Al grew up in Melbourne, Florida. He dreamed of flying from an early age. He joined the Army in 1973 and while stationed in Europe, he received his private Pilot Certificate at Fliegerhorst Kaserne in Hanu Germany. He retired from the Army in 1996 and became IT Management Consultant in the Atlanta Georgia Area. During this time, he bought a Cessna C177RG Cardinal. He then gained his instrument, Commercial and Commercial Multi certificates. After several year as a consultant, he decided to give up a 6-figure job for a $6 job and became a full-time flight instructor at a local Part 141 flight school. He soon became the Chief Instructor and the Director of Operations. In 2010, he had the opportunity to become an Aviation Safety Inspector with the FAA. He became the DPE focal and assisted in training ASI’s and DPE’s on Pilot certifications. He retired from the FAA in 2024 and has been active in Civil Air Patrol as flight instructor and check pilot. In August 2026, the FAA Designated Al VanLengen as a pilot examiner for Private, Commercial, ATP, and Instrument Ratings in single and multi-engine land and Flight Instructor Examiner.