About the pilot

Where it started

No, I wasn’t the kid who swept hangar floors and pumped gas just to be around airplanes, although my friends and I did occasionally ride our bikes to the local airport to see what might be taking off or landing.

In truth, I didn’t start flying until my thirties.

General aviation

My interest was sparked by occasional right-seat time in the company airplane where I worked at the time. Our company pilot, Lockie (short for Lockwood), was also a CFI — a fairly common combination for corporate pilots. More importantly, though, he seemed to appreciate my curiosity and showed remarkable patience answering questions.

What exactly was each gauge on the panel telling us? What did all those cryptic ATC transmissions mean? And how did pilots ever learn to talk that fast?

After a pause in training caused by a job-related move, I resumed flying about a year later and eventually completed my Private Pilot checkride at Boeing Field in Seattle in 1988.

I then flew actively, off and on, over the following years and owned two airplanes along the way: first a Citabria 7GCAA, followed by a Cessna 150J.

Experimental aviation

In the late 1990s I discovered the world of Experimental-Amateur Built aircraft (E-AB), more commonly known as kitplanes. The industry leader, Van’s Aircraft, happened to be located just across the Columbia River from me in North Plains, Oregon. A friend and I took a Friday afternoon off, drove over for a tour and demo flight, and that was all it took.

I still remember lowering myself into the cockpit of their RV-8 prototype. The feeling that came over me is difficult to describe, but I knew immediately that I was going to do this.

I was hooked.

I ordered my tail kit and started building the following week. That decision began a thirteen-year immersion in the world of experimental aviation. During that period I sequentially built two airplanes — first an RV-8 and later an RV-3B.

Both aircraft eventually won workmanship awards at various fly-ins, and my own “fifteen minutes of fame” came in June 2009 when I appeared on the cover of EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine for the work I had done on my RV-3B project.

In all I put about 400 flight hours each on my two RVs and added another 80 hours or so test flying or ferrying friends’ planes. In retrospect it was just a fantastic experience that gave me a deep education about aircraft and aviation.

Anyone who’s done an E-AB build knows the incredible feeling of accomplishment that awaits you at the end. It’s priceless.

The aviation business

In 2009, with the Great Recession in full swing, I was nearing completion of a two-year consulting project that was not renewable, and I found myself wondering what came next.

I had enjoyed my time in the general aviation world immensely, particularly getting to know the people behind the companies and watching their businesses evolve. For the first time, I seriously considered changing career paths.

That decision led me to CubCrafters.

My nine years there proved to be one of the most rewarding periods of my professional life. The Great Recession had not been kind to the company, and the fundamentals probably should have discouraged me. But I saw in the products, in the market, and especially in founder Jim Richmond, all the ingredients for success. My business experience had taught me what CubCrafters needed, and my aviation experience allowed me to understand exactly what the company was trying to accomplish the minute I walked through the door.

What followed was a remarkable period of growth and transformation for the company, and I was fortunate to be part of it.

My time at CubCrafters eventually led to two additional positions in aviation before I retired shortly after helping the last company navigate the challenges of the pandemic.

Retirement

As a newly retired pilot in 2021, I assumed my flying days were probably behind me — I was accutely aware of what it cost to own and operate an aircraft.

Instead of another airplane, I bought myself a used Porsche, after all, any Porsche was considerably less expensive to own and operate than an airplane, right?

The video that changed everything

Then came one of those moments that unexpectedly changed my direction, a genuine epiphany.

One morning in April 2026, while drinking coffee and reading my aviation newsletters, I came across an AOPA video by Dave Hirschman reviewing a new aircraft called the Spirit SE-1.

Dave and I had crossed paths numerous times during my years in the aviation business and had even flown together on several occasions. As I watched the video, something immediately resonated.

The airplane seemed to embody many of my own preferences and values as a pilot: simplicity, efficiency, responsiveness, and above all, the pure enjoyment of flying. Equally important, it was something that a retiree could realistically afford.

I called Dave with a long list of questions, the most important one though was simple:

“You’ve owned several RV-4s, how does the SE-1 fly compared to an RV?”

Two weeks later I was driving to Grand Junction, Colorado, with three pages of questions and a tour scheduled at Spirit Engineering.

I left with a build slot.