About
Since I was young I always had an interest in everything aviation. From hanging out at the airport with my dad watching airplanes takeoff and land, to watching documentaries and reading books about everything and everyone from the Wright Brothers to space travel, to taking the controls of various airplanes in Flight Simulator; I never thought this dream would become a reality.
Life guided me in a different direction initially. Marriage and kids settled me down early, thankfully. I began a career in real estate which led to mortgage banking. Not much for sales, I quickly found my niche in underwriting loans. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, sympathy, empathy, and organization all help me make sound decisions consistently. Everyday presented new and different challenges.
In 2006, while on a family vacation, my oldest son and I approached two pilots checking into the same hotel we were. I had a brief conversation with them and saw the awe in my son’s eyes that quickly took me back to my childhood. I decided then what I wanted to do. I ran the idea past my wife and to my surprise she said, “Why don’t you look in to it?”. I started my training in April of 2007. Maintaining a consistent training schedule while working full time was rough, but I persisted. The fall of 2007 saw the decline of credit markets worldwide. As a result, I found myself out of work. Little did I know at the time it was a blessing in disguise. I was able to devote more time now and expedite my training. Within one year I was able to complete training through my flight instructor rating and was hired as a full time instructor.
When I’m not flying, I enjoy working on cars, photography, reading a good book, studying or playing music. I’ve played snare drum in a Scottish bagpipe band since 1994.
I look forward to the opportunity to fly farther, faster and to new places.
