Universal Helicopters is managed by two active helicopter pilots - President Gordon Jiroux, and Chairman & CEO George McNeil.
Gordon Jiroux. President and Chief Flight Instructor, Gordon is widely considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and skilled professionals within the helicopter industry. He completed his helicopter private, commercial and CFI ratings at Pacific Wing & Rotor (PWR) of Long Beach California in 1981. It was at PWR, the first flight school in the world to receive a Robinson R22 for training purposes that Gordon began his career as a certified flight instructor. He purchased R22 serial number #4 and opened a flight school in Scottsdale Arizona, and by 1983 at the age of 25, the FAA designated Gordon the position of pilot examiner in the Robinson R22. This helped him set the standard for helicopter flight training in his designated area of operation. Gordon's dedication to quality and safety made him the obvious choice in 1983, when the Robinson Helicopter Company issued him the Dealership/Service Center of Arizona. By 1990 his company was the largest helicopter flight school in the world utilizing 18 Robinson R22's.

Today after 21 years of flying the Robinson helicopters, Gordon is known nationwide as well as abroad, as one of the most professional, knowledgeable and conscientious helicopter flight instructors. He has the reputation for providing the most comprehensive, thorough and organized flight training available, with a special emphasis placed on the student’s individualized goals. Jiroux, a Designated Pilot Examiner for Private, Commercial and Flight Instructor on the R22 and R44, continually passes his helicopter knowledge and expertise on to flight instructors as well as UHI personnel to ensure that the organization's quality of instruction remains at the highest level. He also remains in direct and constant communication with the Robinson Helicopter Company for the sole purpose of helping to provide awareness of industry concerns to the manufacturer. He also remains in direct and constant communication with the Robinson Helicopter Company for the sole purpose of helping to provide awareness of industry concerns to the manufacturer.


George McNeil. Chairman & CEO, Chief Pilot Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, and a long time airplane and glider pilot, George McNeil had been given the opportunity to take the controls of a Bell 206 Jet Ranger Helicopter and was immediately attracted to a new type of flying where the pilot was at all times flying the machine. This was in contrast, in fact almost a novelty to a pilot who had spent so many years going only from airport to airport, often sitting for hours behind autopilot. "I was also impressed by its ability to go almost anywhere and land almost anywhere". After an absence of almost 20 years from Phoenix's Valley of the Sun, George returned in 2000 and had started flying with a local flight school but was immediately attracted to UHI's dynamic and professional organization with the highest safety, operating and training standards and equally important, to the helicopters which were new, clean, and obviously well-maintained."

George spent twelve years as Senior Executive Vice President of an international information technology company. More specifically he served as President and CEO of the company's operations in North and South America, Europe, as well as other regions in the world. Now retired from the Information Technology industry, George devotes his time to passing his contagious enthusiasm for flying on to the students of UHI. His impressive list of aviation achievements include a Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Rating Helicopter here in the United States as well as a Certified Flight Instructor Helicopter Rating in the United Kingdom. Aside from his Rotorcraft ratings, George is also a glider pilot, holds single engine land and sea ratings, multi engine land and instrument airplane here in the US, and single and multi engine airplane ratings in the UK.

One of George's most memorable events in a helicopter was a very long cross-country trip from the Robinson Helicopter Factory in California, to deliver a newly refurbished helicopter to an owner in Norwood, Massachusetts. A trip which took six days, covered 3000 miles, over 37 flying hours in weather ranging from desert temperatures of 110 degrees to below freezing rain, fog, and snow.


Danny MacKenzie, Director of Operations, Scottsdale Danny is a product of Universal's flight training program, joining as a new student in 2002. He completed his ratings in record time and after a period of instructing at Scottsdale, moved to Provo where he became the Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at that location before returning to Scottsdale to become UHI’s Director of Operations. In 2006 he was appointed by the FAA as a Designated Pilot Examiner for Private, Commercial and Instrument on the Robinson R22 and R44 Helicopters. Danny's leadership, energy & enthusiasm and his emphasis on professionalism and safety have been a key feature in the successful growth of the business both in Utah and Scottsdale. He is a dedicated family man, a strong outdoor person, keen rock climber and off road motor bike enthusiast in his spare time.


Matt Hewlett, Director of Operations, Provo Matt is a graduate of UHI's professional pilot program, having joined the program shortly after the opening of our Provo Flight School. Matt's strong firm leadership have resulted in the continued successful growth of the business, while reinforcing and enhancing safety and performance standards. We pride ourselves on having the highest levels of professionalism and standards of performance, reflected by the fact that a considerable number of our students come from training programs in other flight schools. Matt has been appointed by the FAA as a Designated Pilot Examiner on the R22 & R44 for Private Pilot.



Adam Komosa, Director Operations, Long Beach Adam is a graduate of UHI's professional pilot program, having joined the program in March 2006 and graduated as a Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor for Rotorcraft Helicopter and Instrument Helicopter in November 2006. Adam had always wanted to be a helicopter pilot since a very early age but at the time, it wasn't to be and he joined the US Navy to work as a mechanic on jet engines. After leaving the Navy he became a mechanical engineer for some ten years before the overwhelming urge to become a helicopter pilot took over and he signed up for Universal Helicopter's professional pilot program. After graduating he worked for a time in Indiana as a Flight Instructor and Commercial Pilot doing Ferry, Tours and Photo operations. After "surviving" a winter in the Midwest he remembered why a few years ago he moved from Chicago, IL to California and decided to come to back Orange County. When he is not flying he enjoys riding his Goldwing, hiking in the mountains, skiing and reading science fiction novels.

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