Ken Reily
Account Manager / Pilot
Ken earned his first pilot certificate in 1996 and has been flying ever since. In addition to nearly 30 years of flying experience, he has logged nearly 3,000 hours in all models of PA46 (both piston and turbine) and 2000 hours in the PC12. While the bulk of his flying time is spent in the left seat, he is also a certificated flight instructor. He actively volunteers in aviation and has served on the board of Lifeline Pilots, a volunteer pilot organization, since 2012.
Outside of aviation, Ken earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science. He spent nearly 20 years in the software industry with companies such as Cargill, Microsoft, and 3M, where he managed research and development labs. He is listed as an author on numerous academic publications, as an inventor on several US patents, and has consulted as a subject matter expert for National Science Foundation (NSF) grants funding the development of advanced avionics.
Ken has taught computer science-related topics at the University of Minnesota nearly every semester since 1996, where he has earned numerous awards for teaching and service from undergraduate students, graduate students, and the school administration.
In his free time, Ken enjoys snowboarding, flying for fun, and planning his next adventure (by airplane or cruise ship, preferably).
Ellen Quist
Account Manager / Pilot
Ellen earned her private pilot certificate in 2018, and since then has accrued 2000 hours of flight time while earning class ratings for single-engine land and sea, and multi-engine land. She is also a certificated flight instructor in everything from SR22’s to seaplanes. She has been involved in aviation full-time since 2017, when she started working as an FBO line service technician and customer service representative while progressing through flight training, and has been a full-time pilot and instructor since 2021. She is a volunteer pilot with several organizations including Lifeline Pilots and Civil Air Patrol, and is a member of Women in International and the 99s Organization of Women Pilots. Ellen has served as an officer for her local EAA chapter, and currently serves as a maintenance officer in her local flying club. She has served on the board of directors for the Society of Aviation Flight Educators (SAFE) since 2021.
Prior to her career in aviation, Ellen earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Vassar College. Her childhood fascination with airplanes and Civil Air Patrol-fostered love of airshows brought her away from the lab and out to the airport, and she’s been there since! In her free time, Ellen enjoys rock climbing, watching Formula 1, and flying for fun.