Sam Marino

Costa Mesa, California

Sam Marino

Aviation professional and hardware troubleshooter.

Seeking Flight Test or Mission Operations roles that combine flight experience with hands-on technical skill.

  • FAA Private Pilot
  • Instrument Rating
  • Part 107 Remote Pilot
  • Open to relocate
Download résumé Email Sam Call +1 (714) 852-1632
Portrait of Sam Marino in a navy suit.

01

About

Sam Marino is an aviation professional and hardware troubleshooter with a mission-first mindset. He has maintained FAA-approved flight simulators, including Frasca and Redbird systems, and has delivered field-engineered fixes in high-volume operations.

He is strong at root-cause diagnosis and at cost-saving hardware modifications, including a custom breakaway system. He is seeking Flight Test or Mission Operations roles that combine flight experience with hands-on technical skill.

He holds an FAA Private Pilot Certificate, an FAA Instrument Rating issued in , and an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107). A B.S. in Commercial Aviation from California Baptist University is expected in . He is based in Costa Mesa, California, open to relocate, and authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer.

Portrait of Sam Marino outdoors in a dark suit.

02

Experience

–

Riverside, California

Aviation Flight Simulator Technician

California Baptist University

  • Maintained and repaired FAA-approved AATD flight simulators, including Frasca and Redbird systems.
  • Diagnosed simulator faults using structured troubleshooting and process-of-elimination methods.
  • Performed hardware repairs and part replacements, soldered wiring, and restored electrical connections.
  • Installed, updated, reimaged, and backed up simulator software to return devices to service.

– Present

Costa Mesa, California

Founder and CEO

Coast Bees of California Nonprofit

  • Founded and operates a nonprofit focused on live honeybee removal and rescue from residential properties.
  • Plans and executes complex extractions from walls, attics, and elevated locations, including improvised access solutions such as pulley systems.
  • Manages field operations from site assessment through a safe removal approach and customer communication.

–

Anaheim, California

Operations Supervisor

IAmGroup LLC

  • Supervised operations at one of California’s largest parking facilities.
  • Took ownership of parking-gate repairs after vehicle impacts, including soldering, welding, spring replacement, electronics, and spare-parts inventory.
  • Designed and implemented a breakaway gate modification so impacts fail at a controlled point instead of the base, cutting replacement cost from $283 plus labor to under $3 (~99% parts savings) on failures that occurred 2–3 times per week (about $29,000–$44,000 per year in parts alone).
  • Trained and onboarded team members, and documented recurring issues and repair procedures beyond scheduled hours.

03

Background

Education

B.S., Commercial Aviation

California Baptist University · Riverside, California

– (expected)

Aeronautical engineering coursework

Orange Coast College · Orange County, California

–

Licenses & certifications

FAA Private Pilot Certificate

– Present

FAA Instrument Rating

Issued

FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107)

– Present

FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit

04

Focus

Flight experience and hands-on technical work, aimed at Flight Test and Mission Operations.

Flight experience

FAA Private Pilot Certificate since September 2022, with 250+ hours in GA aircraft, an FAA Instrument Rating issued , and an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) since January 2025, with a B.S. in Commercial Aviation expected in .

Simulator maintenance

FAA-approved AATD flight simulators, including Frasca and Redbird: hardware repair, soldering, part replacement, software install and update, reimaging, and backup.

Hardware troubleshooting

Structured diagnosis and process of elimination, plus hardware changes that cut repeat damage — including a breakaway gate that drops parts cost from $283 plus labor to under $3.

Operations

Supervision, inventory, and field operations, from a high-volume parking facility to a honeybee-removal nonprofit.

Skills

05

Contact

Open to Flight Test or Mission Operations roles.

sam@marinoaviation.com +1 (714) 852-1632 LinkedIn Download résumé (PDF)
Location
Costa Mesa, California
Relocation
Open to relocate
Work authorization
Authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer
Portrait of Sam Marino in a navy suit.