Our Leaders
Jack Shelton
Business Owner and Manager, Flight Instructor
Jack has been flying since 1983, as a flight instructor since 1993. An Oklahoma native, after leaving the Air Force in 2005 and joining a large pathology group in the Twin Cities, he noted a need for a well-organized flying club with outstanding aircraft and talented instructors in the area, and North Star Flyers was born. He holds Airline Transport Pilot certification and is licensed to instruct in single- and multi-engine airplanes including instrument flight. In addition to flying club airplanes, Jack also owns a Beechcraft Baron 58 and his father’s Cessna Skylane. He greatly enjoys seeing club members achieve their aviation goals and having fun in the process.
Cheryl Daml
Chief Flight Instructor
Cheryl is a retired first grade teacher (34 years). She began flying in 1992 as a part time hobby, which led to a second career! She began flight instructing in 2000 and in her retirement, Cheryl instructs full time at KANE. In addition to her time at North Star Flyers she instructs at several other flying clubs at Anoka and has a large clientele of private aircraft owners. She teaches ground school part time at a regional airline. Active in the 99s Women Pilots organization since 2013, she currently serves as Chapter Chair for the Minnesota Chapter. She enjoys mentoring and encouraging other women to get involved in aviation. Cheryl developed a Companion Pilot Course for non-flying partners of pilots. Cheryl holds Commercial Pilot certification and is licensed to instruct in single-engine airplanes including instrument flight. She has also developed and presented seminars and ground school courses for many organizations and venues. Helping people achieve their aviation dreams is very rewarding and Cheryl feels very fortunate to be able to use her teaching skills for this purpose.
Dave Autio
Club President, Flight Instructor
A Duluth native, Dave started flying in 1972 and became a flight instructor in 1978. He was an air traffic controller specialist at the Duluth control tower until 1981, experience that has served his students very well. After an almost three-decade hiatus from flying, he reinstated his flight instructor certificate with Cheryl at North Star Flyers in 2008 and took on the duties of club president shortly thereafter. He retired in 2017 from a maintenance career in the local school district and has been instructing full time since. He holds Commercial Pilot certification in single- and multi-engine airplanes and is licensed to instruct in single-engine airplanes including instrument flight. Dave’s most enjoyable aspect of aviation is his ability to pass on his passion for aviation to others and to inspire them to achieve their goals.
Mike Miller
Flight Instructor
Mike is a Minnesota native and has lived here for his entire life. He is the first pilot in his family, so had to develop his deep passion for aviation all on his own. He began flying in 2011, and became a licensed flight instructor in single-engine airplanes in 2018 under the tutelage of Dave Autio. He loves aviation more each year, especially the challenge to go farther, to be better, and to learn more. Next to that is the aviation community: It is small, close and always eager to welcome new faces and share experiences. With regard to instructing, he most enjoyed sharing his knowledge and helping others develop their skills: “If you really want to learn something - teach something.”
Kurt Olson
Flight Instructor
A Minnesota native, Kurt returned after a stint in the Air Force and took up flying in 2006. An early member of North Star Flyers, he pursued and achieved flight instructor licensure in 2012, focusing on his main passion in tailwheel airplanes. “There is no such thing as too much flying,” he says, and lives this fully through his instructing and frequent Pilots ’n Paws rescue flights across the Upper Midwest. His favorite experience instructing is when a student has that “eureka!” moment and everything comes together as it should.
Mark Jaeger
Flight Instructor
Mark has been flying since 1987; he achieved licensure as a flight instructor in 2016 and is highly capable of teaching in single-engine airplanes, including instrument flight. He retired from a 34-year career as an engineer at Honeywell Aerospace, supporting the manufacture of inertial navigation systems. He has since taught full-time at North Star Flyers and at other clubs and organizations in the area. Mark enjoys working with his clients to help them achieve their dreams of flying, all while having fun along the way.
Rob Young
Flight Instructor
Rob earned his private pilot certificate in 2012 and went on to become a flight instructor in 2019. He is a member of two local flying clubs and enjoys flying a wide variety of airplanes. Rob enjoys long cross country flights as well as short hops for a $100 hamburger. His favorite aviation experiences have been flying out to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for AirVenture and camping at the plane. Rob is passionate about learning everything about aviation and making flying safer for all pilots. He plans to continue with his aviation dreams by earning more ratings and flying other types of aircraft. He enjoys flying with friends and family and teaching others to fly.
