Meet the Examiner
Nate Leming is a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) based at the Branson West Airport (KFWB) in southwest Missouri. His career has spanned more than 20 years across multiple airline and charter operations. He is a 737 Captain, and Line Check Airman at United Airlines where he trains and evaluates new and existing pilots at the world’s largest major airline. Over the years, Nate has flown to more than 50 different countries and earned five jet type ratings, including the renowned Boeing 747. He has circumnavigated the globe, and authored a variety of airline training programs in addition to publishing the best selling CRJ-700 Study Guide.
Nate’s passion for flying was handed down in the family. His father, Keith Leming, was a respected airline captain and test pilot, and his grandfather, Bill Leming, built airplanes for Boeing. Nate doesn’t remember his first airplane ride with his dad at two weeks old, but he's pretty sure that’s what infected him with the aviation “bug” for the rest of his life.
Tragedy struck the Leming family in 1996 when Keith Leming was killed performing a functional test flight on a McDonald Douglas DC-8 jetliner. The loss was devastating in the Leming family and only made worse by the loss of Bill a short time later to lung cancer. It is Nate’s goal to keep the dream of flight alive in their honor, and he actively shares the family’s love of aviation in every way he can.
Today, Nate is married to a former flight attendant, and lives on a farm in Ozark, Missouri. He has four children, and his oldest son is learning to fly. Nate and his wife, Brandy, formerly owned and operated “Branson Barnstormer LLC”, which offered aerobatic biplane rides over the lake and surrounding areas. Now the family owns and operates a beautiful Cessna 180 Skywagon, and Nate enjoys flying it throughout the vast backcountry of the Ozarks to maintain single engine proficiency for his role as a DPE.
Whether your goal is to earn a new certificate or rating, receive advanced training, get advice prior to purchasing a new airplane, or just talk about flying – Nate is happy to treat you like kin. Join our small family in the greatest home God created, THE SKY! Call or email us today.
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A Note from Nate
Congrats on a job well done in training! I get it – nobody wants to take a checkride, but why not? Usually, it’s because of the mystery involved in an oral exam or preflight jitters. I’m a pilot; I know the feeling well! Here’s my promise to you. We will have a practical conversation about flying and a practical flight together. No games, or “stump the chump”. Afterall, the FAA calls the event a “Practical Test” – perfection is not the goal! So let’s go fly, and send you on your way with the certificate or rating you’ve earned.
If you have scheduling questions, send me a text or give me a call. Once you’re on the calendar, I’ll send you detailed instructions for your checkride flight planning and preparation.
See you soon!
- Nate
