Christopher Meyer receives Greg Koontz Airshows Scholarship
for Aerobatic Instructors in memory of Bobby Younkin
"My name is Chris and I’m an aerobatics addict," Chris wrote in his application for the scholarship. "Phew, now that I’ve gotten that out, a little bit about me. I was raised in New York and currently live in Colchester, CT, about 20 miles southeast of Hartford. I’m a flight instructor in my Super Decathlon as well as at a local flight school and an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.
"Besides airplanes, I spend a lot of time shuttling my 16-year-old daughter around to her various social and sports activities and enjoying time with my family. I also enjoy working on pretty much anything mechanical. Instilling passion in the next generation and helping them gain proficiency in those things I enjoy doing is the perfect way to spend my time.
"Like most of us, I’m a certified airplane nerd. Once I start talking about airplanes I can’t stop, so it made a lot of sense that I teach. I earned my CFI certificate in 2022 and have been teaching in my Decathlon as well as at Learn 2 Fly CT, a flight school based at Hartford-Brainard Airport in Connecticut. Besides in my Decathlon and the usual Pipers and Cessnas, I also teach in the school’s Piper Cub and Pipistrel Alpha, both of which I really enjoy. I love teaching, watching my students develop flying skills and seeing when the lessons I’m teaching ‘click.’ And while I love airplanes, I REALLY love fun airplanes that fly upside down!
"My passion for aerobatics started with a ride in a T-6 when I was in my late teens. The owner of one of the shops on the airport I worked at had a customer’s Texan in for maintenance. He asked my manager if he wanted to go for a ride and my manager suggested he take “the kid” out for a ride. I strapped in and off we went. We did rolls, point rolls, loops, and a bunch of other maneuvers. After we landed, I think the pilot was a little surprised to see the huge grin on my face. I was hooked!
"Fast forward many years, and after a stint in submarines in the Navy, then college, I reentered the workforce and was in a position to finally earn my Private Pilot's license, all with the intention to fly aerobatics. After getting my license in 2008, the first thing I did was get my tailwheel endorsement.
"Eventually I started taking aerobatic lessons in a Citabria in Maryland, outside of DC. I joined IAC 11 and started flying competition aerobatics in a Pitts. After a move to Connecticut, I joined IAC chapter 35 and EAA chapter 166, completed A&P school at CT Aero Tech, and earned my CFI certificate. It has been an incredible journey, and I wouldn’t change a thing!
"The GKA Scholarship for Aerobatic Instructors will enable me to get essential training to teach aerobatics properly. I have had many good role model CFIs but nothing compares to focused training in the actual endeavor, i.e. learning to teach aerobatics. Learning to be an aerobatic instructor with Greg will be invaluable in instilling a passion for aerobatics in my students and teaching is a way for me to give back to the community that has given so much to me.
"I love teaching aerobatics and love seeing that same passion that infected me as a kid all those years ago infect my students. I always let them know during our pre-brief that my job is to get the aerobatic hook in them, so they come back for more. The grin on their faces as they get out of the plane lets me know that I’ve done my job.
Chris holds a Commercial Pilot License with an Instrument Rating. He is a CFI and an A&P mechanic. His aerobatic experience includes: training in Pitts Specials S-2S, Decathlons and Citabrias. He has trained with Bill Finagin, Marianne Buckley, and Danny Bond.
Greg Koontz made a presentation to Chris during the IAC membership dinner and gathering at 2024 EAA AirVenture in the EAA Nature Center on Friday, July 26, 2024.
