Don learned to fly when he moved to Hawaii right out of college in 1975. It was quite an experience learning to fly in Hawaii and as 22-year old, he did flights back then he probably wouldn't do today. Other than taxiing to the active runway amongst 747s at Honolulu International, the most memorable part of his training was when his instructor had him land at historic Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. The instructor got out and that’s where he did his solo. Returning to the Mainland after a few years, he continued to fly renting at the local flying clubs. Eventually, he bought a 1973 Cherokee 180 with a partner living in the San Jose, CA, area, then traded up for a 1971 Bonanza V35B. He eventually started his own company and was able to buy a 1975 Cessna 310R. He has a little over 1000 hrs with MEI ratings.
