ABOUT US

We flew our Cessna 182 up the Alaska highway to Alaska during July and August, 2002. Fortunate enough to have relatives (our tour guides) there, we traveled all over south-central Alaska in our airplane. The backcountry flying there is VERY addicting. Using the airplane for business travel and fun, I average 250 hours a year. Karen averages somewhat less, since I "take" the plane for days at a time. The type of flying we do is both "big city" flying (lots of class B and C airspace) and remote mountain flying in the intermountain west.

I've wanted to fly ever since I can remember. As I grew up, my grandfather and grandmother were pilots and airplane owners. My uncle Ken, who ran an air charter company, an FBO and a flight school, was a flight examiner and former Army Air Corps B-25 pilot. He was also a real professional. Ken was a pilot's pilot, and as I grew up I would listen to his tales while dreaming I was flying alongside him. He owned all sorts of airplanes and flew all sorts of places. Active in the EAA, he built two beautiful Steen Skybolts, one of which was an award winner at Oshkosh. Late in life, he taught his own wife to fly and (miraculously) managed to remain married to her. She went on to fly in air races and won numerous awards at spot landing and precision flying competitions. I will always regret that I never got the chance to take flying lessons from him before he headed west. It was 25 years later before I was finally able to afford the time and money to take flight lessons.

Karen also has aviation in her blood. Two of her uncles are pilots. One lives in California, finished an RV6 in 2002. The other uncle lives in Alaska. He is an A&P and just finished a Wittman Tailwind (and has an RV in the box, awaiting some "free time" to finish it). Karen's great uncle Ivan, who has lived in Alaska since 1939, learned to fly at age 75. At 92, Ivan is still an active pilot and aircraft owner who lives life to its fullest in the Alaska bush.