Veteran aviator honored after decades teaching at Chicago Executive Flight School

While he enjoyed his time working with racing cars, he found his way back to aviation. Klopfleisch holds numerous certifications as a flight instructor, including CFI (certified flight instructor), MEI (multiengine flight instructor), and is a Part 121 flight dispatcher.

Klopfleisch works five to six days a week as a flight instructor at CEFS, averaging 20 students per month. He has taught everyone from neurosurgeons to homemakers, along with many who used flight school to begin their careers in the Navy.

His most memorable student was a young woman who was beginning to lose her eyesight due to an eye disease. Before losing her sight completely she wanted to achieve her life goal of learning how to fly. Klopfleisch worked with her for three lessons, and during her final lesson she successfully landed a plane on the runway. "It was a really wonderful moment to be part of; she was so incredibly happy and proud to safely fly and land a plane," he said.

For his dedication and experience in aviation, Klopfleisch was awarded the “Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award” in 2022 to mark 50 years of safe flying. "The most rewarding part of my career has been using my experience to teach future pilots how not only to fly a plane but how to fly safely," he said.

Klopfleisch has been married to his wife Sonya for more than 40 years. They have two children, Jim and Sara, and one grandson, Silas.