Josef O’Hearn (CFII) earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS because he liked to think and talk about the nature of things; like how our minds relate and interact with reality. He attended University of Nebraska, Lincoln’s graduate philosophy program for a year considering a career as an academic. He spent 5 years in a cubicle as an insurance claims adjuster before putting all his effort into earning his pilot’s licenses. He bartended in Benson, worked downtown, substitute taught for Omaha Public Schools, worked as an airport lineman and any other job he could find to pay for his flight training and in April of 2024 he finally passed his Certified Flight Instructor checkride in a Civil Air Patrol Cessna-172.
Josef has instructed at schools in Florida, Iowa and Colorado but now calls Omaha, Nebraska home. Now with over 600 hours of dual given, a respectable student pass rate, and a fleet of light sport airplanes he has founded Athlos Aviation a brand new flight school focused on effective, efficient and affordable flight training that helps people achieve (Athlos) their aviation dreams. Josef earned his CFII certificate in Athlos Aviation’s Cessna 162 Skycatcher in February of 2025.
And when he’s not flying in the sky he can be found dancing, practicing acro-yoga, running or doing improv comedy at The Backline Comedy Theatre downtown, maybe with his house team “We Have Bones” or his two person team “Belly of the Whale”. People call him kinda funny, really they do. Josef see’s flight instructing has a lifelong vocation and can help you earn your license faster and for far cheaper because he knows the grind. He knows what it’s like to work for weeks at another job just to earn some more time in the cockpit. Now he wants to help. His student have described him as the best instructor they’ve ever had, really they do.
