Meet The Author

Carl Pascarell’s aviation experience extends to virtually all areas of high performance aviation. He began flying as a teenager and since has amassed nearly 44,000 hours in more than 420 different types of aircraft.

After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Carl entered Navy Flight Training. He received his “Wings of Gold” in October of 1976. He completed two Mediterranean cruises flying the Vought Corsair II aboard the USS Independence and the USS Eisenhower. He was subsequently assigned to VT-4 in  Pensacola, Florida, as an advanced jet instructor flying the TA4J Skyhawk.

Military Commendations include the Navy Air Medal with Bronze Star, The Navy Commendation Award, The Navy Achievement Award, and The Vought Flight Achievement Award.

He is a degreed Aeronautical Engineer, Navy Carrier Pilot, Experimental Test Pilot, Air Show Pilot and published aviation author. He holds a surface level aerobatic waiver in several aircraft and has been a designated Aerobatic Competency Evaluator (ACE) since the program’s inception.

Carl was a founding member of the Redhawks Precision Formation Aerobatic Team and along with team mates Harry Shepard and Bob Gandt flew for 11 years  the exotic SF-260 Marchetti in one of the few “military style” formation aerobatic performances ever presented on the airshow circuit.

In his capacity as Chief Test Pilot for Swearingen Aircraft, he has twice performed at the prestigious Paris Airshow in two different experimental prototype turbine powered aircraft.

Carl has been instructing in the Pitts S2 and Extra 300 at the St. Augustine Airport for nearly 25 years, training pilots of all ages, experience levels, and aspirations. He is a respected authority on aerobatics and formation flying and prides himself on turning out competent, knowledgeable and safe aerobatic pilots.

Life In The Air

Achievements

Boeing 737 Captain
Continental / United Airlines
1983 – 2018 (37 yrs)
Newark, NJ

Chief Experimental Test Pilot, Swearingen Aircraft Corporation
Jan 1989 – Oct 1992 (3 yrs 10 months)
San Antonio, Tx

Lead Project Pilot on the SA32T and the SJ 30 development programs.

Aerobatic Demonstration Pilot, Redhawks Precision Formation Aerobatic Team
Sep 1983 – Oct 1991 (8 yrs 2 months)

Attack Pilot, US Navy:
Jul 1975 – Oct 1982 (7 yrs 4 months)
Jacksonville, Florida 

Vought A7E Corsair – Carrier Based Attack Pilot, LSO
Mcdonnell Douglas TA4J Skyhawk – Advanced Flight Training Instructor, Air Combat Instructor, LSO
Pensacola, FL