000 in a Cirrus SR22. Bo knows the Garmin and Avidyne systems to a T. Over 1800 hours of dual instruction given to students of all levels. Bo’s interests don’t stop at flying. Not only is Bo a professional musician who plays the French Horn, he also handcrafts harpsichords. Bo has performed as a soloist, played with the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Boston Philharmonic, and nearly 20 other orchestras. When not flying or performing, you can find Bo riding his BMW motorcycle, target shooting, or vacationing at his island home in Maine.
Chris Borowicz - Administration
Chris is a private pilot with an instrument rating who achieved his private pilot certificate in 42 hours in 2012. He has been flying regularly ever since. Including trips down the Hudson River corridor, visiting friends and family or just a fun flight with the Fitchburg Pilots Association. Chris helps "fly the front desk" to help finance his hobby and is happy to help you with any of your aviation goals or questions.
Jeremy Laflamme - CFI, CFII
Jeremy began flying in 1996 at Daniel Webster College out of the Nashua Airport where he got his private. From there he went on to attend Bridgewater State College where he earned his Instrument, Commercial, and Flight Instructor certificates. After college he began flight instructing at Daniel Webster College in 2000 earning his CFI-G, CFII, and MEI certificates. He has more than 6,500 hours and more than 1,500 hours of dual given. Jeremy also worked for 14 years at Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines flying all over the Northeast, Florida, and the Caribbean. Jeremy has flown many different aircraft types and is extremely enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge of aviation with his students.
Pete Coolidge - CFI, CFII
Pete has been with FCA for years and is an exceptional flight instructor. Many of FCA’s staff have trained with Pete and even got some of their ratings with him! Pete took a short break from flight instruction to fly Jump Planes in Florida, but is now back with us flying full time. Book him quick, you’ll be lucky to have an opportunity to fly with him!
Lucas worthley - CFI, CFII, AGI
Lucas, who completed all of his ratings at FCA, joins the team as a flight instructor! After taking his discovery flight, Lucas instantly fell in love with aviation, making it his life and passion. Lucas knows what it takes to help you achieve your aviation goals at FCA and is excited to share his knowledge of aviation with his students. When he’s not flying, you can find Lucas watching sports, or movies at the Gardner Cinemas.
Sarah Kilkenny - CFI, CFII
Sarah graduated from Farmingdale State College with a degree in Aeronautical Science and obtained her CFI while training at FCA. Sarah began flying in 2006 and became a flight instructor so that she could share her love for aviation with others. When not flying, Sarah enjoys reading, and spends much of her free time coaching softball and soccer.
MASON MANNS - CFI, CFII
Originally from Kenton, Ohio, Mason’s a Bowling Green State University graduate with a degree in Aviation - Flight Technology Operations. He’s worked in many different roles as a counselor, mentor, and teacher, and loves learning more about his students while sharing the world of aviation with them. In his free time, Mason enjoys exploring New England, numismatics, fitness, reading, and meeting new people. Mason joins FCA’s staff with one goal: to give students an engaging and enjoyable experience while holding safety to the highest standard.
Steve Bennett - CFI, CFII
Steve has been an active pilot for over 40 years, accumulating over 7500 hours in small planes. He has a background in electrical engineering and has worked in the avionics industry for 30 years. He helped start and was Chief Pilot for a Part 135 operation right here at Fitchburg, flying Cirrus SR22 aircraft and training and checking their pilots. When he’s not working on avionics or helping out at FCA, you can find him flying around the area in his 1946 Ercoupe.
Darren Duguay - CFI, CFII
Darren has been flying at FCA since 2020, a discovery flight quickly snowballed into a love for aviation and a passion for flying that he now carries on as an instructor. Darren obtained all of his ratings including PPL, instrument, commercial, and CFI at FCA and is working on adding CFII and MEI soon. Outside of flying Darren is a paramedic, loves the outdoors, cycling and running.