I agreed to help administrate my region because I believe that the social aspect of aviation is just as important as the skills you possess when flying. As many of you know it’s about who you know and what you know. I’m excited to be getting in on the Flights Above team in its infancy and hope to help it grow into a very epiiic group of aviators.

I currently fly out of Buchanan Field in Concord, CA about 25 miles east of San Francisco.

When I’m not flying I am active volunteer Adult Leader in a local Boy Scout Troop the same Troop in which I earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout as a youth member in 2009.

I agreed to be an admin as I was extremely excited to see the success of FATPNW come to my area. I look forward to having it be a part of the large aviation community in CA and beyond!

In 2006 the girl I was dating was a CFI and gave me my first flight lesson. I didn’t think it was something I could afford so I didn’t fly again until 2012 when I got settled into a steady job. I got my pilot certificate in 2014. Getting my pilot certificate is something that I want to use mostly in retirement to go more places. In the meantime, it’s just fun and challenging. I started my instrument training in Jan 2018 and now I’m starting to think about becoming a CFI to supplement retirement income, but on a flexible schedule.

I was asking around if anyone knew anything about flying in the Pacific Northwest so I could fly there when I visited my brother that lives in Tacoma. That led me to FATPNW. I ended up not having time to fly while I was in Tacoma, but I saw what a great community FATPNW was. I was in this funk that I had my PPL, but didn’t know anyone that flew GA except the CFIs that I had worked with. It was kind of sad. I tried starting an email group with the place I rented from, but it was still pretty dead. I have this mentality that if a plane departs with just 1 person, that is an opportunity lost to learn from each other. I sat in the back of a DA40 very early in my PPL training while my instructor worked with another student. I learned so much about ATC in that one flight because I could focus on listening to ATC and didn’t have to worry about flying the plane.

I was already in the mindset that I wanted to make flying in my area more social, and Brice was starting to think about branching out to other Flights Above groups. The timing was perfect and FATMSW was born!

I have a masters degree in mechanical engineering and do test development on bicycle parts.
I try to fly 2-3 times per month (currently flying 2-3 time per week working on my instrument rating). I did all of my training and still fly out of Colorado Springs, CO. The mountains around Colorado are beautiful to explore from the air, but must be respected. The lowest airport I’ve ever landed/departed has been 3560MSL. Density altitude was WAY higher than that because it was in Arizona in July. I’m not sure I know what it feels like to depart with 100% power!

I am a rare Colorado native and currently call Erie, Colorado home. My husband Jonathan and I moved to an airpark last year with our two rescue pups Honey and Jack, and two monster Bengal kitties Java and Sushi. We are both private pilots, aircraft builders and aspiring air to air photographers. We enjoy traveling the world with our cameras, and aviation is almost always a key element of our travels. We attend Oshkosh and several other fly-ins across the country each year.

I grew up exposed to WWII aviation history and eventually started photographing planes and attending airshows across the US. In 2010 after falling in love with the aviation community, I joined the US Navy as an avionics technician. I was lucky enough to be stationed in the beautiful Pacific Northwest on Whidbey Island for four years working on EA-6B Prowlers and EA-18G Growlers. I stumbled across FATPNW by way of a few local photographers and watched the group grow. In 2014 I returned to Colorado and finished my PPL. I completed all of my primary training and check ride in a taildragger. I am hoping to start flying aerobatics again this summer, and I am currently working on my instrument and commercial ratings. I am also a full time Aviation and Aerospace Science student and an avionics technician.

A few years ago when FATMSW started, I joined Nick Cirincione at a few events and knew the social media aspects of aviation were something to take advantage of. One of the things from my flight training and aviation exposure that stood out the most was the generational gap in aviation. I remember walking into FBOs across the state, listening to the older guys complain about general aviation dying and offering no solutions. The answer lies in networking and making aviation a social and friendly environment for everyone with no discrimination. When Nick asked me to be an admin several years ago, I thought I was too busy to take on the responsibility. Recently he asked again if I would be interested and I realized, there is no time like the present. I want to be a part of the solution and I am not sure there is a better way to reach a bigger audience than the platform of Flights Above! I have watched FATPNW grow into a community of 10,000+ like minded people and can’t wait to see FATMSW grow each year. I am looking forward to more excuses to fly and meeting and interacting with more of our members this summer!

I’ve been interested and involved in aviation from the time I was two years old, my dad is a pilot and our family had a little Piper Pacer. It wasn’t until I was in high school though, that I began fixed wing flight lessons. I started and stopped lessons a few times before discovering helicopters in 2005. It was love at first flight!

While I was actually born in the FATMCS region, I left as a kid and have only recently returned for a job. I’m currently a medivac helicopter pilot in Springfield, MO. If you’re in the area, I’d love to meet up!

After many years in the Pacific Northwest as a flight instructor and tour pilot, another 4 years flying in southern Louisiana, and I’ve seen every stretch of I-10 from about 500’… I found that the camaraderie of the aviation community in the PNW was unlike any I’ve found anywhere else… so far! I’m stoked to be able to help admin for the Flights Above group and I’m hoping to bring some of the ‘Epiiiiiicness’ to the Mid Central States with FATMCS! We can’t do it alone though, this is where all of our great members come in. Let’s connect and make our aviation family even bigger!

