Our Admins

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Each of the nine Flights Above (FA) regional Facebook Groups is moderated by a team of dedicated, and dare we say, EPiiiC volunteers, (the FAAdmins – Flights Above Administrators) who help keep the chats region specifc, aviation related and positive in nature. These amazing people are at the heart of what keeps Flights Above running. We are so grateful to them for their service, and to all the past Flights Above volunteer admins.
FATPNW
Denise Stecconi Laura White Victor Cotham
Lead Admin Admin Admin
As a skydiver and a paragliding pilot, I had always been close to the air. However, it was only later in life when it actually occurred to me that I could fly airplanes for a living. I worked all my licenses on the side while working at Amazon and then made a career switch into aviation. I am currently a Captain at SkyWest and couldn’t be any happier! I still love GA and occasionally do flight instruction out of KBFI – on a sunny day you might find me eating lunch at Friday or getting pie at Jeffco. I never get tired of the Pacific Northwest!

FATPNW is one of the ways in which I remain connected to the aviation community. Being an admin came naturally as I always have enjoyed reading about other people’s experiences and learning from their questions and comments. The Fights Above groups are such a great resource to promote aviation – I am honored to be able to contribute to them and participate in a direct, meaningful way.

Some fun facts about me: I currently live in Seattle with my husband and our two kiddies. While I grew up in Venezuela, many people think I am Russian or Italian when they first meet me. I love airplanes so much that I usually give names to the ones that I fly on a regular basis…and yes, I confess that I talk to them too…

My grandfather was an airline pilot and mechanic, and my passion for aviation trickled down from there.

I agreed to be an admin for FATPNW because this group is an amazing way to connect avgeeks that’s never existed before. I’m honored that Brice let me be apart of such an amazing experience.

I’m a mechanic for Alaska Airlines, a private pilot, and I’m working on my dispatch license. My goal is to have as many FAA licenses as I can get.

From my earliest memories, I’ve always been fascinated with airplanes and the idea of flying. Traveling with my family for Christmas around the age of eight, I received a book that detailed the aircraft of the world. I fondly remember finding the aircraft we were going to be flying on and showing it to the pilot when he arrived at the gate. Back before the days of TSA and heightened security, he took me out on the ramp to “help” him with his walk around. Definitely set a hook that has been pulling me through aviation ever since.

Joining the Navy, I knew that I wanted to be involved with aviation. I was lucky to have a widely varied, aviation filled, career. Initially working on repairing avionics boxes at the shop level, I later had the opportunity to begin flying as an aircrew member repairing avionics on the E-6B Mercury, a Boeing 707 derivative. Several years later, I was given the chance to move up to the flight deck and serve as a Flight Engineer on the same aircraft. In the little spare time I had, I was able to complete my Private Pilots certificate at the University of Oklahoma.

Retiring from the Navy, again I was lucky to have the opportunity to continue working in the aviation field with a job offering with Boeing in the Seattle area. Continuing to fly for a career, even if only in the jump seat for now, is humbling.

I joined FATPNW after meeting a couple of the amazing and friendly members. We have an amazing community that has helped me through completing my Instrument/Commercial ratings and introduced me to some amazing opportunities in the PNW. I own an RV-9A based out of Auburn, WA, which I am always looking for new and exciting places to fly to in.

FATPSW
David Stretch Chester Wehe Mary Medeiros McEnroe
Lead Admin Admin Admin
I started flying in 2013 when I enrolled in a commercial pilot program in central Washington. Since then I have completed my instrument (8/15) and commercial ratings (2/16) and moved back home to California to build time and ultimately break into the industry.

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 became inspired to be involved in aviation as a child when I would avidly watch planes even at 5 years old. While attending Jr College near a local airport, I couldn’t stop watching the traffic pattern overhead for our local airport and decided it was time to make things happen towards getting my license. While my training was on hold for financial purposes and while I cleared my flight medical, I merged my other passion of photography with my new found love for aviation.

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!

I first wanted to learn to fly after reading a biography of Amelia Earhart when I was in the fourth grade. In 1998, a colleague took me up for a flight in his Ercoupe and I loved it! I was just finishing up my MBA at the time and couldn’t afford to take lessons, so it went on the back burner, where it stayed for over 15 years as life got busy. Then in late 2014, a friend in Washington took me up and I fell in love with flying. I went home and looked into ground school options and got started. I didn’t really start flight lessons until the Fall of 2015. I did my first solo on April Fool’s Day in 2016 and got my private in January 2016, on Friday the 13th! I kept getting delayed due to weather, so when someone cancelled for superstitious reasons, I jumped at the chance to do my check ride. I joined the Flights Above community because I love the social aspect of aviation. I love meeting new people, checking out new destinations, sharing stories, and learning from each other. As the FATPSW group continues to grow, I’m looking forward to meeting many members and making new friends.
FATMSW
Nick Cirincione Julia Apfelbaum Cathy White Page
Lead Admin Admin Admin

