Gena Adams
Chief Flight Instructor
CFI/CFII/MEI
Our flight instructor group is led by Gena Adams our Chief Flight Instructor. Gena grew up in the beautiful state of New Hampshire and learned how to fly at SkyBright when she was 19, earning her Private Pilot Certificate in 1997. She started her aviation career at Sky Bright/Laconia Flight Academy in 2001 and has been employed by SkyBright/Laconia Flight Academy for 21 years. Gena holds a CFII, MEI, and AGI for her instructing certificates as well as a multi engine Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. Gena also has four type ratings on her ATP certificate to include the Cessna Citation 500 series (CE-500), the Bombardier Lear 60 (LR-60), Embrear Phenom 300 (EMB-505), and the Cessna Citation Latitude (CE-680AS).
She has over 7,000 hours of total flight time with over 2,000 hours of flight instruction given. Gena followed the corporate path with her career that was started here at Sky Bright flying Beech Barons and King Airs on charter as well as flight instructing in many Piper, Cessna, and Beech aircraft.
Karen Mitchell
Assistant Chief Flight Instructor
CFI/CFII/MEI
Karen is a New Hampshire native and all around aviation enthusiast. She joined the Laconia Flight Academy team in 2021 as a certified flight instructor after a career as a high school science teacher.
As a member of the 99s and Women in Aviation International, Karen is very pleased to introduce girls and women to aviation, and help any aspiring aviator to find resources and scholarships to fuel their passion.
She is president of WinnAero, a local non-profit dedicated to STEM education through aviation and aerospace, and teaches at their summer camps for students in grades 3-12 at Laconia Airport every July.
Karen lives in New Hampton with her husband and two great teenage kids.
Mark Donovan
Flight Instructor
CFI/CFII
Mark Donovan was introduced to flying at an early age while hanging out at Hyde Field in Clinton, Maryland, where his father worked part-time as an A&P mechanic and flew as a private pilot. In 2011 Mark finally got around to earning his own Private Pilot Certificate. He immediately continued on with his training, acquiring his Instrument, Commercial, CFI and CFII ratings in both ASEL and ASES (Airplane Singe Engine Land and Sea) Category/Classes. He also has his commercial AMEL (Airplane Multi Engine Land) rating, and holds high performance, complex and tailwheel endorsements. Mark has worked as a flight instructor at Sky Bright since 2019, and has over 1500 hours of flight time.
Mark is also a Captain in the New Hampshire Wing Civil Air Patrol, where he is a Mission Pilot and Instructor/Check-pilot. When he is not providing flight instruction or on a sortie mission with CAP, Mark can often be found flying his PA18-150 Piper Super Cub.
George Howarth
Flight Instructor
CFI/CFII
In 2021 George retired as a Master Electrician. He earned his Private Pilots License about 18 years ago and his Flight Instructor (CFII) rating 3 years later. He has been flying with Sky Bright and Laconia Flight Academy as a flight instructor for 10 years.
George enjoys flying all types of planes, including float planes and his own PA32. He also enjoys flying compassion flights for Angel Flight NE and PALS, and likes introducing the joy of flying to new students.
Thomas Trowsdale
CFI
Thomas grew up just down the road in Tilton, and as a New Hampshire native, he has a deep appreciation for flying in the northeast. After attending flight schools in Missouri, Georgia, and South Dakota, he is happy to be back up in the mountains and forest. A third-generation pilot, he is passionate about having a hand in the creation of safe and conscious pilots.
Currently, Thomas teaches private and commercial students, and he runs a ground school every week for two hours that anyone can attend. He has his sights on the airlines eventually, but he is enjoying instructing and is thrilled to teach more pilots how to fly!