South Milwaukee, Wis., native named University of North Dakota’s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month

‘Andrew is by far one of the best CFIs I have had the opportunity to train with,’ one of Andrew Gargulak’s student pilots says

Andrew Gargulak, a University of North Dakota graduate and certified flight instructor from South Milwaukee, Wis., was named UND’s Certified Flight Instructor of the Month for July.

A certificated flight instructor is a pilot who has been trained in how to teach people how to fly. Flight Instructors take students up in an aircraft and do much of their teaching in the cockpit.

As part of the Certified Flight Instructor of the Month selection process, students of the CFIs are invited to submit nominations. The statements that students submitted to describe Gargulak include comments such as, “Andrew is by far one of the best CFIs I have had the opportunity to train with. From our first briefing together, I could tell he has a strong passion for aviation and motivation to teach. … He is extremely clear in his expectations and his plans, which makes training with him a breeze,” and “Andrew is very professional, but is also a very funny and nice guy which keeps the training fun and engaging. … I am so glad to have gotten an instructor like him, because having such an influence has motivated me to stay locked in and not fall behind.”

Gargulak similarly thanks and credits his own instructors – one of whom, for example, was “a great teacher who helped keep me motivated through periods of bad weather and the challenges of moving to a different state to start flight training.”

Speaking of flying in different states, “my future plans are to move back to Wisconsin to live closer to family and pursue some other training such as tailwheel, gliders or gyroplanes, while deciding what I want to do next in my aviation career,” Gargulak said.

A 2023 graduate of UND with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and a major in Commercial Aviation, Gargulak holds Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and Certified Flight Instructor–Instrument (CFII) certificates.

MEDIA CONTACT: Courtney Olson, Marketing, Events, & Project Coordinator, Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. EMAIL: courtney.e.olson@UND.edu. PHONE: 701-777-4989.

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Andrew Gargulak (260 KB)