James Martin

About James Martin

Flying is my first passion, one that has stuck with me all my life. When I was in elementary school I collected and studied every book on flight and jets I could get my hands on. I had a vast collection of small metal jets. I was fascinated with the history of aviation. The very first science fair project I ever did was on flight; studying the aerodynamics of paper airplanes to design the best one. This continued until 5th grade when I went with my father to a Navy recruiter to find out how I could become a jet pilot. I was crushed to learn that, due to my vision, a career as a naval aviator was not possible. It was only that year that I\'d gotten glasses, and RK/LASIK was not allowed for Navy pilots at the time. That same year I built my first computer and was fascinated with understanding how it worked; so began my path to becoming a computer engineer. I attended the University of Florida and after graduating cum laude, I moved to New York City and began my career in computer networking. While living and working in NYC, I became dissatisfied with my chosen field. I wanted to do something that had some civic good, so that I could contribute to society more than just help businesses do business. I decided to move to Hawaii which would bring me back to a warmer climate with a stronger focus on outdoor activities, healthy living and natural beauty. I saw helicopters in the skies of Hawaii on a regular basis and eventually the idea of piloting came back to me. I\'d already flown a Cessna during a demo flight back in NYC and that didn\'t inspire me, but I thought perhaps helicopters would be different. If I enjoyed it, it seemed to be a way I could get personal satisfaction from what I do on a daily basis and satisfy my desire to do civic good through options like utility work, search and rescue, firefighting or EMS. I decided to try an intro flight at Mauna Loa Helicopters and immediately knew I\'d found the career I was meant for. After completing my training, I moved back to Florida to begin my career as a professional helicopter pilot, employed as a helicopter flight instructor with Palm Beach Helicopters.I can\'t express how great it feels to be doing what you\'re meant to do. Part of me wishes I had pursued this earlier but honestly, I\'m happy with the choices I\'ve made in my life that have brought me here; who I am, who I share my life with, and what I do with my life. Flying helicopters is my passion, and is second only to my family with respect to the most important things in my life.

Experience

1. Us Army Instructor Pilot

   Amentum

   Oct 2021 — Present

Education

• University of Florida

  Digital Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Computer Engineering

• United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence

  Aircraft Qualification / Instructor Pilot Transition

• Mauna Loa Helicopters

  Professional Pilot Program, PPL, CPL, IFR, CFI, CFII

  2016 — 2018

• University of Florida

  Bachelor's Degree, B.S., Digital Arts and Sciences, Engineering

  2001 — 2006