ZACHARY TAYLOR

Zachary "Zack" Taylor is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) based in Tampa, Florida, who operates out of Sheltair TPA at Tampa International Airport. Active as an examiner since at least 2014 under the Tampa Flight Standards District Office, Taylor's examining authority is strictly helicopter-specific. He holds Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor certificates for helicopters. Because his FAA certifications on record are limited to rotorcraft, he conducts checkrides exclusively for helicopter candidates—including private, commercial, instrument, and airline transport pilot certificates—and does not conduct airplane checkrides.

Taylor built his helicopter career entirely through civilian pathways, starting as a flight instructor in 2008. His operational background includes flying Bell helicopters to offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, conducting local helicopter tours and charters in the Tampa Bay area, and flying Airbus H125/AS350 models as an emergency medical services line-pilot for AirLife in Florida and Georgia.

In 2012, Taylor and his wife Laura acquired Tampa Bay Aviation, Inc., expanding it from a single rotorcraft into a multi-location charter and flight school operation that also managed Clearwater Air Park. After selling the flight school portion of the business, they transitioned the charter division into Skyway Aviation Services Inc., an active FAA Part 135 private air charter operator in Tampa where Taylor remains a principal leader.