About Us

Ryan Ewing

Founder | President

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 (actually, it was called Aviation Official, but we’ve changed a bit since then). From being on the yoke of a Piper Navajo, to visiting about Delta’s operations center in Atlanta, Ryan has done it all. in 2016, along with American Airlines, Ryan masterminded AAviationDay at more than 10 locations around the world. The smell of jet fumes in the morning along with the countless number of passionate airline employees keep him enthralled in the industry, always seeking more. You can find him helping out travelers at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. when he’s not doing something for AirlineGeeks.

• Location: Washington D.C.

Tom Pallini

Editor-in-Chief

Tom has been flying for as long as he can remember. His first flight memory was on a Song Airlines 757 flying from LaGuardia to Orlando. Back then, he was afraid to fly because he thought you needed to jump off the plane in order to get off. Some years later, Tom is now a seasoned traveler, often flying to places just for the fun of it. Most of the time, he’ll never leave the airport on his trips. If he’s not at home or at work as a Line Service Technician at Long Island MacArthur Airport, he’s off flying somewhere, but only for the day.

• Location: New York City

Joe Pesek

Director, Finance

Joe joined AirlineGeeks in 2014, and in his current role as Director or Finance is responsible for developing the long range financial plan, growing revenue sources and increasing team member engagement. Prior to this, Joe served as the Editor-in-Chief, managing a growing team of writers both in North America and Europe.

He enjoys spending the bulk of his time researching, learning and analyzing the latest trends in the airline industry, all while mentoring new members of the AirlineGeeks team who seek to do the same.

• Location: Dallas, TX

Justin Sinanan

Director, Communications

Justin is a soon to be college student with quite the passion for aviation. Based out of New York City, essentially an aviation epicenter, he spends lots of time at the local airports to learn and travel. He currently has his mind set on completing his Private Pilot’s License (PPL) and other ratings before college where he plans to study Aerospace Engineering and Business. Justin is also an elite member on his favorite carrier, American Airlines, and often goes on vacations and mileage runs that take him as far as Australia, but as close as Washington D.C.

• Location: New York City

Shane Piper

Director, Business Development

Shane started as an airline geek on the first day that his mother brought him to work with her as a kid at Dulles Airport. Visiting the ground control tower, driving out on the ramp, and even sitting in the engines, he knew this was something awesome.

After learning all the aircraft types and collecting countless model planes, he was addicted. After college, Shane worked at the FAA command center and gained in-depth knowledge of the industry he already loved. For over 5 years, he has worked mainly in Information Technology with the Department of Defense and various military organizations, however continues to grow his passion for aviation and the world of flying. Still today he can’t go to the airport without staring out towards the runway or look up to the sounds of something overhead.

• Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Craig Fischer

Recruitment Lead

Craig has maintained an overwhelming passion for aviation since the first time he went to Gravelly Point at just eight years old. He has held on to this passion and became a private pilot in June of 2018. Craig wants to eventually be in the left seat of an airliner and is working towards his dream, attending Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida as a First Year Sophomore.

He just completed his Instrument Rating this Fall, and will begin training to become a Commercial Pilot in January. Over the past year, Craig has traveled to Qatar, China, and the Philippines, and can’t wait to explore what more countries have to offer all around the world. 

• Tel: 571-429-2907
• Location: Washington, D.C.

Mateen Kontoravdis

Copy Editor

Mateen has been interested in aviation from a very young age. He got his first model airplane at six and has been airplane spotting since he was nine years old. He has always had a passion for aviation and loves learning about different aspects within the industry. In addition to writing for AirlineGeeks, Mateen is also an editor for his high school’s newspaper. You can also find him on Instagram (@Plane.Photos) where he enjoys sharing his aviation photography with thousands of people everyday.

• Location: Austin, TX

Ian McMurtry

Senior Writer

Although Ian McMurtry was never originally an avgeek, he did enjoy watching US Airways aircraft across western Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. He lived along the Pennsylvania Railroad and took a liking to trains but a change of scenery in the mid-2000s saw him shift more of an interest into aviation. He would eventually express this passion by taking flying lessons in mid-Missouri and joining AirlineGeeks in 2013. Now living in Wichita, Kansas, Ian is in college majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in business administration at Wichita State University.

• Location: Wichita, KS

Daniel Morley

Writer

Daniel has always had aviation in his life; from moving to the United States when he was two, to family vacations across the U.S., and back to his native England. He currently resides in South Florida and attends Nova Southeastern University, studying Human Factors in Aviation. Daniel has his Commercial Certificate for both land and sea, and hopes to one day join the major airlines.

• Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Akhil Dewan

Writer

An “Airline Brat” for most of his life, Akhil has always been drawn to aviation. If there is an opportunity to read about an airline, fly on a new airplane, or talk to anyone about aviation, he is on it. Akhil has been on over 20+ different kinds of aircraft, his favorite being the MD-80. Additionally, he has visited 5 continents and plans to knock out the remaining two (Africa and Antarctica) soon. Based in Dallas, Akhil graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Management Information Systems and currently works in consulting. His dream is to become an airline executive.

• Location: Dallas, TX

Matthew Garcia

Writer

Matthew Garcia became interested in aviation at the age of 12 when we installed Microsoft Flight Simulator X on his computer. He was instantly “bitten by the bug” and has been in love with aviation ever since. Matthew took his first introductory flight in 2013 and began normal flight training in February of 2015. Over the years, Matthew’s love and knowledge of aviation has grown tremendously, mainly due to FSX. Garcia flies highly advanced aircraft in a professional manner on a highly complex virtual air traffic network simulating real-world flying. Matthew now attends university majoring in journalism with an aviation minor. His goal is to use his journalism experience to land a job with an airline after university.

• Location: Omaha

Parker Davis

Senior Writer

When he was just six months old, Parker took his first flight. From that point, he was destined to love aviation. His mom worked for Southwest Airlines much of his family have been frequent flyers on American Airlines for years, just as Parker is now. In 2015, Parker, inspired by aviation accounts on Instagram, decided to create an account of his own, and he hasn’t stopped spotting since. On top of that, Parker has been writing for his school paper since his freshman year and has been writing and doing photography for AirlineGeeks since August 2016.

• Location: Dallas, TX

Hemal Gosai

Writer

Hemal took his first flight at four years old and has been an avgeek since then. When he isn’t working as an analyst he’s frequently found outside watching planes fly overhead or flying in them. His favorite plane is the 747-8i which Lufthansa thankfully flies to EWR allowing for some great spotting. He firmly believes that the best way to fly between JFK and BOS is via DFW and is always willing to go for that extra elite qualifying mile.

• Location: New Jersey

Albert Kuan

Writer

Most people hate long flights or overnight layovers, but Albert loves them. The airport
and flying parts of traveling are the biggest highlights of any trip for him – as this avgeek always gets a thrill from sampling different airline cabin products and checking out regional developments happening at local U.S. airports. He’s flown on almost every
major carrier in the U.S. and Asia Pacific, and he hopes to try out the new A350s soon.

Albert recently completed his undergraduate studies in Business Accounting at USC in
Los Angeles and he is currently recruiting for a corporate analyst position at one of the U.S. legacy carriers. During his college years, he interned at LAX for Los Angeles
World Airports working behind-the-scenes (and on the ramp) in public relations and
accounting. Outside of writing for AirlineGeeks, he enjoys trekking the Hollywood hills,
visiting new hotspots throughout SoCal, and doing the occasional weekender on Spirit
Airlines.

• Location: Los Angeles

Peter Biondi

Writer

Peter Biondi has a degree in journalism and a master’s degree in airline/airport management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a former professor of Airline Management, Airline Marketing, Airport Management, Aviation safety, and Introduction to the Aviation Industry. He is an IATA instructor in airline business foundation. He has worked as an aviation consultant, analyst, researcher, journalist and professor. His professional experience includes Varig – Brazilian Airlines, KLM, and British Airways. Before moving to the US, he lived in Europe and South America. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian.

• Location: Atlanta

Joey Gerardi

Writer

Joe has always been interested in planes, for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself and the first thing he did with the license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. When he has the time (and money) he likes to take spotting trips to any location worth a visit. He’s currently enrolled at Western Michigan University earning a degree in Aviation Management and Operations.

• Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Jordan Green

Writer

Jordan joined the AG team in 2018 after attending AAviationDay in Philadelphia. He is actively pursuing his private pilot certificate and has been an aviation enthusiast since childhood. An attorney by trade, Jordan jokingly refers to himself as a “recovering litigator” and now focuses on subcontracts management.

Jordan focuses his writing on innovations in commercial aviation, aviation history, and other interesting topics he feels are worthy of discussion in the community.

• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

James Dinsdale

Writer

James is a keen aviation enthusiast from the United Kingdom. He has been flying since the age of 13 and today, aged 21, flies the Airbus A319/320 series for one of Europe’s largest airlines.

• Location: Berlin

John Flett

Writer

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry. During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team who created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff balancing a mix of corporate and social content.

John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a Masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management and has recently led an undergraduate Aviation Management course for 450 students at a leading London university. John is currently an external instructor for IATA (International Air Transport Association) and a member of the Heathrow Community Fund’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

• Location: London, UK

Andy Nelson

Writer

Andy flew regularly from a young age on family holidays, but his interest in airplanes really began when I saw Concord flying over his grandparents’ house on final approach. He’s about to begin his honors year studying electrical power engineering, and it’s his ambition to one day work in the aviation industry in an engineering capacity. In his spare time, Andy writes, plays guitar, and plays squash four or five times a week.

