Team

Karin Goulian
Owner

Karin and husband, Michael, started Mike Goulian Aviation (MGAV) because they are passionate about aviation and particularly, the Cirrus Brand.

Their goal is to create a special home for Cirrus pilots and aircraft owners who wish to learn to fly and/or have their aircraft managed by a company that is focused on exceeding the highest standards in the industry.

Karin, a pilot herself with a keen passion for flying and business, is the backbone behind MGAV.

Michael Goulian
CSIP / Owner / SF50 Pilot

Mike Goulian, a professional pilot with almost 9,000 hours of flying, has been a flight school owner & operator for more than 30 years. His family started a flight school outside of Boston in 1964 and operated it until its sale in 2017.

Mike Goulian Aviation (MGAV) is Michael’s new business focused on the Cirrus Aircraft. He is excited to create this business based on his vision of general aviation excellence.

Mike and his wife Karin have also operated their own air show and air racing business for decades. As an industry leader known for excellence in everything he does, Michael looks forward to sharing his passion for aviation excellence with MGAV’s customers.

Benjamin Acker
Client & Flight Training Advisor

Ben joined the MGAV team at the beginning of 2022. Prior to working at Mike Goulian Aviation, he was the Flight Support Team Lead at Magellan Jets. In this role, he assisted in leading a group of six Flight Support Trip Managers who coordinated private jet charter trips. Since 2016 when Ben joined Magellan, the Flight Support team has successfully coordinated the transportation of 50,000 passengers to their ultimate destination.

Prior to working at Magellan, Ben graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2015 with a degree in Aviation Management. After graduating from BSU, Ben returned to his home state of Maine and worked as a scenic tour and aerial photography pilot in Bar Harbor. He flew for two seasons before moving to Massachusetts.

Ben is passionate about aviation and is excited to work with MGAV clients to introduce them to the incredible world of flying!

Levi Fischer
Director of Maintenance (A&P/IA)

Levi joined the Goulian team in 2017 as our Crew Chief for our airshow team (www.mikegoulian.com) that travels the US throughout the year. The Crew Chief position is a very special position on our team as Michael has to have complete trust in the crew chief and in turn, his plane, to be able to fly high extreme aerobatics with confidence. Adding Levi to the Mike Goulian Aviation team shortly after was a natural fit for him and we have not looked back. Hailing from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he was the factory assembly specialist at Sonex Aircraft. He has taken the Cirrus factory training and takes great care of our entire Cirrus fleet.

Prassuna Budlong
Prassuna Budlong
CSIP Instructor / SF50 Pilot

Prassuna’s life long goal has always been to teach. She began flight training at the age of 17, and soon realized aviation was a second calling. Prassuna continued training and earned her Commercial Multi-engine certificate nine months later. Today she is a CFII and has over 3,000 hours of flight time.

As a flight instructor, Prassuna combines her passion for education and aviation. Her dedication and pursuit for excellence ensures customers get the most out of their Cirrus experience. Prassuna is also a proud proponent of women in the aviation industry.

As of March 2021 Prassuna is now also a type rated SF50 Vision Jet pilot, joining Michael and Sean as jet pilots on our team.

Sean Brodeur
Assistant Chief Flight Instructor / CSIP Instructor / SF50 Pilot

Sean Brodeur is a passionate Flight Instructor. He is a rare find as one of only a few professional flying educators in the United States.

Sean’s 14,000 hours in the air and 12,000 hours of flight instructing make him a highly valued and sought after CSIP. Sean has over 2,000 hours in Cirrus aircraft alone.

Sean’s calm and unassuming approach to flying with his customers allows his clients to fly relaxed, knowing there is a professional next to them to guide their way while learning to fly.

Shelby Lillie
Shelby Lillie
CSIP Instructor

Shelby comes from a flying family, so the flying bug caught her early in life. She has a passion for aviation and teaching. Shelby learned to fly in New England. She then made her way to the University of North Dakota to finish all of her advanced ratings and receive a Bachelor of Science. After graduating from UND she was the Lead Flight Instructor and CFII / MEI. She managed a team of 20+ flight instructors and worked closely with their students as a stage check pilot. She has over 1200 hours of flying time and valuable experience in glass panel aircraft.

