James Kiper

James "Steve" Kiper is a highly experienced FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) and FAASTeam Representative based in Louisville, Kentucky. With an aviation career spanning over four decades, Kiper has a diverse background in both commercial and general aviation. He began his professional flying journey in the early 1980s as a Captain for Britt Airways before transitioning to Eastern Airlines, where he served as a First Officer and Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727. Since 1988, he has been a fixture of the Louisville aviation community, serving as a pilot, instructor, and Check Airman for Excel Air Charter/Hesco.

An Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) with thousands of flight hours, Kiper holds a comprehensive suite of instructor ratings including CFI, CFII, and MEI. His expertise as an examiner covers a wide array of certifications, including Private, Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine ratings. Parallel to his aviation career, Kiper maintained a successful twenty-six-year tenure in the financial services industry as an investment advisor, a background that underscores his meticulous attention to detail and professional ethics. Today, he is widely recognized for his dedication to pilot safety and education, frequently mentoring the next generation of aviators through his work with the FAA Safety Team.