Ed McDonald is a lifelong aviation enthusiast and retired Boeing 787 Captain with over 30 years of experience in the airline industry. After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta, he served as an Aerospace Engineering Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force before transitioning to piloting, where he became a jet instructor and flew aircraft including the C130 Hercules and Twin Otter.

He later built a long airline career flying the Boeing 737, 767, 777, and 787, as well as the Airbus A330/340. Alongside his flying career, Ed founded JetPro, a company specializing in satellite-based instrument flight procedures now used at over 150 airports across Canada.

Today, Ed remains deeply involved in aviation through aircraft ownership, flight training, and supporting the Diamond pilot community, including operating a Diamond DA62 for training and flight operations.

Paul is based at Addison (KADS) near Dallas, and owns a 2019 DA40NG in shared access arrangement with three other pilots.  Paul has been flying since 2005, and is a volunteer pilot for Flights for Life. He has been a regular contributor to the Diamond Aviators Network as ‘chili4way’. Paul is retired from a career in semiconductor technology development, program management, design automation, technical marketing, and customer engineering. 

Dan spent his youth pretending to fly with a Jane’s book, and after life finished getting in the way finally punched his ticket in 2019. He is based near Seattle at KPAE, spending a lot of time glaring at the freezing level during winter months. When not flying, he is managing a toddler with his wife and writing code at Epic Games in the compression/texture group. 

Based in southern Germany, Léon has been passionate about aviation since childhood and realized his dream of earning a Private Pilot License during the COVID period. His first experience flying a Diamond was in a DA40 NG alongside his father, and since 2023, the two have enjoyed exploring Europe in their DA50 RG. Leon also manages the largest online community of DA50 owners. Outside the cockpit, he works in the field of Data & AI and follows a wide range of (especially American) sports.

Chris earned his pilot certificate in 2005 and has been a Diamond aircraft pilot since 2008, flying a DA40-XL for many years until upgrading to the DA42-NG in 2020. He is based out of Portland-Hillsboro (KHIO) and enjoys volunteering for Pilots-n-Paws and Angel Flights West. When not flying, he manages the Diamond Aviators Network forum website and works as a Principal Microprocessor Architect at NVIDIA.

Charles has been licensed since 1984 and received a Certificate in Commercial Pilot Technology from the College of San Mateo prior to earning his BS at the University of California, Berkeley. He is based out of KCCR and tries to fly every weekend for an expensive breakfast or lunch (cheap food, expensive AvGas). Charles is a member and past Commander of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Air Squadron – a group of aircraft owners and pilots who are sworn San Francisco Sheriff’s Deputies that fly as volunteers for law enforcement. He has owned his DA40-180 (Legacy G1000 upgraded to WAAS) since 2005 with well over 1500 DA40 hours logged. Notably he is one of very few insulin dependent diabetics that maintained a 3rd class medical for many years until the introduction of BasicMed.

David resides north of Atlanta and owns a 2008 DA40 XLS hangared at KLZU. David has been flying since 2011, both for personal pleasure and business. He enjoys flying charity missions for AngelFlight, and occasional aerobatics (not in his DA40 ;-). Among his many flying adventures, David once recovered his iPhone after accidentally dropping it from 11,500 feet in northern Arkansas, and flew a DA40NG over an active volcano in Iceland. David is a retired semiconductor executive, and currently serves as President and CEO of ECIA, the Electronic Components Industry Association. He also serves on several non-profit and trade association boards.

Trevor began flying in 2008 in a Cessna 172N before graduating to a Mooney M20J in 2015.  After training for his Commercial Multiengine add-on in 2021 in Twin Diamonds, he became hooked and purchased his own Diamond DA42 VI.  Trevor flies commercially and conducts training in both DA42s and DA62s.  He is also an active pilot with Angel Flight West providing volunteer transport for passengers traveling to medical care. You can see some of his flying adventures at https://www.youtube.com/@twmba65

Gordon found his passion for flying while travelling around Asia as a child in the 60’s and 70’s with his parents who were based in Singapore and Bangkok. Viscounts, Electras, 707s, HS748s, Bristol Freighters -couldn’t wait to get onboard whatever was going. The (banned these days) inflight cockpit visits added fuel to the fire.

After returning to Australia, Gordon did some CPL theory subjects whilst still in Year 12 and then a CPL straight out of school. He got the job flying a C206 at age 18, paid of his training debts and has never looked back.

Airlines weren’t recruiting (again!), so five fun years and 4000h in the Australia’s Northern Territory and surrounds proved a superb foundation, flying every Cessna from the 182 to the Citation II. Without GPS in those days, navigation from a WAC chart was critical. Looking for a mining airstrip 550 nm northwest of Alice Springs from FL350 in a Conquest II using just a WAC chart was interesting.

Eventually airlines started hiring again and it was off to Melbourne to fly the DC-9 then the 737-300. Itchy feet for Asia meant taking a job in Hong Kong in 1988. Over the years flying the 747-2/3/400, the A330/340/346 and the 777 including being a training Captain on most of these types helping to guide the next generation on their career paths.

Gordon still has a love for GA from those early days and believes GA flying and the skills acquired from it are a fundamental foundation for success in many areas of aviation. Gordon flies privately now and owns a Diamond DA62, as technology has moved on from those earlier GA designs. The DA62’s leading-edge tech, composite construction and Jet fuel engines are showing the way to the future

Scott is based at David Wayne Hooks (KDWH) in Spring, TX near Houston, and owns a 2008 DA40 XLS. After learning to fly at the Ellington Field Aero Club in 1987, Scott purchased a 1979 Grumman Cheetah where he accumulated 560 hrs and an Instrument Rating. After a 24-year hiatus from flying as PIC due to children and career, Scott purchased N905PA in 2017 and has logged 1700 hrs in his DA40 in the last 5 ¼ years traveling all across the USA including most of the States between Key West, Florida and Alaska, as well as from Bangor, Maine to the Grand Canyon.

Scott’s interest in aviation is focused on travel, visiting family, friends and new places, including some of the backcountry strips of Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Scott is also an avid Cyclist and Golfer, so his clubs and bike can often be found in the back of his DA40. Scott is currently making plans for an around-the-world trip in a Diamond in 2024. Scott retired from ExxonMobil in 2017 and also leads the ExxonMobil Flying Club.