Lex Crosett
CSIP Instructor / NAFI Master Flight Instructor

Lex has been flight instructing since the age of 18 and enjoys working with pilots at every learning stage. Lex is an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor and has been recognized by the National Association of Flight Instructors as a Master Flight and Master Ground Instructor. He holds Airline Transport and Flight Instructor certificates in both airplanes and helicopters. Lex is a recipient of the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the FAA, awarded to those who have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 years or more. In addition to flight instructing to pay for his college education, Lex flew for air ambulance, freight, and charter organizations, and for a commuter airline in New England. Lex is an active Angel Flight and Patient AirLift Services command pilot. As a Cirrus owner, Lex enjoys helping others learn about and take advantage of the Cirrus Life.

John Drennan
Cirrus Training Instructor

Originally from Houston, Texas, John’s love of aviation began at the young age of three after watching Top Gun and discovering his late grandfather was an A&P. From that point on, his love for aviation continued to grow. His ultimate goal is to become a 737 Captain. John is graduate of The University of Central Florida and L3 Harris Airline Academy in Sanford, Florida.

After successfully completing all check rides, John was asked to join L3 Harris as a flight instructor, After a year with L3 Harris, he wanted a new challenge and relocated to Massachusetts to join Mike Goulian Aviation as an instructor. When John isn’t flying around the northeast, he can be found cooking in the kitchen, surfing, discovering new music, mountain biking, hiking, and traveling. John’s outside of flying goals include: Visiting every state in the US, visiting every continent, and attending games in every NFL stadium, and NHL, arena.

Cameron Ditto
Cirrus Training Instructor / SF50 Pilot

Cameron joined the MGAV team in 2022. After graduation from Southern New Hampshire University with a BS in Aviation Operations and Management, he instructed around New Hampshire before joining the MGAV team. Cameron’s love for aviation started at the age of three attending airshows with his family. He fell in love with jets before Top Gun grabbed his attention even more. Cameron has been instructing since becoming a CFI in 2020 and is looking forward to a professional career in aviation.

Gordon Landale
Cirrus Training Instructor & Location Manager (KBED)

Gordon is a Massachusetts native, inspired to fly at an early age by his father and brothers. He left the area 30 years ago to join the Army. Upon retiring from 25 years of service in the Army’s Special Forces, he turned his love of flying and teaching into a professional flight instructor career. As a Master Flight Instructor, Gordon has more than 2,000 hours of flight time and 1,200 of instruction given. The only thing he enjoys more than flying is being able to share it with others, helping people reach their goals, building safe, competent, and confident pilots while having fun in the process. Passionate about safety and continuing education, Gordon is also a FAA Safety Team (FAAST) volunteer representative.

He recently moved back to the northeast and joined the MGAV team in June 2022. When he’s not instructing, he enjoys traveling New England with his wife and three young daughters.

Ben Lillie
Cirrus Training Instructor

Ben has dreamed of flying since before he learned to walk. And he still dreams of flying almost every night.

After graduating Liberty University with a B.S. in Commercial Aviation, Ben began his professional pilot career as a flight instructor, giving over 1,000 hrs of instruction for Private through CFI ratings across various aircraft types. He then moved on to flying the Embraer 145 for Envoy Air, and now flies the Phenom 300 full-time with NetJets Aviation.

On his days off, he enjoys teaching in the Cirrus as well as cycling, gardening, and fishing.

Annie Story
Cirrus Training Instructor

Annie grew up in rural Oregon and never had an interest in aviation. While living in San Diego, her older brother introduced her to skydiving. The thrill and joy of playing in the sky quickly became a staple in her life. More than just the joy of free fall, Annie fell in love with teaching through the example of her incredible instructors. She soon started flight school and earned her Private in San Diego. The rest of her certificates were finished over the next year in Texas. Prior to joining MGAV in early 2023 she had been instructing in Cessnas in Rhode Island. She is thrilled to be able to continue to share her love for flying with others.

Ryan Tierney
Upset Training & Cirrus Training Center Instructor

Ryan has been flying since he was 17 years old. From Kingston Massachusetts, he attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver to study Aviation and Aerospace Science where he was the captain of the MSU Denver Aerobatic Flight Team. Ryan was able to lead the MSU Aerobatics to win 2 collegiate team national championships and was the collegiate individual national champion in 2022.

In Denver, Ryan worked as a flight instructor where he specialized in UPRT, tailwheel training, and mountain flying while also training students toward their private and commercial ratings.

Ryan joins Mike Goulian Aviation as an UPRT instructor and Mike Goulian Airshows as the Extra 330SC ferry pilot. He is looking forward to working with more students to help them become better and safer pilots.

