As far back as he can remember, Mike has always been fascinated with flight. As he has gotten older (and slightly wiser) Mike has also become fond of many ways Mankind has developed to be more like the naturally winged creatures of the Earth.

Mike actually started on his pilot license back in 1993. Having just graduated from high school, he was trying to save up enough money each week to take flight lesson in a C-150. He logged all of 4.1 hours in that summer. Not really enough to make any sort of progress. For some reason it would be 10 years before he picked it up again. This is not to say he didn't like it. Once he was knee-deep in college, well, he just never found the opportunity. Two degrees, a real job, and a real paycheck later, he was granted a glimmer of hope. Attending the EAA Airshow in the summer of 2003 lit a fire under his backside. Once he returned from that airshow, he went straight to the nearest airfield and signed up for flying lessons. It was there at Eagle Creek Airport that a CFI named Al Moore was to teach him out to fly.

In May of 2004, Mike recieved his FAA Private Pilot License. He would like to say that it was awesome and has never felt better, but the truth is his checkride was over 3 hours long and he was totally exhausted. Afterwards, he went straight home and took a solid 2-hour nap. After that, he was on top of the world. The owner of the airport were he learned to fly said to Mike, "Congratulations! You know what that is? (pointing to the certificate in his hand) It's a license to learn." Looking back, he was very correct indeed.

Since those days at Eagle Creek, Mike decided that aviation was for him. In late summer of 2004, he pulled up stakes in the midwest and moved to central Florida. After working through all of the commercial pilot ratings, CFI ratings, a job opened up out in California. It was time to leave FL behind. Even though that first job out west was short lived, it was a stepping stone. The great Doug Basham then took him under his wing. Mike is now a First Officer on the CRJ-900 for Mesaba Airlines (flown as NorthWest Airlink). The future is out there and sometimes you just have to go out there and grab it, even if it hurts.