About

The Maple Hangar team includes active flight instructors, pilots at all stages of our training, published authors, experienced exam setters, and others sharing a common passion for exceling in Canadian aviation. We bring these skills together under the leadship of the following to guide our students to success.

Chris Hobbs is a mathematician by training, a computer programmer by profession and a pilot by inclination. He learned to fly in gliders in Chris Hobbs the Welsh mountains and has over 2,000 hours of power flying, particularly enjoying IFR flight. He has written several books on flying including the Canada Private and Canadian Commercial Pilot Answer Guides, Flying Beyond (the Commercial Pilot Textbook) and has taught groundschools for over a decade.

Jean René de Cotret is an Electrical Engineer by training and worked for 25 years for Bell Canada developing interesting technologies and services before deciding that flying was what he Jean René de Cotret really wanted to do. He started learning to fly in 2000, received his Commercial Pilot License and IFR rating in 2002, his Instructor rating in 2003 and has been working as a Flight Instructor at Rockcliffe since 2004. As a Class 1 instructor - Airplanes, with a Multi-IFR rating, he recently discovered the pleasures of Seaplane flying. Jean has also taught groundschools for PPL, CPL and IFR since 2002 and has organized numerous seminars for members of the Rockcliffe Flying Club over the years. Jean is bilingual in English and French.

Matt Lemay is a captain on several aircraft types and also a Class 1 Flight Instructor. Matt Lemay He is passionate for every aspect of aviation with an endless supply of enthusiasm to share with those coming into aviation and hold a special interest in Human factors, Decision Making, and Crew Resource Management (CRM). He has considerable experience in complex intercontinental and transatlantic flight operations to and from North and South America, Europe and Africa.

Simon Berry trained as a computer scientist, and works as a science and technology advisor. Interested in aviation from a young age, building many model aircraft and living near Simon Berry where Concord was originally built, he was later on flying around the world so much as a passenger that he was encouraged to train for his pilot's license. Having achieved this bucket list item, and wanting to give back to the world of aviation, he discovered a passion for providing ground school instruction - something he's now been doing for a few years. Simon is bilingual in English and French.