Fullerton-based pilot and CFI, I grew up around aerospace. My father worked on the Apollo project for North American in the 1960s, but it was a summer flight in a cousin’s airplane at age 14 that truly inspired me to become a pilot. I started flying at 16 and earned his certificate just after his seventeenth birthday. I have been a pilot for American Airlines since 1987 and is now a Boeing 787 captain primarily flying long-haul oceanic routes. Even with the airline job, that early enthusiasm hasn’t left me, and I stay involved with general aviation throughout Southern California. “I do a little instructing, mostly IFR and proficiency work, but also navigator training, and aircraft type checkouts in Cessnas and Mooneys, mostly. I also regularly present a variety of seminars in the area as a lead representative for the FAA Safety Team in the LGB district, and I've been named the District Representative of the Year several times, and the Regional ROTY on one occasion. I also do lots of talks for other organizations: NAFI, The Ninety-Nines, various EAA chapters, AOPA, US Pilots Association, and a bunch of local pilot groups, to name a few. In addition, I find time to do some public service flying for Angel Flight West and LightHawk. Among all that, he also partake in just-for-fun flying, and I and my wife use Cessna 182 for little vacation getaways, most recently a trip to explore the Colorado Plateau. For aspiring aviators, the most important traits are persistence and people skills. I know that sometimes aviation can seem kind of off-putting and insular. Keep just hanging out at the airport and put yourself in a position that you’re available for opportunities when they arise. To a great degree, it’s about who you know, so the more people you meet, the more opportunities you’re likely to find. Take every opportunity to learn a new skill or get a new qualification. You never know when something you learn will be of use.

Home Airport(s)

KAJO – Corona Municipal Airport (AJO), Corona, California