Archive for May 2019
RICHARD MAYES
Oregon State Liaison Richard grew up in Texas and earned his private pilot’s certificate at age 18. After completing a couple of engineering degrees in California, Richard decided – without much forethought– that his future lay in Alaska. Earning his commercial, instrument, MEL and SEL ratings, he flew to remote locations throughout the state for…
Read MoreSTEVE THOMPSON
Oklahoma State Liaison Steve Thompson was raised on a farm in southern Oklahoma. He was born in 1966 and since his earliest memories he knew what he wanted to do. Fly Airplanes. At age 14 his dad introduced him to a coworker that was in the Civil Air Patrol and soon he started taking flying…
Read MoreCHRISTINE MORTINE
Ohio State Liaison Following a career in classical music, Christine turned from conducting instruments to flying by them. She is an FAA appointed pilot examiner, maintains CFI-ing (especially tailwheel), a former AOPA safety seminar presenter, and when not flying in the back country, is thinking about it. Christine has a Cessna 185 and a Super…
Read MoreBRIAN RAU
North Dakota State Liaison Brian is the first to admit that he’s a “flatlander”. “I do recognize that the world is round and not every place is as flat as North Dakota.” Actually, his portion of North Dakota – Prairie Coteau (French for “pot holes”) – is quite rugged with rolling hills. Brian and his…
Read MoreRON KELLER
New Mexico State Liaison Toward the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Ron Keller was stationed in Albuquerque and has lived in New Mexico ever since. His first ride in a GA aircraft was with an Air Force co-worker. His interest in aviation began from a maintenance perspective, until he married his wife, Mary…
Read MoreJOHN MEADE
New Hampshire State Liaison John grew up in New York and had the Navy take him away; eventually depositing him in Massachusetts. John’s father-in-law flew, and in the late 80s, John got bitten by the flying bug as well. Eventually a SuperCub on floats became his pride and joy. It became a convertible with Bushwheels,…
Read MoreSCOTT NEWPOWER
Montana State Liaison For 25 years, pilots flying into Montana’s Logan International Airport in Billings probably heard Scott Newpower in the tower. He decided on an ATC career in Hudson, WI, during college when he saw an ad in the local newspaper to become an FAA air traffic controller. After four years in the tower…
Read MoreRON NORMANDEAU
Montana State Liaison It’s not often a volunteer shows up for an RAF project with a passion for flying the backcountry and a career of cartography behind him. Ronald Normandeau was raised in Polson, Montana, attended the University of Montana, spent 22 years with the U.S. Geological Survey and retired from the U.S. Forest Service…
Read MoreKEVIN BARRY
Georgia State Liaison “I pretty much grew up in the cockpit,” Kevin Barry says. “My father was a fighter pilot turned test pilot, and my favorite birthday present every year was to sit in the cockpit of whatever fighter aircraft Dad was flying at the time.” Kevin chose the United States Military Academy at West Point…
Read MoreKIRK HINER
Minnesota State Liaison Kirk Hiner, who lives in Kenyon, MN, grew up in an aviation family thanks to his dad who flew B24s out of England during World War II and then continued to fly after the war. Kirk received his private pilot license in 1976, and his commercial, instrument and CFI ratings in the…
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