A Little About Me

 

Since I was a kid, I've been fascinated with airplanes.  I used to love going to Cleveland Hopkins Airport to watch the planes taking off and landing from the observation deck (before they closed it...).  After graduating high school, I took my first flight lesson in a Piper Tomahawk at Lorain County Regional Airport in September 1991.  Training lasted about five months and I passed my private pilot check ride in March 1992 with 56 hours in my logbook.  Since then, I've gone on to earn my Multi-Engine Airplane license and Instrument Rating.   I currently have roughly 500 hours of total flight time, which means the next step will be to get my commercial pilot's license at some point. 

 

We bought our Mooney in October 2009 after searching for almost a year to find the right plane.  I made some major upgrades to the airplane over the first few months while the weather in Kansas was just plain ugly.

 

As for me, I've been serving with the U.S. Army since 1992 when I first enlisted as an AH-64A Apache Mechanic. In March 1995, I applied for the Army's Green-to-Gold ROTC scholarship and was accepted in June.  I was discharged and attended school full-time in Daytona Beach, Florida (I know, it was rough...) from 1995-97.  In April 1997, I received my Bachelors degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps.  I've also gone on to get my MBA in Human Resource Management in 2006.  The military really takes care of its service members and I've used the benefits to further my career over the years.  The military is not for everyone, but the benefits are hard to beat (and the 30 days paid vacation every year is simply awesome).

 

I've been had assignments throughout the world.  Places like Okinawa, Japan; Illeshiem, Germany; Manilla, Philippines; Baghdad, Iraq (not so lucky there); Camp Doha, Kuwait; and Dammam, Saudi Arabia.  I've also had an assortment of tours stateside including Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield (Savannah, GA); Fort Hood (Killeen, TX), Fort Leavenworth (Leavenworth, KS), Schofield Barracks (Honolulu, HI), Los Angeles AFB (Los Angeles, CA), Fort Lee (Petersburg, VA), and Aberdeen Proving Grounds (Aberdeen, MD).  Being stationed overseas helps give you a deeper appreciation for other cultures and to never take for granted what we have in the U.S.A.  It also keeps you from becoming a pack rat with the constant moving.

 

Happy flying!!!

 

Brian