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 got my private pilot licence in the summer of ’87 in Monroe WA. I was working as a Steamfitter at the time. By the summer of ’88 I bought my first airplane, a C170B. Within a few years I had met so many pilots of all backgrounds, many of whom were professional pilots. They led me down the path to a drastic career change. I sold my plane and wandered around the country chasing the airline progression. First instructing, then freight, Turbo Prop regional airline then Jets. It took a while but after getting out of the regional (low pay) world I was able to again buy a plane. Next up was a Pitts. Currently I have an RV6 and a Bearhawk. I live in AZ and spend most of the hot summer back in my old stomping grounds of the PNW.
FATMNW
Robby Knapp    
Lead Admin    
I’m Robby Knapp, a student at the University of North Dakota. I’m in the 3rd year of the commercial aviation program, currently working on my CFI rating. I was raised by 2 pilots and I’ve loved flying my whole life. I’m thrilled to be apart of the family here at Flights Above.    
FATMCS
Amanda Sargent Sara Mauer  
Lead Admin Admin  

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)!

 
FATNCS
Anderson Manly    
Lead Admin    
I have always had an interest in Aviation, though I started off small scale with RC airplanes as a teenager. Through some preconceived notion that I was ineligible to fly due to my need to wear glasses, I didn’t pursue my private pilot’s certificate until I was 34. That year, 2014, my brother, Evan, began his training as a commercial helicopter pilot and encouraged me to take make the move from RC airplanes to the real thing, and I am so happy I did! What an awesome and humbling thing to be able to call yourself a pilot.
I jumped in feet-first into aviation by purchasing my own airplane right from the get-go – a 1965 Piper Cherokee 180. I quickly got involved with the Washington Pilots Association at our local Chapter based at Bremerton, WA. I took on the duties as the chapter treasurer, and for a short stint, the state-level membership director for the WPA.
Every chance I can afford, I enjoy taking people out for a flight around the area. As a member of the local EAA chapter, I fly Young Eagles flights for children as well. I have made the pilgrimage from Bremerton to AirVenture twice now – what a life changing event that is. It’s become my annual Father/Son bonding week.
Due to personal circumstances, I’ve had to say goodbye to the Pacific Northwest for a while, and move to the Chicago area. I’ve relocated my airplane out there and plan to explore more of the eastern side of the continental US as time allows. I look forward to meeting and socializing with you!
   
FATSCS
Prithvi T-bone Bharadwaj Sarah Rovner  
Lead Admin Admin  
Aviation has been a part of my life ever since I was a little kid, I grew up a military brat and have traveled and lived in quite many places. I remember being around 3 years old when I first flew in a Jumbo Jet and I was hooked. It was not until I was a freshman in college when I really pushed for it. I started flying in 2012 and quickly went through flight school obtaining my CFII and CFI in 2013. I graduated college in 2015 with a bachelors degree in engineering, in India and retuned to Texas to instruct at the very flight school I learnt how to fly at. Ever since then, I’ve gone on to become chief instructor part 141 at another flight school in Texas.

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’m currently a FAA Safety Team Lead Representative, Master Instructor, Captain and FTD/CTP instructor/evaluator with a Part 121 airline. Since changing careers after years as a senior network engineer for the oil & gas industry, I has obtained my ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI and have flown about 4000 hours. As the owner of an international ferry pilot company, FullThrottle Aviation LLC, I’ve flown over 115 different types of general aviation airplanes in 15 different countries including oceanic crossings in small aircraft. I continue to stay involved in general aviation through mentoring and education; volunteering at many different events and presenting original seminars on aviation safety and human factors. Although much of my flying is now professional in nature, I still enjoy flying my Super Cub on my days off. As a regular attendee of Oshkosh and local fly-ins, I enjoys the company and camaraderie that general aviation brings.  
FATANE
 
Lucja Kot    
Lead Admin    

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.

 

 
FATASE
 
Austin Ford-Umfuhrer Lindsay Ott  
Lead Admin Admin  
I agreed to help run FATPNW because I love what it’s all about. It’s about many things; to me, it’s about sharing your passion for aviation. Thanks to FATPNW, I have been able to do that both comfortably and happily with a variety of people and have developed great meaningful friendships. I want to not just be able to keep doing it, but I also want to allow others to be able to do the same as well. Get to meet more people who have the same passion, share stories, make memories, and make new friends. I’m excited about where Flights Above is heading and I can’t wait to work with everyone to grow our regions even more! It’s gonna be EPiiiC!!! *Jumps and freezes in mid-air*

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.

My dad stared flying in the late 80’s and I’ve been in the right seat ever since. I got my PPL shortly after I got my AG5B. I’m working on my instrument rating and can’t wait to get in a seaplane!

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!