Clint grew up surrounded by aviation at South Prairie Airport in Washington. He began flight training at 14 in his family’s PA-11 Cub with his uncle and dad as primary instructors. He soloed on his 16th birthday; got his private licence shortly thereafter; and continued flight school, with the goal of becoming an airline pilot.

Clint achieved that goal and is now an Embraer E175 captain at SkyWest Airlines. “I’m based in Seattle, live at South Prairie Airport and fly every chance I can get,” he says. “I have flown many different airplanes, and my favorite is still the Stearman with stock 225hp Lycoming engine.”

Clint has been volunteering with Dream Flights for three years. He also volunteers with the Puget Sound Antique Aircraft Club and the Washington Pilots Association.

Q: How did you get involved with Dream Flights?

A: I flew our family Stearman to the Arlington Airshow in 2012. My grandfather and his family restored the airplane in the basement of the home I now own at South Prairie Airport. [Dream Flights founder Darryl Fisher] was at the Arlington Airshow on the first Dream Flight Tour, and I have wanted to get involved ever since meeting him.

I got a letter from Darryl in the mail asking for Stearman donations, and I called him and said, “You can’t have my airplane, but you can have my time!” He probably regrets agreeing to let me get involved. 😉 I went to my first event that summer in 2018 at Aurora Airport in Oregon, called the “Spirit of 45,” and was crew chief for Darryl as he gave rides. The following year I flew as pilot in tours throughout Washington State and Nevada.

Unfortunately, my grandfather and father both passed away about five years ago. My grandfather was a POW in WWII after being shot down. My entire family grew up in aviation, and it’s a way to not only give back to other veterans but also remember them and honor their legacies by keeping those stories alive.

We have had a Stearman ever since I was a little kid, and I now own one as well. I couldn’t think of a better way to combine all of those things I am so passionate about for such a worthwhile cause! Plus, it’s just downright fun to fly and interact with the Dream Flyers!

Q: What keeps you volunteering?

A: Being able to not only give back to a generation of people that allow us to have the life we live today, but also to see the smiles and hear the laughs while the Dream Flyers swap stories and remember days gone past while enjoying a day at the airport, flying an airplane from that era. The friendships formed with the flyers and the experiences we are able to give them are worth their weight in gold in my opinion, and we can never honor our seniors and veterans enough for the sacrifices they have made for us. Being able to honor them is the ultimate honor for me.