PILOTS & CREW
Smoke On Aviation, LLC is a dedicated team of volunteer pilots who commit their time to performing formation flights for veterans, Missing Man (funerals)
and various other events. Safety is our top priority, and we adhere to a rigorous training program that follows FFI procedures.
Dave S. “Kicks”
Dave, a co-founder of Smoke On Aviation and daytime UPS pilot, has been flying since the age of 15, amassing over 14,000 hours and earning his FFI lead status. He co-built an RV8 with “Wiseguy” and enjoys flying it, but often switches to other aircraft so “Wiseguy” can partake in the formation fun. Dave’s motto: “Lead is always in position. Smoke On!”
Jeff S. “Peewee”
Jeff, the other co-founder of Smoke On Aviation, is a manufacturing engineer and entrepreneur. With about 400 hours of flight experience, he primarily pilots his RV9A, “The Mistress”, which first took flight in fall 2019.
Derek J “WiseGuy”
Derek is the co-owner and builder of the RV8 also flown by “Kicks”.
Curt R. “Geno”
Curt, a former UPS pilot, now relishes his retirement. He began flying in 1974, logging over 19,000 hours since. In 2015, he purchased his RV8 and has flown it for 500 hours.
Michael G. “Yips”
Michael, a FedEx ground driver, is the mastermind behind the YouTube channel Yips in Formation. In his three years as a pilot, he’s flown over 500 hours, 430 of which were in his RV6A. Michael bought the RV6A shortly after earning his pilot’s license and recently received his FFI Wing Card. He quotes Breaker Morant: “Shoot straight, you bastards; don’t make a mess of it.”
Phil M. “Blizzard”
Phil is a 24 year veteran of the Kentucky National Guard as well as a UPS pilot and comes to the team with a long list of experiences. As both an instructor on the Airbus A300 and C-130’s “Blizzard” is a great addition to the team.
Wayne M. “Wham-O”
Wayne brings over 18,000 hours of flight experience to the team. As an owner and builder of an RV7, and recently a Harmon F1 Rocket, Wayne has jumped in with both feet to be part of the team.
Tom C. “Taz”
One of the newest members of Smoke On, Tom has been flying since he was 16 years old, accumulating over 15,000 hours. He is a pilot for UPS and has been flying his F1 Rocket for about 3 years, after owning an RV-6 previously. He’s been a flight instructor for 25 years, and is most proud of teaching two of his sons to fly and plan to follow in his footsteps.
Ed M. “Nacho”
Ed recently finished building his RV7, but has a long standing aviation history. He brings 18,000+ hours of flight time and thousands of hours of General Aviation time to the team.
Jeff S. “Juice”
Jeff S. has been flying since the age of 15. He is a 33 year pilot at UPS, now flying the Boeing 747. He and his wife have lived in the Louisville area all that time, and have one daughter. Jeff is beginning his thrid year with Smoke On Team.
Bob A.
Bob, a retired airline pilot with a wealth of experience and a founding member of our team, was an invaluable asset to our ground crew. While he didn’t fly formation with us, he was in the process of building an RV9A before he “flew West.” Bob’s dedication and contribution to our team will always be remembered and cherished.
Becca S.
Ground crew
Becca met PeeWee 10 years ago when he was first building his plane. Since then she has progressed from a nervous passenger to a pilot herself.
Rhonda A.
Ground crew TBD