The pilot of the missing Big Island plane, Katsuhiro Takahashi, was the chief flight instructor for the Island Hoppers air tour company.

The Island Hoppers Web site has brief biographies of its employees. Here is what it says about Takahashi:

" 'Katsu' has a long history of flight instruction, first at an aviation college in Arizona, and then as director of our own flight program. He holds the ONLY Master CFI designation in the state of Hawaii, and lives and breathes flying.

"In the several years he has been on our staff, Katsu has earned an enviable 100% pass record for every student he has prepared for an FAA flight test."