My Life in Aviation

In this writing you will find the life story of one army aviator from high school to retirement. It begins with a young Iowa farm boy searching for a career field and finding a life long association with the U S Army Aviation Branch. I had the opportunity to get into the farming business with my father, but finding all the hard work that is involved, I decided to enlist in the army and attend the flight training program and work at a career in aviation. This life story begins with enlistment, basic training, flight school, and a life in the flying world. It covers two deployments to Vietnam, each was one year in length, a segment with the Iowa and Alabama Army National Guard, and sixteen years of being stationed at the home of army aviation, Fort Rucker, Alabama. I was a ground and flight simulator instructor for a civilian contractor, Flight Safety International, following my retirement from the military. I also worked with a FAR part 135 Charter company in Iowa. With that company I flew Piper Azetec, Navaho, Cessna 182, 210, 340, 402, and 414. I also flew a Skymaster part-time. I was assigned duties as chief pilot for them. My last assignment was with Simcom Training Centers in Scottsdale, Arizona; Miami, Florida; and Orlando, Florida. While I worked with them, I had duties of ground, flight simulator, and aircraft flight instruction. I was also selected as assistant training center manager, ultimately ending up my career as the director of business of Jet Training in Miami, Florida. Simcom was a FAR Part 142 Training Center. After leaving them in 2002, I moved to Iowa for a life of retired living. Some of the photos have dates of 2015 on them. This was when I made copies of the originals. All the dates, places, and facts are accurate, to the best of my memory.