The aps team

Clarke McNeace, also known by his Navy call sign “Otter,” has built exceptional aviation experience his entire life. As the son of a former Navy and airline pilot, Clarke grew up in an atmosphere supportive of his aviation interests. Clarke soloed in gliders at the age of 14 and in airplanes at 16. He was also an active participant in the Civil Air Patrol.

Clarke attended the University of Kansas as a midshipman in the Naval ROTC program for four years, graduating with a B.S. degree in Computer Science. Upon receiving his commission in the United States Navy, Clarke excelled throughout Navy pilot training, achieving Commodore’s List honors in all three phases of training: primary, intermediate, and advanced. After flight training in the T-34C Mentor in Pensacola, Florida, and the T-2C Buckeye and TA-4 Skyhawk in Kingsville, Texas, Clarke graduated first in his pilot training class and was assigned to fly the FA-18 Hornet.

Clarke’s first operational posting as a Naval Aviator was on the USS Midway, home ported in Atsugi, Japan. During his service in the Navy, Clarke participated in three carrier cruises accumulating over 300 carrier landings, or “traps”. He was decorated for completing 36 combat missions as part of Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch over Iraq. Clarke was recognized for his carrier landing performance on five separate occasions and became qualified as a Landing Signal Officer. He was then selected as an instructor in the FA-18 at Naval Air Station Lemoore.

After leaving the service, Clarke was hired by a major domestic airline where he flew for 10 years, 5 of them as a Captain, in the Boeing 737. This background would become essential in his later instructional delivery of Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) for pilots of business jet and other commercial transport aircraft. During his time with the airline, he also flew several aircraft for the Commemorative Air Force to include the infamous HE-111 Heinkel and personally owned and flew numerous light aircraft.

Since joining APS, Clarke has distinguished himself as an instructor by helping develop an academic, flight, and simulator training program dedicated to improving pilots’ skill-sets in time critical, life-threatening situations. Clarke is a 4-time Master CFI-Aerobatic. In addition to UPRT, Clarke is accomplished in Aerobatic, Tailwheel, and Formation instruction. In October of 2012, Clarke was the proud recipient of the APS Distinguished Service Award of Aviation Excellence.

Clarke is active in a number of industry safety and educational efforts. He was asked to participate in the FAA-Industry Stall/Stick Pusher Training Working Group developing updated training guidance, and has contributed to the International Committee for Aviation Training in Extended Envelopes (ICATEE). Since early 2016, Clarke is one of the feature presenters, and Boeing simulator demonstration pilot, for the ICAO Go Team on the implementation of UPRT for airlines and airline training centers around the world. In 2018, Clarke received the NBAA Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism Award recognizing individual aviation professionals who have demonstrated their outstanding professionalism and leadership in support of aviation safety in the business aviation industry.​

Clarke has over 15,000 hours of flight time and has personally provided dedicated, focused UPRT to over 1,000 pilots. In November 2013, Clarke accepted the position of Center Manager for APS Europe and then proceeded to move permanently to the Netherlands with his entire family in January of 2014. He returned to the United States with his family in December 2015, for 10 months in preparation to manage the setup, training, and operational implementation of APS’s military UPRT location in Dothan, Alabama in October 2016. As the APS Senior UPRT Instructor, in partnership with CAE USA, Clarke trained and managed a team of 16 APS-certified on-aircraft and simulator-based UPRT instructors. Clarke returned to APS Headquarters in July 2017, where he continues his duties as the Vice President of Flight Operations & Standards for the APS global network of UPRT providers.

Philip Oppenheimer, call sign ‘O.P.,’ joined APS in 2001 after a distinguished 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, collectively bringing him to over 35 years of flight operations and training experience as a pilot and aviation manager.

A retired Lieutenant Colonel, O.P. was raised in Mahopac, N.Y. He received his USAF commission from the ROTC Program, Texas A&M University in 1979 along with a B.S. in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Math and Physics and a M.A. in Military Studies (History) from American Military University. O.P. completed undergraduate pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, flying the T-37 and T-38. His operational flying assignments included flying the A-10 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; the A/OA-37 at Howard AFB, Panama; the F-16A/B and F-16C/D at Hill AFB, Utah; and F-16C/D at Luke AFB, Arizona. During his F-16 tour at Hill AFB, O.P. deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and flew 28 missions and 136 combat flight hours in support of Operation Desert Storm.

During his Air Force career, O.P. was a military formal course and line operations instructor pilot and flight examiner in the A/OA-37 and F-16. He also served as squadron chiefs of mobility, scheduling, training, standardization and evaluation (Stan/Eval), flight commander, wing assistant chief and wing chief of Stan/Eval, squadron assistant operations and operations officer, joint current air operations officer, and culminated as the commander of the 309th Fighter Squadron (F-16).

