Avionics News May 2015 - 55

Where do you see
yourself in the future?
I love working for Aero Charter, and
I would enjoy being in a management
position for Aero Charter.

What do you
like best about
your job?
I love the vast experience I
am able to gain since we fly so
many different aircraft, as well
as the flexibility the company
provides to accommodate
my personal life. It is truly a
blessing being able to work
for Aero Charter, because it
allows me to pursue my career
passion with a great company,
especially seeing so many of my
peers not find job placement
after graduation. I am simply
thankful for the opportunity.

Any thoughts on the
avionics you're flying?
In college, I trained on a G1000
unit, and it did a phenomenal job
preparing me for the transition
to many of the cockpit avionics
we have at Aero Charter. We have
everything from Universal FMS
with Honeywell screens, to Collins
systems and displays, and even a
few Garmin set-ups. I love having
exposure to so many different
avionics packages.

Is your chief pilot
based where you are?
Our entire company operates out
of the same location. The chief pilot,
director of operations, vice president
and president are all in the same
building. At any given time, we can
always find at least one of them.
Every member of our management
team is a pilot. They generally
promote from within through the
line pilots. Even our CEO, who
recently passed, was both a pilot at
heart as well as one of the original
founders of the company. Bob
Thomas will truly be missed.
We are one of the companies that
do a majority of our training in the
airplanes. I love that the company
is willing to take us up to train and
see what different situations actually
look like.
Is there an airplane you'd
like to fly that you haven't?
Yes, any of the large corporate
aircraft like the large Gulfstreams and
Global Expresses. I dream of one day
obtaining a job that qualifies me to fly
the "heavy" equipment on corporate
trips. My ultimate job would be to
pilot and manage one of those aircraft.
I used to tow gliders for the
university, and I'd like to own a
tailwheel like a Super Cub one day.
Let's get all your pilot
credentials in one
place here.
I'm a commercial pilot, CFI, CFII
and MEI with about 1,600 hours. I'm
scheduled to take my ATP soon.

Any hobbies?
I golf every now and then, usually
with colleagues and co-workers. I'm
definitely an amateur golfer. I enjoy
biking and fishing. We go fishing
on the Mississippi River, fish the
river bottom for catfish, and every
other weekend during the summer
months I'll go to the Lake of the
Ozarks to fish and boat. Recently,
I've taken up archery. In the last two
years, I've become a bow hunter for
deer and turkey.
Do you see any change in
diversity within the aviation
community?
Unfortunately, I don't see a lot
of diversity in corporate aviation. I
believe African-Americans are less
than 2 percent of the professional
pilot population. At my school, I
felt as though I was helping cross
a boundary. Once I became an
instructor, I had several AfricanAmerican students, one of whom
is currently working on becoming
a flight instructor. More financial
resources are becoming available,
and it's a more accessible career
path. When there was an obstacle
in my path, people would help
me find a way around it. I always
felt as though people were doing
everything they could to help me
succeed - all the way from high
school to now. q

To learn more about Aero Charter,
visit aerocharter.com.
avionics news

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http://www.aerocharter.com
Avionics News May 2015

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