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Rodney Melvin Tinney is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) based at Fort Worth Spinks Airport in Burleson, Texas. Serving under the North Texas Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in the Southwest Region, Tinney holds DPE-PE-RH authority, authorizing him to conduct Private and Commercial practical tests exclusively for the Rotorcraft Helicopter category. He does not conduct airplane checkrides. His own FAA certifications include Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), Commercial, Private, Instrument, and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) ratings.
Outside of his examiner duties, Tinney is the founder, President, and CEO of Air Center Helicopters, Inc. (ACHI), which has grown from a local charter business into a global defense subcontractor. Under his direction, the firm utilizes aircraft like the Airbus H225 Super Puma and Bell 412 for tactical military airlift, vertical resupply, casualty evacuation, and space capsule astronaut recovery missions for SpaceX and Boeing. Tinney has also performed experimental flight testing, including piloting Eurocopter's hybrid X3 and testing the Aerometals H225 Inlet Barrier Filter system in 2026.
Tinney is also an active aerial stunt coordinator and stunt pilot listed in the Texas SAG-AFTRA directory. Operating under an FAA Motion Picture and Television waiver, he has performed low-level aerial stunts for television productions, including acting as a helicopter pilot for the series Prison Break, and flying precision operations for the World Free-Fall Convention.