I grew up in Southern California and graduated from CA State University at Long Beach in December 1982. I received my commission in the U.S. Air Force through the AFROTC program at Loyola Marymount University, and began Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Reese AFB, TX, in April 1983. I received my Air Force wings one year later in April 1984.
My first assignment in the Air Force was to become a T-38 instructor pilot. I completed instructor training at Randolph AFB, TX, in September 1984 and received the Top Graduate award for my training class. I instructed at Reese AFB, TX from October 1984 to January 1988. I received an F-16 for my follow on assignment.
Prior to F-16 training, I went through the AT-38 Lead In Fighter Training program from February 1988 to April 1988 at Holloman AFB, NM. I received the Top Graduate award for my training class.
I went through F-16 training at Luke AFB, AZ from May 1988 to January 1989. I received both the Top Graduate and Top Gun awards for my training class.
My first assignment in the F-16 was a one-year remote tour (no accompanying family) at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea. I served there from February 1989 to February 1990. I returned to the U.S. and was based at Hill AFB, UT.
I deployed to the United Arab Emirates as a member of the 388th Fighter Wing in August 1990 in support of Operation Desert Shield. I went on to fly 30 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm, and scored 10 Maverick Missile kills on the infamous Highway of Death north of Kuwait City. I earned 4 Air Medals for meritorious service during the war.
I separated from the Air Force in June 1991 and began flying for Delta Air Lines in July 1991. Over the course of nearly 33 years as a Delta pilot, I flew the B-727, B-757, B-767ER, A320 and A330.
In addition to being a pilot for Delta Air Lines, I worked as a consultant for Delex Systems, teaching Harpoon Missile integration and tactics to fighter pilots in the Republic of Korea; Taiwan; Spain; Egypt and Oman.
In February 1999, my book - Vipers In The Storm - was published by Aviation Week Magazine, a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill. The most rewarding aspect of having my book published have been the thousands of letters I’ve received from readers around the world. Several of the letters have come from readers who read my book, wanted to fly fighters as a result, and went on to fly fighters for our nation’s armed services and the armed services of Australia, Great Britain, Norway, and others.
I’ve completed 6 Ironman triathlons; 12 Half Ironman triathlons; and 19 marathons. I summited Mt. Rainier (14,410’) in 2018, and I worked on the White House Staff Advance Team from September 2019 to January 2020.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that began in early 2020, a number of retiring Delta pilots were unable to fly a trip of choice for their final flight. I decided I would do something different. In the summer of 2022, I contacted a friend who works in Delta’s charter division. I told her I was thinking about chartering my own A330 so I could fly all of my family and friends to Kona, Hawaii for the last trip of my flying career. My friend set up a meeting with the charter division director who said, “No pilot has ever done this.” I replied, “I’d like to be the first.”
After a year and a half of planning, an A330-900 departed from the Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) airport with 4 pilots (pilots can’t fly a domestic flight and an ocean crossing flight in the same day); 7 flight attendants; 2 charter coordinators; a Delta A330 mechanic; and 52 family members and friends. We landed in Los Angeles (LAX); picked up 60 additional family members and friends; and I flew everyone to Kona, HI. Also included were several Delta pilot friends and their spouses, who didn’t have an opportunity for a final flight due to the pandemic.
My crew and guests stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort Hotel in Kona. I rented an area called the “Grand Staircase,” where I talked about my career and surprised everyone by renewing my wedding vows with my wife of over 41 years - Colette Rosenkranz. After the ceremony, we celebrated my retirement dinner at the Legends of Hawaii Luau. The following morning, I flew everyone back to LAX; said goodbye to those who embarked in Los Angeles; continued on to DFW; and called it a career. It was absolutely the greatest flight I’ve ever enjoyed as a Delta Air Lines pilot.
Taking off and landing at LAX was extra special for me. My high school is located just north of runway 24R. When I was a young boy, I would eat my lunch on rainy days looking out a second story window from the school. I watched the big jets takeoff and land, dreaming I would one day be at the controls of one of those jets. Fourteen years later, after college and over 8 years in the Air Force, I took off out of LAX for the first time as a Delta pilot. During that takeoff, I looked down at the window I used to watch from, and realized I had finally achieved my dream. Throughout my career at Delta, I made it a point to look at that window and dip my wing in case a young boy or girl was watching with the same dream I once had. I dipped my win for the last time when I took off out of LAX on February 27, 2024. Here’s a link showing my last takeoff out of LAX.
Photos:
1 - In the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines A330-900 “TEAM USA” Olympic jet on my final trip as a Delta pilot.
2 - Group photo of crew and guests upon arrival at Kona International Airport.
3 - My high school just north of LAX runway 24R
4 - Standing next to a large, cardboard cutout of me from the cover of my book - Vipers In The Storm. My last flight in the Air Force as an F-16 fighter pilot came on February 28, 1991 - the last night of the Gulf War. Ironically, my last flight as a Delta pilot occurred on February 28, 2024 - 33 years later to the day.
5 - Water cannon salute upon arrival at LAX on my last flight
6 - My wife Colette and I ready for the next chapter of our lives
