The Grand Scheme Comes Full Circle

Jonathan's First Day of Flight School: September 18, 2006

Thirteen years ago I began chronicling our journey as Jonathan took the leap from a career in college financial aid into the world of aviation. Other than the decisions to get married and have children, this was the biggest decision and leap of faith for us since we wed. We sold our amazing house in Winston-Salem, put about half our belongings in storage, and moved to Vero Beach, FL so he could go to school at Flight Safety Academy. We took out a large student loan (scary). There was no guarantee of employment after his schooling was finished.  The economy was on a downturn, just before the great recession of 2008. I was so scared, and prayed like crazy for the Lord's guidance, that we would make the right decision. I didn't want to have any regrets:  regrets that we didn't go, or regrets that we did go. Thankfully, the Lord fed us what I called "breadcrumbs" along the way, showing us that we were headed in the right direction. So although I was still a bit nervous, after a while I felt confident that making this leap was the right thing to do.

Colson "Helps" Daddy Study During Flight School

Facebook wasn't a part of my life yet, so I created this blog so that family and friends could be kept informed as to our progress. I journaled about selling the house, moving away, making new friends-- it really was a public diary of sorts.  Now as I go back and look at these posts, am I so amazed at everything the Lord has done.  It's been a remarkable ride, and I am beyond grateful to be where we are now.

When we left North Carolina in 2006, we thought we'd be gone for just a couple of years at the most, hence our decision to put half our belongings in storage in Winston-Salem. Of course, the Lord had other plans for us, and we didn't make it back to the Triad area for 8 1/2 years! Also, our initial vision for Jonathan's aviation career ended up looking a bit different than we thought. When he concluded his studies at FlightSafety, Jonathan was offered a job teaching there, as he impressed the administration with his abilities. At the time, the choice to go into an instructing job worked best for our family. I really needed him at home as much as possible to help me with our young children, and having him become a frequently-out-of-town pilot was not going to work for our situation. So he took the job as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) with FlightSafety International (FSI).

Jonathan flourished as a CFI. He loves to teach, not just at work, but at home and in the churches we've attended, too. Instructing other pilots was right up his alley. Still, we longed to get back up to North Carolina, as our aging parents were still there, and we wanted our family to be closer to them. I can remember many times our boys (Colson in particular) asking, "Mom, when are we going to move back to North Carolina?" I would always say, "I don't know, son. We may never move back there. The Lord hasn't opened those doors for us, and until He does, we will remain where we are. Don't worry-- He'll send us back if it's the right time."

In 2011 a CFI position with FSI opened up in Savannah, GA with the Gulfstream jet program. While this location wasn't North Carolina, it was certainly much closer than south Florida. Jonathan was ready to move on to a new airplane (he'd been instructing mostly on Piper aircraft in FL), and the Gulfstream is a pretty sweet piece of equipment. So off we went to Savannah for 3 1/2 years.

Jonathan in the May 2017 Issue of Flying Magazine

After many years of rumors and rumblings, the FSI campus at the HondaJet factory in Greensboro finally began to crank up in late 2014. Jonathan was one of the first to apply to be a CFI there, and we were beyond thrilled when he was hired. In fact, he was THE first CFI to be certified on the HondaJet, something for which I'm very proud.

In the wee hours of the morning of January 1, 2015, I pulled into our driveway in Greensboro, the last to leave our Savannah rental home the night before. Although exhausted from all the the cleaning, packing and driving I had just done, I was beyond thrilled to be back in my home state. We were finally HOME!!

Jonathan continued to excel as a CFI with FSI, becoming well versed in the new HondaJet, and was very often pegged as the top instructor on campus for their more high-profile clients. He's had several opportunities to take some contract flights for customers as the pilot or co-pilot on some journeys, and has really enjoyed those opportunities. Still, he kept his employment firmly rooted in the classroom and the simulator, churning out one qualified pilot after another, into the world of aviation.

A Farewell for Jonathan at FSI

2018 brought the graduation of our elder son Matthew from high school, and our younger son Colson will be in the class of 2023. We are in a time of change. While Jonathan loves instructing and does it with excellence, I don't think he ever forgot our original dream of his becoming a full-time pilot, back when the "Grand Scheme" began so many years ago. With this time of change has come the opportunity to have that dream fulfilled. To make a long story short, he will now be working for HondaJet instead of FlightSafety, now flying full-time as a Demonstration and Production Pilot, out of the classroom. The FlightSafety team was so kind to him as he finished up last week, giving him congratulations, cake and other offerings of well-wishes.

This morning I saw both my guys off to their respective new worlds. Colson begins 9th grade at Grimsley high, now almost six feet tall with a voice that has already begun to drop quite a bit. He's got a pretty big load this year, with several honors classes included in his schedule. Jonathan works a full day at HondaJet, and then has a few loose ends to tie up at FSI tonight. I'm in my second week of my semester at Southern Evangelical Seminary, so I will be working on my own classwork today as well. I'm taking the first of two required New Testament classes for my master's in Christian Apologetics.

So that's my update! The Grand Scheme has come full circle, and I am beyond grateful. Thanks to all our friends and family who have prayed for and supported us over the years. Here's to another exciting chapter in the story!

Jonathan's First Day of Work at HondaJet  /  My Schoolbooks for the Semester  /  Colson's First Day of 9th Grade