Roger Woolsey became an entrepreneur in the aviation world while still a teenager. That early success – and his knack for tackling problems that needed solutions – propelled him to broaden his reach, from a pilot-for-hire to an air carrier, an air medical service provider, an FBO owner, FBO franchisee and eventually an FBO franchisor.…
By the time my husband, Lee, had turned 25, he had watched a game in just three Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums – Kansas City, Houston and Arlington, Texas. That makes it even more impressive that in the next 18 years he would manage to complete his goal of seeing a game in every city…
The first time we volunteered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, the staff at the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals tasked me and my husband with socializing a litter of puppies that had recently been dumped. The goal was to show them some love and help get them comfortable being handled,…
When pilots Wayne Petrus and Philip Thomas flew missions for Angel Flight South Central in the early 2000s, they noticed the tremendous need for flights originating from their home state of Louisiana. Angel Flight was doing an admiral job, but with the organization based in the Dallas metro area, many of their pilots were also…
Five years ago, Ron Draper became president and chief executive officer of Textron Aviation at the age of 50. Earlier this year, Draper talked to King Air magazine about what he calls his “not normal” career path from farmer to the C-suite, the importance of faith and family in his life and his enthusiastic return…
Jim Kirvida proudly reached 25 years of ownership of N911CF, a 1980 Beechcraft King Air F90, earlier this year. The president of Custom Fire Apparatus, Inc. in Osceola, Wisconsin, has previously owned and operated a King Air 200 (BB-843) and a King Air C90A (LJ-1198) as well as two Cessna 425 Conquest twin turboprop aircraft.…
If you’re planning to fly to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh – which runs July 24-30 this year – we’ve rounded up three suggestions of destinations to explore on your way to or from Wisconsin. Whatever direction you’re traveling, consider diverting to one of these worthy stops. Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors come to the largest city in a…
Jeff Stewart is the third generation of his family to run Blue Star Gas, and he’s the third generation to be a pilot. He can be credited, though, with being the first to build the family’s propane business around aviation. Using business aviation has propelled Blue Star Gas from 38 employees with five locations when…
In the five years since its doors have been open to the public, The Outsiders House Museum has brought fans of “The Outsiders” from across the globe to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to explore where the 1967 book was written and where the 1983 movie was filmed. Grammy-nominated recording artist Danny Boy O’Connor re-located from Los Angeles…
John Glidewell likes to imagine having been a fly on the wall in the early 1960s at Beech Aircraft Corporation during conversations between company president Olive Ann Beech, her engineering executives and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney as they were considering combining the proven airframe of the Model 80 series Queen Air with the gas…