Avionics News August 2012 - 47

I’ve been in aviation ever since.

What was the next move in your career?
I got married, moved to Montana and worked for Corporate Air, a regional airline in Billings, then Western Aircraft out of Boise and later Sierra Flight Systems in Boise, which was bought by Cobham and became Chelton Flight Systems.

I’ll probably top out as third or fourth degree. Michael also plays football and has been playing offensive tackle.

Are you married?
Yes, my wife, Lynn, is a registered nurse. We own four horses and ride as much as we can when weather permits. We have six acres and take care of the horses. We have two types of horses. We ride ex-barrel racing horses after they are retired – they are very tall. We also have a miniature pony that we picked up for our grandson.

How has business been?
Just like all of aviation, it’s been up and down. We’re expanding quite a bit now with better penetration in helicopters and OEMs, and we’re starting to see growth and an increase in getting equipment into the field. The recession hurt us like it did everyone.

couple of railroad historical societies and have done custom painting work for other model railroaders in the past. I do it since some people don’t have skills or equipment to do a proper paint job. The person might have a locomotive that’s special and want it painted exactly like the original unit when it was on the rails. I can go through, prep and paint to make it look identical. For my next train layout, I’m thinking of doing one of the Seattle area – probably in the late 1960s.

Tell me more about your grandson.
He lives with his parents in Hawaii. His father is in the military, and they’ll be staying with us for a while at the end of this year as his father goes through schooling. For the first two years of his life, he and his mother were living with us, so it got to be a challenge having a toddler around again. He is a typical little boy and has shown interest in Taekwondo, as well. So, we’ll see what happens when he comes back.

What does your crystal ball say about the future of our industry?
From what I can see, I believe general aviation actually is on the decline, not only because of the recession, but for the fact it’s getting more expensive for individuals as well as the new regulatory requirements that will make it harder for the private pilot to enjoy it. Aviation itself will move more toward small, corporate-type work and expand into some of the untapped areas in Asia, Africa, India and Brazil. That’s where the growth will be. q To learn more about Cobham, visit www.cobham.com.
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What do you do when you are not working?
Besides being a grandfather to 4-year-old Keagan, my 14-year-old son, Michael, and I are in Taekwondo. That’s a Korean martial art, which primarily focuses on striking with a foot and hand. We study it both for self-defense and exercise. I played soccer for the majority of my life, and, as I got older, I was looking for something to keep me in shape. We are both second-degree black belts, and

Any hobbies?
I’m a model railroader. My father got me started, and I have been playing with trains most of my life. I belong to a

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http://www.cobham.com

Avionics News August 2012

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