What qualifies Ed Roy as an expert in Forensic Aviation?
Ed Roy is a Certified Flight Instructor, Commercial Pilot and Private Pilot with numerous current ratings including:
Airline Transport Pilot, Glider Rating, Multi-Engine Land Rating, Instrument Rating and Single Engine Land Rating. He
has logged over 13,500 hours of accident and violation-free flight time in both single and multi-engine aircraft as both pilot
in command and instructor.
Ed has been selected to serve as Federal Aviation Administration Safety Counselor. Prior aviation posts include:
Aviation Education Director for Louisiana State Department of Aviation, Professor of Aeorospace Education at the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette, Chairman of the English and Aerospace Departments at Opelousas Senior High School, Aerobatics Flight
Instructor and a fromer commander for the Civil Air Patrol and Chief Flight Instructor at the Opelousas Flying Service flight school.
Aviation organizations to which Ed currently belongs, or previously belonged, include: Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, Confederate Air Force Cajun Wing (former Commander), Experimental Aircraft Association and International Conference
of Airshow Performers, where he has performed aerobatics and announced at numerous airshows.
Ever since the age of five, when Ed convinced his father to let him take a flight at the Interstate Pipeline Office in
Sunset, Louisiana, Ed Roy has been totally in love with flying. He also had another passion--he loved broadcasting.
At age 14, he was hired at KSLO Radio in Opelousas, Louisiana. This provided the funds for his first flying lesson.
Ed washed airplanes at the local flying service on weekends for an hour of flight instruction. In 1968, after four years
of working, washing and flying, Ed finally earned his private pilot's license. Ed continued his flying education becoming
a Commercial, Multi-engine pilot in 1970 and a FAA Certified Commercial Flight Instructor in 1971.
As there was no aviation department at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now ULL), Ed decided to combine
his love of flying with a talent in broadcasting and developed a serious interest in Meteorology. He earned a Bachelor
of Science in Earth Science and Speech, with a Minor in English, eventually earning the distinction of "meteorologist."
The real tie-in was when he flew with the Keesler Air Force Base Hurricane Hunters, literally flying into the eye of hurricanes
to determine how severe they really were. He earned the coveted "Eye of the Storm" award from Keesler Air Force Base
in 1980. Since that time, he has flown into the eye of most major hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of
Mexico.
That is what qualifies Ed Roy as an expert in Forensic Aviation!
