About

Luc Zipkin

Owner & CFI

Luc learned to fly in gliders first, in the mountains of northern Vermont, before transitioning to classic taildraggers. Today, he has flown 30+ different types of aircraft in a variety of professional, non-profit, and family-use contexts.

He is licensed as a Flight Instructor (CFI) and Commercial Pilot (ASEL/ASES/AMEL/IR/GL) with a DC-3 SIC type rating. Away from Goodspeed Flying Service, he flies warbirds for the Commemorative Air Force, Tunison Foundation, and Vintage Flying Machines. He is also an aviation writer, an undergraduate at nearby Wesleyan University, and works for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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History

A family aviation tradition

The family tradition of aviation that became Goodspeed Flying Service began in 1951, when Herbert Zipkin, a World War II veteran, earned his Private Pilot's License through the G.I. Bill. He soon bought a surplus Boeing Stearman biplane for $1,200 and began a decades-long love affair with flight.

In the 1990s, his sons Eric and David learned to fly, too, with roots at Goodspeed Airport, where Eric was a seaplane instructor early in his career for Eagle Aviation. Together, the brothers founded Tradewind Aviation in 2001 with the callsign "Goodspeed." Later, they became involved in historic aviation, with experience operating numerous types.

Through a fortuitous partnership with Bill McEnery and Kim Edwards and supported by grants from the Recreational Aviation Foundation, the Zipkin family purchased Goodspeed Airport in November 2020. Soon thereafter, they began an airport revitalization plan that brought back flight training, aircraft maintenance, and seaplane docks, and made key investments in airport infrastructure.

Led by third-generation pilot Luc Zipkin, Goodspeed Flying Service is proud to continue a family tradition of grassroots aviation into the 21st century.