• Location: United Kingdom

João Machado

Writer

João has loved aviation since he was six-years-old when he started visiting his home airport in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. As he always loved writing, in 2011, at age 10 he started his very own aviation blog. Many things have happened since then, and now he is putting all his efforts into being an airline director in the future. João now studies Business Administration at UFRGS and is trying to get into an American college soon.

• Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pablo Diaz

Writer, Latin America Region

Since a little kid, Pablo set his passions in order: aviation, soccer, and everything else. He has traveled to various destinations throughout South America, Asia, and Europe.

Technology and systems expert, occasional spotter, not-so-dynamic midfielder, blogger, husband, father of three cats; he believes that Latin America’s aviation industry past, present, and future offer a lot of stories to be told.

• Location: Buenos Aires

Jose Antonio Payet

Writer

As a geography nerd, Jose has always been fascinated by the complexities of the airline industry and its ability to bring the world closer together. Born and raised in Peru, now studying in the UK. he has travelled around America, Europe and South East Asia. His favorite aircraft is the Boeing 767-300, which he has flown many times during his childhood; although now the A350 is slowly growing up on him.

• Location: UK

Will Lee

Writer

Will has been a travel agent in Hong Kong for almost three decades, as time goes by he hasn’t lost his passion for his job, He still has plenty of enthusiasm for the airline industry and airport operations.

• Location: Hong Kong

Vanni Gibertini

Writer

Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.

• Location: Montreal, Canada

Connor Sadler

Writer

Connor has been in love with flying since the first time he boarded a plane when he was 5 years old. He loves all things aviation, and he hopes to make that his full-time career in the future.

• Location: UK

William Derrickson

Photography Lead

Bill grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he was exposed to aviation from a very young age through his family’s avionics business.  He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and had a 20-year career as a police officer, although he never abandoned his passion for aviation.  He continued to involve himself in the aviation community through his family’s business as well as his overall interest in aviation photography.  In 2007, he shot his first airshow and since then has been working to improve his aviation photography skills by attending many aviation events around the world.

Katie Bailey

Photographer

Katie was born within minutes of the Boeing Everett factory and has spent much of her life next to the PAE runway. With both sides of the family either pilots or involved in aerospace, she couldn’t help but be hooked. One of her favorite early childhood memories is laying on the hood of the family’s giant station wagon, scanner in hand, at the end of the Paine Field runway with planes coming in overhead. Plane spotting is an excellent outlet for her airplane addiction.

• Location: Seattle, WA

Aron Mester

Photographer

Aron grew up in Budapest, Hungary. Thanks to his family, he has been able to travel a lot since he was born. Aron fell in love with airplanes and at the age of fifteen when he his first DSLR camera and started capturing aircraft at Budapest Airport. He loves developing his aviation photography skills, meeting new cultures, and is open to anything new. Aron’s goal is to travel all around the world taking pictures non-stop.

• Location: Budapest, Hungary

Ben Suskind

Photographer

Ben has always loved aviation ever since he was taken to Gravelly Point as a little kid. He recently started going to the airport more frequently to take photos of aircraft. His goal for the far future is to be the captain of a wide-body airliner and is going to start flight training soon.

• Location: Washington, D.C.

Mike Cassidy

Photographer

Mike is the only consistent photographer based out of Boeing’s factory in Charleston, SC. His passion for aviation photography was founded at an early age, growing up close to Boston Logan International Airport. In 2006, Mike moved from Boston to attend the College of Charleston in South Carolina. As luck would have it, Boeing decided to make Charleston their home a couple of years later. Graduating in 2010, Mike decided to permanently stay in Charleston and ever since then, has captured almost every 787 test flight. His most memorable photograph was capturing the first 787-10 for Singapore Airlines. Mike is also a published surf photographer, lover of all things heavy industry, and an avid traveler.

• Location: Charleston, SC

Michael Raisch

Branding & Lead Designer

Michael is a CLIO award winning designer and digital content producer. Michael has an extensive branding background in sports and event identities for MLB and the NHL. Michael founded Raisch Studios in 2003. His digital content has received international exposure and has been featured on Brand New, HOW Design, People Magazine, the Smithsonian Channel, IFC, and CNN.

In the aviation community, he is best known for his “Toddler Flight Simulator” and producing a photographic tribute for MH370 told through the lens of international planespotters.

• Location: Jersey City, NJ
• Website: Link

Fabian Behr

Photographer

Fabian started photographing aircraft at the age of 11, and from there his interest turned to photography and traveling. He’s traveled to more than 20 countries on 4 continents. Right now he is in the process of finishing his Aerospace Engineering studies and completing his frozen ATPL.

• Location: Dusseldorf, Germany

Peter Weiland

Photographer

• Location: Washington, D.C.