Our Team

Our philosophy: why choose us over all the other schools?

At NPA, we are passionate about both general aviation and flight instruction. As career flight instructors, we started NPA to provide high quality instruction while keeping things as efficient and effective for students as possible. We tailor our training to you, we work hard to find better ways to teach, and we try our hardest to share our passions with you in addition to our skills.

This provides some intangibles to the training process here that are sometimes hard to describe and you’ll just have to experience. However, there are some more obvious benefits too, such as the fact that we don’t charge an “accelerated course fee” like many others do. We know how expensive flight training is and we don’t want to add anything that we don’t absolutely have to.

On a similar note, we also don’t have set courses for our accelerated students. We tailor our training to fit your needs to help you personally train as fast and as safe as possible for your own personal skills and goals. If we put everyone in a generic course we’d be doing pilots a disservice to not only their development but also likely their wallets.

Jake Forsman

Gold Seal CFI / CFII and Owner

I have had a passion for aviation ever since I first started flight training. While originally training as a hobby, I quickly fell in love with the flight training process and realized I wanted to help others learn and grow as pilots. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, but trained mostly in Texas. I have experience in training pilots at all paces, including accelerated courses. I have successfully trained countless private, instrument, commercial, CFI, and CFI-I applicants with a near-100% first-time pass rate for my students.

Eveli Nordgren

CFI / CFII and Owner

I grew up in an aviation family and found out early I have that same love for flying others do. Originally from Duluth and then Pelican Rapids, I’m excited to be instructing back in the area. Once I started instructing I realized that it’s the best way to give back to the aviation community and super excited to be a part of a school like this. I did all my training in Minnesota and excited to show aspiring and existing pilots the places I love to go!

Megan Duckwitz

CFI

I’m originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I love flying, and I have been interested in aviation ever since my 4th grade book report on Jacqueline Cochran. I am a 2008 UND graduate who has been instructing at the Fergus Falls airport part time for many years. When not flying, I enjoy reading & outdoor activities with my husband and 2 sons. I look forward to flying with you!

Ryan Bergh

CFI / CFII

Growing up in Mountain Home, Idaho, I developed a passion for aviation at an early age and completed my first solo flight at just 16 years old. After earning my aviation degree from the University of North Dakota, I spent several years instructing primary, instrument, and commercial students while serving as a stage check evaluator for the UND Aerospace flight program. Helping others achieve their aviation goals has always been one of the most rewarding parts of flying. Whether you’re pursuing your first pilot certificate, an instrument rating, or simply looking to become a more confident aviator, I enjoy tailoring each lesson to the individual while emphasizing safety, professionalism, and having fun along the way.