I fell in love with aviation early in life. Watching the enthusiasm of my airline pilot brother and making model airplanes was contagious for a 7 year old. Hearing stories of his day-to-day life just peaked my interest even more. Air shows at Hill Air Force Base in Utah just fueled the fire. In elementary school, I tried to figure out how to build my own aircraft, did a project on the Wright Brothers, and in junior high did a science fair project on lift and airfoil shape. For a while I considered aerospace or mechanical engineering as opposed to becoming a pilot, all the while still wanting to work with aircraft.
Going on flights with my oldest brother and then my other older brother in middle school and high school (who also became a pilot) was always so fun. Eventually, I did a discovery flight in Utah with a local university flight school and decided to more seriously pursue piloting as a career. A flight from Provo, Utah shadowing my brother to Phoenix, Arizona showed me what his day-to-day really looked like in corporate aviation. I thought, “wait a second, I would pay to do this. You’re telling me I can get paid to do this?” There was no going back for me after that flight. I planned to do flight training and university schooling at Utah Valley University after graduating high school and serving a 2-year mission for my church.
On the flight home from being a missionary in Riga, Latvia to the U.S., I knew that aviation was still what I wanted to do. When I returned home in 2021, I jumped right into flight training in Spanish Fork, Utah. I got a private pilot certificate there and enjoyed the beautiful mountain flying while going to Utah Valley University for a degree in aviation management.
After some time, I felt drawn to the idea of flight training in Southern California. After doing some research, I found that Riverside Flight Academy fit what I was looking for. I moved here and completed instrument, commercial single-engine, commercial-multi-engine, advanced ground instructor, and certified flight instructor certificates at RFA, while working as a plane washer, dispatcher, and ground instructor at RFA. I have my family, God, and the many good people at RFA to thank for helping me get to where I am now. I now enjoy working as a CFI and sharing the love of aviation that my brothers first shared with me years ago.