Upon retiring from the Air Force in 2001, O.P. joined APS as an advanced UPRT instructor and has since helped build APS’s UPRT program. He also coordinated, developed the curriculum and flight profiles for, provided ground training for, and flew as an instructor in the A-4 (and Alpha Jet) High Altitude UPRT Program(s) in support of the overall APS UPRT Program.

O.P. also flew commercially. Since military retirement he’s flown as a Beechjet Captain (FAR Part 135) for Southwest Jet Aviation, Scottsdale, Arizona, flew FAR Part 91 contract flights in the King Air B-200, and flew for DMB Real Estate Development Corporation/Dorrand Aviation (Scottsdale, Arizona) as a Part 91 contract pilot on the Citation XL and Citation X.

Additionally, O.P. flew and dropped on fires throughout the western US and was a qualified Department of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management (USDOI/BLM) Level I Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) Pilot/Instructor Pilot for Western Pilot Service, Phoenix, Arizona and M&M Air Service, Beaumont, Texas. He’s flown Dromader, S2R-G10, S2R-T45, S2R-T660, Air Tractor 602 and 802 in wildland fire air attack operations.

O.P. also served as the chief pilot and director of flight operations, chief of safety, chief of stan/eval, chief of scheduling and training for Top Aces Corp, Mesa, Arizona and was an A-4 and Alpha Jet formal course instructor pilot (IP), check airman, Transport Canada designated pilot competency check (PCC) flight examiner (A-4), and A-4 functional check flight (FCF) pilot.

Today, in addition to his work at APS, O.P. is the president of OP Aviation & Consulting, LLC. He also owns an Extra 300L, Cessna T-207, and Cessna 180H.

Matt “Gaucho” Prevatt grew up in Patuxent River, MD listening to his Dad’s stories of cold war era P-3 missions and watching Naval aircraft conducting test flights overhead. Ever since his first flight in a Stearman biplane as a teenager, he has passionately pursued a career in aviation.

After graduation from high school, Matt was selected to attend the prestigious United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. After earning his commission as a United States Naval Officer, he was selected for Navy flight training in Pensacola, FL. He achieved Commodore’s List honors and received his “Wings of Gold”.  

Initial sea duty for Matt was with the Black Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron four stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, CA. During this tour, he flew the MH-60S multi-engine, multi-crew helicopter, and he completed two carrier-based deployments to South America and the western Pacific as well as additional surge detachments. While assigned, he quickly qualified as Helicopter Aircraft Commander, and subsequently was qualified as a formation flight leader, a standardization instructor, and a functional check flight evaluator.

After four years in San Diego, Matt was selected as an instructor in the T-6B Texan II for the Navy’s primary flight training at NAS Whiting Field. He served in Training Squadron Six where he was recognized as the 2019 Instructor Pilot of the Year. He was also selected as an Out-of-Control flight instructor responsible for training and evaluation of the other instructors in his squadron. This experience laid the foundation for his appreciation of the importance of Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) for pilots of all experience levels. 

His exceptional performance as an instructor lead to the unique honor of serving as an exchange officer and flight instructor in Argentina. He spent two years instructing at the Argentine Naval Flight School in the T-34C Turbo Mentor entirely in Spanish. 

Matt joined APS in 2024, and draws on his wealth of experience while providing advanced flight instruction and academic briefings for Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) courses.

Jason “Duke” Smith’s aviation career began when he was accepted into the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) soon after completing his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Lethbridge. In 1992, upon attaining his pilot’s wings at 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (2CFFTS) Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan he was selected to stay on as an instructor where he progressed from line instructor pilot to the Standards Section and ultimately to the Flying Instructor’s School where he trained other newly assigned pilots as instructors.

Following his very rewarding time at 2CFFTS, Jason moved to Cold Lake, Alberta to fly the CF-18 multi-role fighter. Immediately upon becoming qualified as a combat ready wingman, he deployed with 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron to Aviano Air Base, Italy where he flew combat missions in support of NATO Operation Allied Force. Promoted to Major, Jason completed his F-18 assignment at Cold Lake before accepting an Exchange position at the US Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, NM where he worked as an aircraft mishap investigator for four years. He then returned to 2CFFTS where he instructed on the CT-155 Hawk jet as a Flight Commander, Operations Officer, and then Chief Flying Instructor.

Having completed 20 years in the RCAF, Jason retired and accepted an instructor pilot position with BAE Systems, PLC who had the contract to train Royal Saudi Air Force Cadets at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He remained there for six years before deciding to return to the family cattle ranch where he was raised in Alberta, Canada. After several very satisfying years of ranch work in the foothills of the Rockies and many enjoyable hours on horseback, the allure of aviation beckoned again, and he enthusiastically accepted his current position with Aviation Performance Solutions.

