An aviation nut for as long as I can remember. Most of my childhood toys were airplanes or helicopters, but helicopters captured my attention more. I lived for Magnum PI and TC's Hughes 500 on TV! I got my first ride in the back of a Huey while in a college Army ROTC program. My eyes were absolute crap so military flying was never an option. I had a private airplane license, but still literally had fantastic dreams of hovering! I got a job as an engineer for a helicopter manufacturer to be as close as I could.
My wife to be said "Go for it!" when I commented on my dream. Marriage, kids, a few cross-country moves, and eight years later I achieved my dream and earned my private helicopter license in an R22--bucket list goal accomplished.
Fast-forward a couple years and a couple moves, and I found myself back with said helicopter manufacturer as a flight test engineer. I would go on to earn my commercial license and do some fantastic flying with them! Dream realized!