Jeffrey R. Acord was raised in Sunland, CA, not far from the Van Nuys Airport. It was here that he began taking flying lessons while still in high school. Jeff holds an Airline Transport Pilot license along with Advanced Ground and Instrument Instructor licenses.
To date, he has more than 4,000 hours total time, having flown 130 different types of aircraft. His favorites include the Goodyear Blimp, a 1927 Travelair 4000 biplane, the Aero Vodochody L39C Albatros and the Lear 35. He holds type ratings for the last two aircraft. Jeff's flying jobs have included corporate, air ambulance, traffic watch, air tours and, what he considers one of the most fun, bannertowing.
Jeff's passion for flight is an ongoing adventure for him. He currently holds six Aviation World Speed Records in four classes of aircraft and continues to strive for more.

As a Designated FAA Safety Team Representative, Jeff has been a strong and active supporter of aviation safety since 1995. He is the recipient of the Long Beach FSDO "Safety Counselor of the Year" and the FAA "Archie League Safety" awards.

Jeff's other aviation passion is Air Traffic Control. In his 24 years with the FAA, Jeff worked at Brackett, Fullerton, John Wayne and San Francisco Towers, Coast and SoCal TRACONs. After retiring from the FAA, Jeff went back to SoCal TRACON as an instructor with the Raytheon corporation. Wanting to get back behind the microphone, Jeff went to work for Serco Corporation as a Contract Air Traffic Controller at Brown tower in San Diego, CA. As of this writing he works in the tower at Kona International Airport on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Jeff's motto: "Aero Ergo Sum" "I fly, therefore, I am".