J. Scott Hamilton, J.D. , is an Assistant Professor of Management for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, serving as Faculty Chair for the Sky Harbor Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He previously served as chief operating officer of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), after serving as the national organization's general counsel. He is an experienced pilot (Private Pilot with airplane, single engine, land & sea, instrument airplane, advanced & instrument ground instructor ratings, and about 1,700 hours flight time) who has owned several aircraft. He is also an experienced skydiver (with 2,500 jumps) who served as a combat demolition specialist and HALO instructor in Army Special Forces. Dr.
Hamilton founded a law firm specializing in aviation law in Colorado, where he practiced law for 25 years and served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver, and as an Adjunct Instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and for the Aerospace Science Department at Metropolitan State College of Denver, then served as Senior Assistant Attorney General in Wyoming. He holds a B.A. degree in economics and business from Hendrix Colle≥ J.D. from the University of Denver; and LL.M. in aerospace law from Southern Methodist University, where he was named the Easterwood Foundation Scholar.
He is currently a Master of Aeronautical Science candidate at Embry-Riddle, pursuing a management specialization. Hamilton has published widely on aviation law, including the "Practical Aviation Law" textbook, workbook and teachers' manual, now in the 5th edition, and Amazon.com's bestseller in the category of "Air & Space." He has received many honors, including induction into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame (1988) and Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame (1998). Sarah Nilsson is an Assistant Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a practicing attorney in Arizona, where her practice focuses on aviation/aerospace and business law. She previously managed an Aerospace Magnet program at an inner city high school in Phoenix. Nilsson gained extensive aviation operating experience working as a cargo pilot and flight instructor and now volunteers as a safety representative on the FAA Safety Team. Her research interests include aviation, space, and unmanned aerial systems law.