Hello everybody. I've been meaning to update my sorry website for a little while- all right, I admit... I've been meaning to update it for, well, several years... But we all know how life goes- you get busy with this or that or have to travel here or there and all of a sudden you don't get around to what you've been meaning to do and things like this get tossed to the wayside. We've all been there. Add on top of that the inevitable "honey do list" and voila- no website. (Come on- admit it... you too have your own personal "Things to do" list. I bet some of them are even longer than mine!). 

Well, needless to say as of recent, I have a bit of time on my hands (more on that later), so I've decided to create a new website and update all of the information on the pages (or at least bring them a few years closer than my old website). To start things off, I even registered a new web address! 

Alrighty then- the formalities.... I'm Josh. (That would be my picture up top if you're confused about who I am- sorry that it's blurry... I need to take a new picture- yet ANOTHER thing for my to do list). I'm a relatively boring individual that lives a relatively boring and normal life. But, I enjoy my boring life, so I guess that it's all good.

I don't suppose that most people really care about my history, but just in case, here's the Basic Josh 101 course in four paragraphs or less:

I was born in Oklahoma on April 7, 1978, but jumped around the country for a few years until settling down in Northern Virginia for most of my childhood. With the exception of a year in Bismarck, ND as a "foreign" exchange student, I spent all of my time growing up in Fairfax County, right outside of Washington, DC. I graduated in 1996 from McLean High School in McLean, VA and decided that I missed the warm, balmy and wonder weather of North Dakota, so I decided to move back to Grand Forks, ND for college!

Actually the University of North Dakota has an excellent aviation program (I gather that by now you've noticed my slight aviation fetish if you've surfed around the site). Sooo, I bit the bullet and packed my thermal undies and headed once again into the frozen tundra of the north for yet another adventure. College was great with a lot of wonderful adventures, some incredible friendships, and the ever enjoyable and exciting process of learning to fly.

After I graduated, I moved back to Northern Virginia in pursuit of gainful employment, warmer weather and happiness (not to mention the ongoing search for how many licks it does take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop). Fortunately for me I found all three and then some! After moving back to DC I found myself without work or a place to live (great plan, huh?). Fortunately for me a good friend and her mom offered a bedroom for this homeless graduate. Over the summer I got to know Kirsten better as a friend and eventually we began to date. She was already a wonderful friend of many years (since grade school), and our friendship only served to strengthen our relationship. After she put up with me, my aviation "lifestyle", and two unexpected military call ups over a four year period, I decided to keep her around! So in May of 2004, we tied the knot. She's stuck with me for good now!

I spent about six months as a flight instructor, teaching people to fly as well as learning a lot about flying through teaching and DEFINITELY gaining some experience in exercising patience. Finally in December of 2000, all of my efforts and years of driving towards my goal were realized when I was hired by Atlantic Coast Airlines as a pilot on the Canadair Regional Jet. Ain't it purdy?

Well like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end... My company under went a serious change and rebranding last year as we reestablished ourselves as the a new low cost presence in the industry. Independence Air was born in June and has had some hurdles to cross- unfortunately some of the hurdles have been higher than expected (gas prices, lower passenger counts, higher competition) and the company has had to make some staffing changes, and I found myself with four and a half years of airline experience and no job. (Hence having a lot of time on my hands...)

The good news is that after a thorough and patient job search, I landed what is quickly turning out to be a dream job. I was hired in August by the Carter Machinery Company in Roanoke, VA to fly the company's corporate aircraft, a Cessna Citation Encore. The new job allows me to fly, while still being at home most nights. Plus it has the job security benefits of working for a large, stable corporation.

So that's about it. Okay, it was a bit more than three paragraphs, but if you've stuck with it this far maybe you've learned something interesting about me. Besides, nobody's making you read this!

~Josh                                     

September 2005