Certificates
Aircraft Categories
David William Huiskens is a prominent FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) based at the James Clements Airport in Bay City, Michigan. With an aviation career beginning in 1970, Huiskens brings over five decades of flight experience to the Michigan aviation community. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served as a flight instructor, establishing a career foundation built on high-stakes precision and standardized safety. His professional credentials include a range of instructor ratings, including single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument instruction, alongside his long-standing role as an FAASTeam representative.
Throughout his tenure, Huiskens has accumulated thousands of flight hours, specializing in complex instrument and commercial operations. As a DPE, he is widely recognized for his fair and conversational approach to checkrides, prioritizing practical risk management over rote memorization. Huiskens maintains a dedicated safety mindset, frequently organizing pilot proficiency seminars and focusing his evaluations on an applicant’s ability to recognize and mitigate errors. His reputation as a thorough yet encouraging examiner has made him a vital figure for pilots seeking certification within the Detroit and Grand Rapids FSDO jurisdictions.