I earned my private pilot’s license in 1974 while in my junior year of high school. After being awarded a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1979, I entered the U.S. Air Force to fly the KC135A Stratotanker and to instruct in the T-37. I transitioned to all-civilian flying in 1986 as a 727 flight engineer and copilot. I have since completed over 35 years with American Airlines, with 26 years as a captain and 6 years as a check pilot. This experience has taken me to the Far East, deep into South America, all over the Caribbean, throughout Europe, and all over the USA. I have type-ratings in DC9, 757, 767, & 787 aircraft, and my total pilot time now exceeds 22,000 hours.
During the 1990s I began renting light aircraft during my time off, and ultimately decided to train to become civilian Certified Flight Instructor in 2004. In addition to drawing upon my experience as a military instructor, I trained extensively in Cessna aircraft. Since then I have been donating my spare time as a CFI for Civil Air Patrol, performing primary flight instruction and proficiency training. Several of my former cadets are now professional airline and/or military pilots, including my son. My main motivation is to pay forward to the next generation of pilots.
I live on a grass airstrip and own two aircraft, a Kitfox and a V-tail Bonanza.