Brian Dubois
Cirrus Training Instructor

Brian’s fascination with flight began as an eight year old boy when he first stepped foot on a Boeing 737 to Florida for a family vacation. He was glued to the window for the duration of the flight and the wonder of all things aviation never ceased. Brian grew up in Rhode Island and still calls it home. He went to college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he obtained his licenses and began his flight instruction career. After graduation, Brian moved back to New England where he continued flight instructing at Daniel Webster College.

In the constantly evolving world of aviation, Brian shifted gears and for the last 20 years has been working as an air traffic controller. As Brian’s ATC career comes to a close, he has finally made it back to the flight deck to begin his second career as a professional pilot doing what he loves. He has been instructing in Rhode Island for the last two years and serving as a stage check instructor before joining our team at Mike Goulian Aviation. In his off time Brian enjoys traveling with his family, skiing, hiking and training for Ironman triathlons.

David Cruz-Merino
Cirrus Training Instructor

David was born and raised in Massachusetts. He has been passionate about aviation since the age of 8 when he went to El Salvador to visit family. He began flight training and earned his private pilot’s license while he was in college. After college he began working as a Surgical First Assistant to pay for the rest of the certificates needed to become a professional pilot. After realizing he needed to fly more often in order to finish his training, he decided to quit his job and study full time. Once completing all of his training, he instructed at ATP flight school before joining Mike Goulian Aviation. David is excited to continue to share his passion for flying with our team.

Jeremy Prignano
A & P Mechanic

Jeremy gained his interest in aviation at 11 when he took a flight on EAA’s Ford Trimotor. He started training for his private pilot license in high school and completed his checkride 2 days before shipping off to boot camp for the Marine Corps. After completing his 4 years of service he moved back to his hometown in New Jersey where he completed his instrument and commercial ratings and towed banners in J-3 and super cubs. Jeremy moved on to a new job flying 206s, skymasters, and kingairs for various government contracts and marine mammal surveys while at the same time gaining his A&P certificate and being promoted to shop manager. Jeremy currently is a first officer for JetBlue Airways flying the A220, but his love of general aviation and turning wrenches led him to Mike Goulian Aviation to stay connected to GA and maintenance. On his off time you can find him flying his experimental Smith DSA-1 Miniplane or in the wood on his dirtbike.

Hannah Smith
A&P Mechanic

After learning about aviation through her grandfathers, Hannah’s dream to work on aircraft began. She grew up building machines and R/C planes with her grandfather in Colorado and heard about her other grandfather’s career as a pilot. As she went to airshows and talked to more people in aviation, she decided to start flying in 2018 but found that her interests in mechanics drew her in even more throughout her education. Her family later moved to Texas and she attended LeTourneau University in Longview where she was able to earn her private pilot certificate, A&P certificate, and Bachelor of Science degree. She is excited to have joined the team and learn more about aerobatic and Cirrus aircraft.

Collin Moriarty
A&P Mechanic

Collin joined the Mike Goulian Aviation team in 2021 after spending the last four years maintaining and retrofitting older Cirrus’. He began in aviation at the age of 15 by taking flight lessons at Plymouth airport. He earned his license at 18 and decided to conjoin his love of flying and maintenance. He graduated from the first class at Cape Cod Community College. He got his Inspection Authorization (IA) in the fall of 2020 and looks forward to being part of the distinguished Mike Goulian Aviation team.

Kyle Fan-Chan
Customer Service Representative (KBED)

Kyle grew up in Bedford, MA, 10 minutes from Hanscom AFB. His passion for aviation started with family trips to England, and was deepened with his interest in warbirds. For his 13th birthday, his family scheduled an intro flight out of Beverly airport. He started his training in high school out of Hanscom, and continued training with Bridgewater State University. He is currently working on his commercial pilots license. His goal is to fly for Delta!

Outside of aviation, Kyle has a big interest in cars. Kyle bought a ex-army Land Rover from the British government, imported it in 2016, and has been his rolling project ever since. In 2023, he launched a cars and coffee event called Bedford MA Cars and Coffee, and is continuing on as a passion project. He is excited to be a part of the MGAV team!

Nina Gorina
Finance Administrator

Nina, a marketing professional with a rich history of global travel, moved to the US in 2022. She started her private pilot training in New England in September, joining Mike Goulian Aviation in March of 2023. Nina’s aspiration is to transition into commercial piloting with Med Flight. She has already begun to realize this dream, having recently completed her first solo cross-country flight.

With a career spanning across advertising agencies to IT development teams, and now aviation, Nina is poised to bring her diverse experiences to her new journey in aviation. As someone who has always embraced challenges and pursued her passions, she is excited about her future with MGAV and we are excited to have Nina as part of our team.