Tara ‘Liger’ Singkasa has been flying professionally for over 12 years as a pilot with experience in both military and civil aviation. Tara and his wife ‘BB’ are founders of Specialized Aviation Training, which is a partnership representative of APS Thailand operating out of Khon Kaen Airport, 450 km northeast of Bangkok.

After graduating from the Royal Thai Air Force Academy, Tara attended Air Force student pilot training and was selected to serve the Royal family fleet as a pilot on ATR72-500 as his first duty assignment. He was then assigned to be a flight instructor at the air force flight school on the CT/4E and instructed pre-solo, instrument, formation, and aerobatics instructional missions in support of student pilot training.

During that time, he also worked as a part-time flight instructor for civil flight schools delivering private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument, and multi-engine courses. He flew various types of training aircraft such as the Cessna 172, DA-40, and DA-42.

After 10 years in service, Tara decided to leave the Air Force and dedicate himself to civil flight instructing while also working as an aviation lecturer at Sripatum University.  He has helped flight schools become Approved Training Organizations (ATO’s) by developing instructional material and training syllabi for specific areas of ground and flight training courses. Tara has significant experience in working with Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) in ATO approval. He and his wife established their own company in order to partner with APS to provide life-saving UPRT in the Asia Pacific Region.

Tara and BB have no children but 4 dogs and 11 cats. They are crazy about animals!

Dave Carbaugh has more than 40 years of flying experience in a variety of aircraft. After graduating from the Air Force Academy, he attended Air Force pilot training at the site of APS’s Arizona facility at Gateway Airport (formally Williams Air Force Base). Graduating near the top of his class he returned as an instructor pilot. There he served as an instructor, check airman, functional check pilot, and wing spin pilot in the T-37, T-38, and F-5, all of which lead to being instructor pilot of the year. His follow-on assignments included flying F-15 Eagles and later the C-141 at McChord AFB, Washington, as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and check airman flying worldwide missions, including supporting the first Gulf War.

Upon retirement from the Air Force, Dave served 29-years at the Boeing Company, flying all models and variants of the 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, and 787 aircraft. His positions and duties at Boeing included instructor pilot conducting simulator training and initial operating experience for various airlines worldwide, CRM instructor writing training material for CRM, TCAS, Takeoff Safety and ETOPS training, and, later, Chief Pilot Flight Operations Safety where he was instrumental in bringing Upset Recovery Training to the industry.

At Boeing, he co-chaired the Upset Recovery Training Aid industry team and wrote much of the pilot education material and training exercises and the first two revisions. He performed all of the initial training for Boeing instructors on the conduct of instructing upset recovery training in the simulator and developed course material and training videos. He was involved with industry efforts on UPRT, including the FAA-Industry Stall/Stick Pusher Training Working Group and International Committee for Aviation Training in Extended Envelopes (ICATEE). He promoted the material with presentations and magazine articles for various organizations such as the Flight Safety Foundation, Aviation Week, and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Additionally, Dave co-chaired the industry training aids involving CFIT, wake turbulence, and produced the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) videos for the Flight Safety Foundation. He has received numerous awards to include Aviation Week Laurel, Flight Safety Foundation’s President and Lifetime achievement awards.

In his final decade at Boeing, Dave served as Chief Pilot Technical and Safety for Test and Evaluation, responsible for the operations and training manuals and checklists for all Boeing models. He was also responsible for Boeing flight operations safety, including operations of F-15, F-18, Apache and Chinook Helicopters, V-22, C-17, as well as all commercial models and variants. He conducted flight test on various Boeing aircraft to include 747-8 and 787 aircraft. Recipient of the European Flight Test Safety Award in 2013 from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for contributions to flight test safety.

Brad Bennetts learned to fly and soloed at the age of sixteen. He landed his first airline job at the age of 23 and was promoted to captain at the age of 25, making him the youngest medium-body jet captain in the country at the time. Since, he has accumulated more than 17,000 hours and 20 years of airline experience in over 65 different aircraft types, including the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 series, and competed in aerobatics at national and international levels.

Brad is a certified airshow authorization examiner and a board member of Airshow South Africa. For 16 years, he owned and managed his own sponsored aerobatic team on the popular South African airshow circuit, flying over 500 surface level formation aerobatic demonstrations. He competed at the World Grand Prix of aerobatics competition in both Japan and the UAE, placing second on both occasions in the team formation display category. Brad is one of the few pilots in South Africa to hold an Airbus Display Authorization and has displayed the Airbus 320, 330, and 340 at various airshow and sporting events around the country.

Currently, Brad is a wide-body senior first officer and instructor pilot for South African Airways (SAA) flying the Airbus 330/340 on the company’s international route network. He is also involved in many aspects of CRM development and organizational behavior training for aircrew at the airline.