About CalAir Aviation

Meet Jonathan Lucas

Owner, Chief Flight Instructor | B.A. Professional Aeronautics, Cirrus CSIP, CFI, CFI
Jonathan’s love of aviation didn’t start in a classroom, it started thanks to his grandfather, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, who would take him on flights to airfields across California. Aviation wasn’t something Jonathan learned. It was something he inherited.

He went on to graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, attend the Delta Connection Academy, where he was among the first trained under the newly implemented scenario-based FAA FITS Private, Instrument, and Commercial training programs — the same methodology that now forms the backbone of Cirrus Standardized Training worldwide.

He then went on to serve 6 years in the California Air National Guard with the 146th Airlift Wing as an Air Transport Journeyman, a chapter that deepened both his technical discipline and his understanding of what genuine aviation safety culture looks like.

Jonathan then founded CalAir with a clear purpose: to build a flight school that was exceptional at every level. Hiring and training the best of the best instructors, creating a safety-first culture, and flying the safest single engine piston planes in the market.

When you train with CalAir, you train under a program built by someone who has dedicated his life to aviation.

How We Train

At CalAir, we follow a proven three-stage methodology that sets our graduates apart.

1. Before you ever leave the tarmac, you’ll build a deep foundation of aeronautical knowledge through structured ground instruction and Cirrus Standardized training. Understanding the “why” behind every maneuver is what separates a confident pilot from a hesitant one.

2. Our FAA-approved Cirrus Simulator and Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). Our Sim Room features TorqueSim controls, Garmin-based avionics software, and a realistic CAPS pull simulator. This allows pilots to practice everything from basic flight skills to high-stakes emergency maneuvers, building muscle memory and confidence.

3. In-flight training. Every flight builds on structured, scenario-based curriculum. We also follow Cirrus Standardized training which delivers the same critical decision-making skills and proficiency as taught in major professional pilot programs.

Safety First

Safety Isn’t a Feature. It’s the Foundation.

CalAir has maintained a longstanding, accident-free record — and that doesn’t happen by chance.

Key differentiators

• 50-hour aircraft inspections — we inspect our fleet every 50 hours, half the FAA-required 100-hour interval
• 6-month instructor refreshers — all TCIs (Training Center Instructors) complete recurring training every six months
• 6-month pilot currency — all renting pilots must complete recurrency training every six months, same as our instructors
• Cirrus CAPS on every aircraft — every plane in our fleet carries the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System
• Strict TCI certification — every CalAir instructor has completed the full Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI) course and is approved by the training center’s designated CSIP
• Maintenance by Kim Davidson Aviation — LA’s largest Cirrus-certified maintenance center

Our Instructors

At CalAir, our instructors aren’t your run-of-the-mill CFIs.

Every CalAir instructor has completed the full Cirrus Training Center Instructor (TCI) course — a Cirrus-designed program explicitly for flight instructors, not just pilots. TCIs are held to factory flight instruction standards, tailoring their teaching to each student’s learning style and specific goals.

All TCIs at CalAir are on a mandatory six-month training refresher cycle, overseen and signed off by the training center’s designated CSIP (Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot). This ensures that every instructor you fly with is current, sharp, and operating at the highest level of their certification.

The result: instruction that is consistent, rigorous, and genuinely personalized — every flight, every time.