I came to Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus in 1977, enrolled in Aviation Management and worked part-time on the flight line as a dispatcher. I had earned my pilot’s license on my 17th birthday and obtained my instrument, commercial and multi-engine ratings prior to going to college.
In the summer of 1978, Bob Miller, then the Director of Flight Training, asked me to be part of the advance team to deliver the first planes to the Prescott Campus. We travelled to Savannah, Georgia, to pick up four brand-new Grumman Tiger AA-5B single-engine aircraft.
We departed Savannah as a group on Aug. 23, 1978, and flew all legs under visual flight rules. I flew Tiger N28940 for 3.6 hours and refueled in Meridian, Mississippi, before continuing to overnight in Waco, Texas, after another four-hour flight.
The next day, we flew 2.6 hours to Midland, Texas, and then to Deming, New Mexico, on a 3.5-hour flight. The last leg of our journey was the best of all. We flew over beautiful mountains enroute from Deming to Prescott and saw our destination coming into view over the Granite Dells. When we landed, we had flown 1,633 nautical miles and spent 16.7 hours in the air.
The final leg was 3 hours, and we were welcomed as we brought all four aircraft onto the ramp. We had a wonderful cookout that evening with grilled steaks and great stories.
I was invited by Miller to meet with Embry-Riddle President Jack Hunt and discuss moving to the Prescott Campus after my graduation to help run the flight line as Director of Operations. I rented a brand new two-bedroom apartment near East Gurley Street in Prescott for $250 a month.
My experiences at Embry-Riddle in both Daytona and Prescott hold some of my fondest memories. To date I have 10 type ratings, and my flights have taken me to Mexico, Central America, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Asia and around the Pacific. I still fly as an instructor and consultant and also enjoy piloting gliders.
I returned to Prescott for the first time on May 9, 2022, for the five-day accident investigation class. It was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the curriculum and the camaraderie.
Coming back to the Prescott Campus brought me full circle from 1978 to 2022. The 44 years have seen a lot of changes across the town and the campus, yet Embry-Riddle still feels like home to me.
Prescott’s First Fleet
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