Hey, Flights Above members, I’m Sara Mauer and I’m an admin for FATMCS. I got the aviation bug in 2008, and officially began flight training in late 2010. Soon after, I picked up a second job working at my flight school. Twice a week I’d get to watch other people just like me, pursue their dreams. In 2013 I finished training, having earned my commercial single-engine and multi-engine with an instrument rating. Around this time, I also started going on charters nationwide, to deliver parts and transport mechanics for a couple regional airlines. I was able to fly the Part 91 legs, in a C310, which was a fantastic experience. Since then, I’ve also added a remote pilot certificate, but still can’t fly a drone to save my life!

In February 2017, I watched Brice speak live through Facebook, where he made several Epiiic announcements, including the plan to expand Flights Above to other regions. I wanted in! I sent him a private message and expressed my interest in being an admin for my local region. FATMCS was later formed and I was lucky enough to be part of it! Flights Above is important to me because aviation is important to me. Social media has become a huge part of society, and having groups where we can go to share our accomplishments, our excitement, ask questions, and support each other is paramount. Every day I watch the aviation community grow closer. It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?

Some fun facts about me… I fly out of St. Louis, MO. It’s a beautiful city, day or night! Passengers always love flying by the iconic Arch. I’ve logged 18 different states but still probably couldn’t tell you my favorite (although the mountains are gorgeous, and NY city at night is breathtaking!) I’ve learned how to tow banners, and have even thrown pumpkins out of an airplane as part of St. Charles Flying Service’s annual October competition! In the past, I served as Treasurer, Membership Director, and President of Women with Wings, a local chapter of Women in Aviation, Int’l. Talk about two amazing years of my life! I’m currently an admin for another Facebook group called I Fly St. Louis. It’s similar to Flights Above, but local. I also work for a large medevac company. Many would refer to my job as a virtual co-pilot, where I help to keep our crews safe and legal. It’s a very rewarding position. My next goal is to earn my AGI certificate. But enough about me, I want to hear about you! Don’t hesitate to share your pictures, accomplishments, events, or ask questions in FATMCS (or your local region)!

I believe I first joined FATPNW because it combined my love for three things – Flying, Boeing Airplane Company and Seattle! I actively engaged with the PNW community and in May of 2017, I credit the group with providing me the motivation to fly solo all the way from Texas to Seattle to enjoy a week’s worth of flying in the beautiful PNW. Ironically it was when I was in the PNW region when Brice spoke to me about expanding Flights Above to the SCS region and I was thrilled when he asked me to be an admin. It was like that scene from The Justice League where Batman speaks to Flash and he agrees almost instantaneously.

I’m currently in between jobs and have been traveling extensively, meeting new people, making friends and exploring different cultures and cuisines. I’ve backpacked through 20 different countries and have seen some pretty spectacular things. Apart from flying, food and travel are my two other passions. I bring a lot of Aviation into my daily life, like walking around my car before I start it! You could say I’m an Aviation Nerd – I’m just plane nuts!

I am originally from Poland, and lived in several other countries before coming the US. Today, I live, work and fly in beautiful Ithaca, NY, in the heart of the Finger Lakes. In my non-flying life, I am a computer scientist and I work for a local tech company.

I have been flying since 2010. I most enjoy long cross-country trips to new and exciting destinations. My dream is to fly coast-to-coast one day; however, for now, I am focusing on training towards my commercial and CFI certificates.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Seattle. I tremendously enjoyed the flying there, including a memorable trip in a Cessna 205 all the way to San Francisco and back. During that time, I also discovered FATPNW. I was very impressed with the group, its energy, and its positive and supportive atmosphere.

I look forward to helping FATANE grow as a social forum for pilots in the Northeast. Especially for pilots like me who live well outside major cities, it can be difficult to meet fellow aviators and aviation enthusiasts. I hope that FATANE can help bring together a fun group of people and promote aviation connections, activities and education.

I caught the bug for aviation when my Uncle had gotten me Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 for Christmas when I was 13 years old. My first flight, I loaded up a 747-400 on a 4,300 ft. runway, went full throttle, and pulled the stick back expecting this jumbo jet to take off immediately. Needless to say, I failed. Thanks to the lessons from John and Martha King and flight instruction from Rod Machado, I eventually did learn to fly. That’s when I had my first GA flight in an RV-6. I never stopped looking at the sky ever since. (And I still use MFS 2004!)

Today, I’m in the U.S. Air Force as an Electrical/Environmental Technician for the C-17 Globemaster III, the greatest cargo jet ever! I love fixing airplanes almost as much as I do flying them. But, hopefully in the near future, I’ll be starting a new career as a professional pilot in the regionals.

I agreed to administrate because I feel really strongly about the power of social media in spreading excitement about aviation. In particular, I spend a lot of time in schools speaking to young people about careers in aviation.

Fun fact:
I split my time between South Carolina and Spanish Wells, Bahamas. I love airplanes, boats, and riding RzRs!