My Aviation Story

My aviation story started long before YouTube — and long before the Sling TSI.

I grew up around airplanes at a small airport in Texas where my grandfather owned and operated a flight school. When I was young, aviation felt larger than life. Eventually, the man I called “Papaw” became my instructor — and the mentor who guided me through earning my private pilot certificate at 17 years old. 

I didn’t know it at the time…
but I would be his last student.

Flying quickly became one of the most meaningful parts of my life.

And yet — like so many of us, I had to put it on the shelf.

Life continued to grow in meaningful ways for me: family, career, business, responsibility, and experiences that shaped who I am today. Through all of it, aviation remained quietly woven into who I was — waiting patiently for the right season to return.

12 years later, that season eventually arrived.

Cleared As Filed documents my journey back into aviation: instrument training, aircraft ownership, real-world flying, cross-country adventures, weather decisions, mistakes, growth, discipline, the constant process of becoming a safer and more capable pilot. And sharing this gift with those that I love.

But this platform is about more than airplanes.

It’s about reclaiming something meaningful.
It’s about growth, adventure, family, pursuing a dream that refused to disappear, and sharing it with the people that matter most.

This is not a highlight reel built to make aviation look effortless.

It’s about showing the real process:

  • the workload

  • the fear

  • the setbacks

  • the learning

  • and the freedom that makes it all worth it

Because the truth is:

‍ ‍Aviation changes people.

And I believe there are countless others who still carry the same dream they once had — waiting for their return.

My Mission

What is your story?

Maybe you’re just getting started.
Maybe you stepped away from aviation years ago.
Maybe you’ve spent decades quietly wondering if the dream still has a place in your life.

Whatever your story looks like, I’d genuinely love to hear it.

Cleared As Filed was built for people who still look skyward and feel the pull toward aviation — even after life took them in other directions.

Tell me where you are in your journey.