If you dream long enough about something, it usually comes true, as it did for me. A round Robin of sorts, starting in General Aviation, progressing to the airlines with eventual retirement in 2006. And then as luck would have it, got really fortunate and was able to continue in the Corporate world for the past 15 years or so. And as I get older, slipping back into general aviation completes the round robin of experience.  Life is funny that way, as you start an aviation career it seems the aircraft keep getting progressively larger until you reach the pinnacle and then they get progressively smaller as you age.

This wonderful journey afforded me opportunities to experience many things few men or women ever get to see in a lifetime. Some of these include flying mail for the US Postal Service in Beechcraft 18’s, Flight Instructing for a Major University, working as a young instructor in the flight crew training center of Boeing Aircraft, living in the Middle East, Africa, England, Germany flying Boeing 707’s and 727’s. Then on to a small airline named Hughes Airwest, which merged into Republic Airlines and eventually Northwest Airlines. While there I was lucky enough to make Captain, Instructor, Check Airman, ALPA Training Committee Chairman and Mentor to a lot of young pilots fresh out of simulator training and on the line for the first time.

Along the way I was fortunate to pick up Type Ratings in the A-320, B-727, B-737, B-747-4, B-757, B-767, B-777, BE-350 DC-3, DC-9, DC-10, C-650, G-100 and LR-45/75. Most import was opportunities to fly a wide variety of general aviation aircraft; Piper, Cessna, Mooney, Beechcraft, Pilatus and many more. You might say it’s been a wild ride over the past 60 years.

I’ve lost friends over the years, either due to mechanical failures and of course a few human failures too, due to weather, lack of experience or judgement. As an evaluator, my bottom line was and is “will you stay alive long enough to gain the experience necessary to keep you alive.” It’s the last question I ask myself when exiting the aircraft after an evaluation event.

As a DPE and representative of the FAA, I have an obligation to assure the spot check called “Practical Test” accomplishes its objective of proper training in knowledge, risk assessment with mitigation and skill attributes. But most importantly, I must also be able to assure myself that you are going to exercise good judgement and decision making after being certified. Nothing is more satisfying to a certifying official than seeing this all come together. It is rewarding to be part of this experience for the applicant.