Meet George
George is the heart and soul of Arizenfly.
He is the people he serves.
George’s love for flying started in 1998 when he became a USHGA tandem paragliding instructor. He continued to paraglide and teach from Boulder, Colorado for the better part of 10 years. But this was only the beginning of his relationship with flying.
In 2008, George’s trajectory in life wasn’t headed in a positive direction. He knew he needed a change. A different perspective, and some new direction. He needed it for himself and for his daughter, Mesa.
At one of his lowest moments, George called a close paragliding mentor who encouraged him to attend a meeting. It was in this meeting that George met Doc Joe, a pilot who would greatly impact the course of his life. They connected and bonded over aviation and after their first flight together, George’s relationship with aviation took hold.
As George shut the door on things that were no longer serving him, others began to open. In 2008, he took his first trip to Alaska for a construction project. It was during this trip that he hopped in a float plane and from the backseat, pointing at the pilot, George mouthed to his friend, “I want to be that guy.” And so began George’s long relationship with Alaska where he’s been seasonally working and flying in the bush since the first year he visited.
Aviation replaced the many negative things that were far too present in George’s life. Instead, it gave him a positive outlet to focus on. It fueled him with higher self esteem, self confidence, personal joy, and ultimately a new identity. Everything started coming together in George’s life after he stepped towards aviation. A new found freedom that left him feeling proud of who he was.
George is now rated as a single and multi-engine commercial pilot with an additional commercial seaplane rating. He has logged over 1000+ hours.
Flying has been such a life changing and positive outlet in George’s life and his mission with Arizenfly is to share the power of aviation with anyone else who may need a new, positive perspective, even if only for a day. The driving force of Arizenfly is the people George has flown. The people who NEEDED that flight. The people who have walked away from George and RJ (our trusty Cessna) feeling truly inspired, alive, more connected to themselves, and free.
Outside of his pilot life, George is a seasoned tele-skier, an amazing welder and metal artist, a professional tiler, and surfer seeking out all the best right breaks.