Welcome friends!
Welcome friends! We are super excited to kick off our brewery’s internet presence with our very first series of blog posts. What better way to get to know our beer than to get to know the people making it. First up is Eric, our general manager. Take a look at his story and what makes him Unusual…
Ten Years of Flight
Last month marked my 10th anniversary of having a pilot’s license.
In these past ten years my life has changed more times that I can even keep track of, but the one thing that has always stayed constant is my love for aviation.
I feel very fortunate and thankful that I grew up in an environment that not only fueled a passion for flying but also provided the knowledge and means to achieve it as my own hobby through hard work.
It all started when I was three and my Granddad took me up for a ride in his 1946 Aeronca Champ.
From that moment I was hooked!
My favorite memories of my childhood are from flying up with him in the Champ or his Long-EZ he built for pancake breakfasts at the Barnstormer Restaurant on Greeley Airport almost every Saturday morning in the summertime and flying back before the afternoon thunderstorms roll in.
Having grown up around a bunch of old guys that design, build, and fly their own airplanes, it was no surprise that I soloed that same Champ on my 16th birthday – before ever driving a car by myself. That was hands down the proudest moment of my life and I’m so grateful that Granddad got to see that.
Legally, one has to be 17 to get a pilot’s license to carry passengers and unfortunately Granddad passed away from a brain tumor before I ever got to take him up for a ride. I decided then that it is my mission in life to share my love for aviation with others in the same way it was shared with me. Ever since the last week in July, 2005 I’ve possessed everything I need to do just that. Here is what I’ve done so far:
- Built an airplane with my dad while in high school
- Used the plane we built along with the Champ to share a ride through the sky with hundreds of kids and adults alike
- Worked at a flight school where it was my job to convince people to get their pilot’s license (and I was pretty good at it too!)
- Earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from CU Boulder
- Worked at Boeing as a Configuration Design Engineer for the 737 MAX
- Personally flown over 500 hours and landed in 22 states
- Co-Founded a youth organization called Young Aviators out of the family hangar
- Built a bunch of really cool projects with the Young Aviators
- Logged countless repairman hours working on planes
- Decided to start a brewery
“Wait, What?!?”
…is usually the response I get when I tell people that last point. While it seems that it may not fit into the rest of my aviation driven life, it actually does.
Over the past ten years of having a pilot’s license I have learned one thing –
~~flying is best when shared with others~~
Whether it’s actually going up and poking holes in the sky with friends or just sitting down and sharing stories of past adventures. It is my dream that FlyteCo Brewing (formerly Aero Craft Brewing) will become a place where people from all over can come and share stories of adventure, inspiration, and whatever is the driving force in their life over a delicious beer.
I can’t wait to share that dream with all of you!
Cheers,
Eric