Tiziano Bernard, an Italian born in Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, has been awarded the prestigious title of Best Flight Instructor in the United States. The honor, granted annually by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), recognizes professionals who excel in their expertise and ability to impart excellent flight skills to students.

The award, presented as part of the Flight Training Experience Awards, comes after a rigorous evaluation process: Bernard’s skills were assessed and recognized by student pilots, fellow instructors, air traffic controllers, and federal examiners. This recognition is even more significant given the international importance of AOPA, the largest aviators’ association in the world.

Born in 1993, Bernard began his educational journey at the International School of Trieste before moving to Florida to attend the Florida Institute of Technology, an institution designed to support the nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center. There, he completed his studies in aerospace engineering, standing out as the team leader in the Florida Tech Mars Rover project, which was recognized by Northrop Grumman as the best engineering project at the school, designed for Mars exploration.

After his studies, Bernard continued his distinguished professional career at Garmin International, a world-renowned company for its aviation devices, where he designed cockpits for aircraft. He currently serves as an experimental test engineer at Gulfstream Aerospace, a leading company in the production of private jets.

In addition to his engineering career, Bernard is highly involved in research and teaching: he is a member of the scientific board of the Applied Human Factors and Ergonomic Conference (AHFE) dedicated to space, where he introduced a new session on studies related to space tourism. Bernard also teaches at the prestigious Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and works as a flight instructor at Savannah Aviation, a role that led him to receive the esteemed AOPA recognition.