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Matthew Angelo Taggard serves as the Operations Director, Operations Manager, and Assistant Chief Pilot for Independent Helicopters, LLC, based at the Saratoga County Airport in Ballston Spa, New York. Taggard partnered with company CEO Heather M. Howley in 2013 to open this second location, expanding operations alongside the school's original base at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York. Under his management, the business provides FAR Part 135 and Part 141 services, including flight training, aerial tours, photography, and utility inspections.
He has been flying helicopters since approximately 2002 and began working as a flight instructor around 2012. Taggard's instructional and flight experience includes operating Robinson R22, Robinson R44, and Bell helicopters, such as the Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger L3, as well as teaching with a Frasca flight simulator. In his role as a Designated Pilot Examiner, he conducts private, commercial, instrument, and flight instructor practical tests in helicopters.