My earliest childhood aviation memory is how excited I got when they had the airshow at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. I didn’t have far to go because my parent’s first house was literally across the street on Starr Avenue. Now I see that same house every day from the air!

I went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 2009. After college things get complicated. I did a lot of traveling spending time over the world: South Africa, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Alaska, and Montana are all places I called home. In 2021 I got my private pilot’s license in Florida and then in 2023 I completed my CFI training in Montana. In March of 2024 I moved back to Wisconsin from Montana to work as a flight instructor for my dad Darrel at Gibson Aviation.

I guess you could say I made it full circle and I’m back to where I started! I have been enjoying my time back in Wisconsin. Trying to follow in my grandpa’s aviation footsteps has been a challenge, but I am doing my best to not disappoint him.