AV8 Questions: George Lichty

Interview with George Lichty, AV8 Flight School General Manager

When did you become interested in aviation? At about 5 or 6 years of age, a neighbor landed his helicopter in the backyard of my parent’s farm. From that point on, I was hooked! For years, I drew helicopters on almost every piece of paper I touched. I still doodle helicopters when waiting on hold.

Are your family or friends interested in flying? My immediate family enjoys flying with me. Even though none of them currently wants to become a pilot, they all like to touch the controls when we fly. My wife has asked me to teach her some basics, just to see how it works.  None of my siblings have ever had an interest other than going up for a ride.

How did your career in aviation begin? I first earned my pilot’s license in college, but I did not see it as a pilot career for me at that time. I worked for a couple of FBOs at Flying Cloud Airport right out of college. I learned a lot working in the parts department and maintenance shop support areas, which I very much enjoyed. It was fun being around aircraft. My first interest was aviation, but computers were my second interest, so for many years I left aviation to work with computers. In 2013, I was laid off from an IT job. I decided at that time I needed a backup plan. I looked back at aviation, and that is when I started training to fly helicopters.

Has your career evolution followed an expected path? No. As a kid I thought I would fly jets for the military and possibly become an astronaut. After attending college, I was interested in the airlines, but the more training I did, the more I decided flying for the airlines was not the direction I was interested in. After some time away from aviation, I realized I wanted to find a way to get involved again. Getting my helicopter rating propelled me back in, and becoming a helicopter flight instructor allowed my aviation passion to be shared with others. From there, I worked my way into the daily operations of AV8 Flight School.

Do you have a favorite aspect of your work? I really enjoy seeing people experience firsts in aviation: their first flight, their first solo, their first checkride. Aviation is such an exciting and positive environment, and just being around it is energizing.

Is there a time in aviation history, or aircraft that you find most fascinating? I was very interested in the space shuttle when it came out. The ability to be re-used and land like an airplane made a lot of sense to me, plus it looked cool! Since then, I have liked to learn about the new technologies and designs that modern aircraft have and use. I am curious about the next generation of aircraft propulsion solutions.

When is, or was, your favorite industry-related event, such as annual camp or fly-in? I thoroughly enjoy the Heli-Expo which is an annual helicopter tradeshow. But locally we participate in a few events which are fun to be part of, like Minnesota ACE Camp, our own Helicopter Expo Day and Flying Cloud’s Air-Expo.

What is the future of flight for you? I enjoy learning new skills, so if I can get a chance to fly with someone that has more experience or knowledge, I will take the opportunity. Like most pilots, I am always looking to gain new flying experiences, bigger, faster, newer.

Thanks to George for taking part in the series, AV8 Questions: Interviews with Aviators as our first interviewee. It’s great to hear from someone who chose aviation again and again, from early interest to AV8 Flight School General Manager. It’s clear AV8 is lucky to have someone who is so interested in helping others on the path to becoming a pilot!

Have questions about becoming a pilot? Contact us at AV8 Flight School and we’ll be happy to answer any questions and help you to get flying!

AV8 Questions: Interviews with Aviators