The Speakers

Mike, a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, Class of 1970, began his aviation career with Navy flight training at Pensacola, FL. He went on to fly the P-3 Orion, both on active duty and in the Naval Reserve. His first introduction to general aviation took place in 1977at BWI flying the Grumman American Tiger, AA-5B, in the Naval Academy Flying Club. Later, he would serve as president of that club. In 1980, while living in Ohio, he began training for his Flight Instructor - Airplane, Instrument, Multi-Engine, and Glider Ratings. He enjoyed a successful career as a pilot for United Airlines, flying the Boeing 727, 757, 767, and 777 aircraft, retiring in 2007. With 18,000+ total hours and 1500+ hours of instruction given, he looks forward to expanding his range of knowledge and experience in Light Sport Aircraft and bringing the joy of flight to those he instructs.

Ron Broderick has been flying hot air balloons since 1990. His home base is West Friendship (Howard County) Maryland. He owns and operates Friendship Hot Air Balloon Co., Inc. in which he runs a ride and flight training operation. In the past five years he has trained two new commercial hot air balloon pilots and currently has a new young student pilot.

Over the years, Ron has participated in numerous balloon festivals on the East Coast. This year he is the balloonmeister for three balloon festivals in Maryland: The Preakness Celebration Balloon Festival in Ellicott City, The Great Chesapeake Balloon Festival in Easton and The Pork in the Park Festival in Salisbury.

Ron says: ”Of all our flights over all the years, the best moments are when the guy gets down on one knee in my basket at 3000ft and asks the lady to marry him. I have a perfect record -- the lady said YES every time!”

Jim “Cookie” Crum fell in love with flying at a young age watching crop dusters fly around the fields in Arizona. He received his Private Pilot’s License while in high school at the age of 16 and has been flying ever since. Following high school Jim enlisted in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and continued to pursue his love of aviation and flying by earning his Bachelor’s Degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott) and an officer commission as a USAF Pilot in 2001 where he continues to fly today. Cookie, as we call him, is an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), CFII/MEI and airframe mechanic with 4500+ total flight hours and 1900+ flight hours as an Instructor.   Cookie has flown aircraft ranging from a J3 Cub to a DC-10 with experience in a T-37, T-1, T-6, KC-10, E-11A, C-20 and C-37A/B but most importantly Cookie wants to share his love of aviation with as many people as possible.

John earned his Private Pilot license as a teen and has been flying for over 50 years. He was a flight instructor in college, is a retired Naval Aviator and retired airline captain. He currently serves as Chief Pilot for a pharmaceutical company and is a Pilot Examiner for the FAA. An airplane owner, he enjoys flying seaplanes, gliders and experimental aircraft.

Since 1986, Mike has flown both helicopters and airplanes for the Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) as a "Trooper Pilot" conducting air ambulance, search and rescue, and law enforcement flight operations. After 28 years of service, Mike retired from the Maryland State Police on June 30, 2014, but returned to the MSPAC in October of 2014 and continues to serve as MSPAC's Safety Officer. Mike has deep roots in GA flying community as well. He hold a CFI/CFII in both helicopters and airplanes and since 1989, has served as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the FAA conducting practical tests in both airplanes and helicopters.

Tom’s passion for airplanes began in the 1950’s when his uncle, a former Tuskegee Airman raised on the Eastern Shore, landed his surplus WWII aircraft on a grass strip near his home in Ridgely, Maryland. He soloed in 1972 at College Park airport while studying aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland. After graduating as a distinguished graduate of Air Force ROTC, Tom spent twenty years in the Air Force as an aviator and aeronautical engineer, including a stint at the US Naval Academy as a mechanical engineering instructor and VTNA flight instructor. After retiring from the Air Force in 1994, he joined the faculty of Delaware State University as Chairman and Associate Professor in the Airway Science Department and managed the school’s FAA Part 141 flight school. For the past several years, Tom has been at FAA Headquarters as an engineer with the NextGen program and is currently an Aviation Safety Inspector in the General Aviation and Commercial Division. Tom holds an airline transport pilot certificate, Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI, sport gyroplane endorsement, and advanced ground instructor certificates. He has logged over 6500 hours in over 80 military and civilian aircraft and rotorcraft.

 In February 2001, Bill had just been transferred out of Special Operations Section (SWAT) Anne Arundel Co. Police after 15 years, when he started training in helicopters. At 41 years old he obtained his Private Rating in Rotorcraft. Then in 2004 he got his Commercial Rating, and 2007 Instrument Rating in Rotorcraft. At Anne Arundel Co. Police he was a fill in co-pilot for the departments two helicopters. In 2011 he came to the Queen Anne Co. Sheriff’s Office, and started flying the Auto Gyro MTO. The U. S. Justice Dept. at Bay Bridge Airport was testing this aircraft. Now with the Auto Gyro being turned over to the Sheriff’s Office, he is Chief Pilot performing different types of Law Enforcement missions on the Eastern Shore.

Roy, a Baltimore native, grew up in Roland Park and has spent more than 26 years with the Baltimore County Police Department having being assigned to Central Traffic Division, Fullerton District, Marine Unit and the Aviation Unit. He actually started the Aviation Unit in 1983 by purchasing a Cessna 150 airplane, fixing it up for police work and donating it to the Police Department. Roy retired from the Police Department in July 1998 to start a helicopter news program at a Baltimore television station, where he became the city's first pilot reporter. Roy then joined WBAL-TV on Sept. 1, 2003. Since coming on board, he covered spot news, often breaking stories from the air. Roy is the first pilot/reporter to earn an Emmy award for Outstanding Program Achievement for exclusively covering a during July 27, 2004, and has won three overall. He continues to be as aggressive as possible to keep Marylanders informed on breaking news.

Helen has been a passionate general aviation pilot since 1998. A biologist by training, she spent several years serving as a search and rescue pilot and managing a search and rescue training program prior to accepting a job as a wildlife survey pilot. She earned recognition from the National Association of Flight Instructors as a Master Flight Instructor in 2009, 2011, and 2013 and was named Eastern Region Flight Instructor of the Year by the FAA in 2015. She serves as vice president of the Searey Flight Instructors Association. Today, as flight instructor, owner and manager of Chesapeake Sport Pilot, she is dedicated to sharing her love of aviation with others through affordable, quality flight training.

Dan’s interest in aviation started with tales told by his dad of flight training and combat missions over Hilter’s Germany in a B-24.  Far too much of his childhood allowance money was spent on plastic models, and, later, far too much paycheck went into R/C models.  In 1994, he finally found his way into the pilot seat of a venerable Piper J-3 Cub, taking private pilot training at a now-closed grass field near Clarksville, MD. A few years later, he added on a seaplane rating, which he exercises every chance he gets. That early shade-tree aviation experience set the tone for much of the flying he has done since. He soon also became involved in ultralight aircraft.  He is the former president and current newsletter editor for Experimental Aircraft Association chapter 571 and the central MD Challenger kitplane dealer.  He has also been the test pilot for the first flight of numerous homebuilts.  After a number of years providing occasional ultralight flight training, Dan got his Sport Pilot Instructor rating in 2010. When he is not instructing, or helping out in the CSP maintenance shop, you will usually still find him wrenching on a variety of homebuilt and ultralight aircraft, or flying them into places without airport identifier codes, or even runways.