Staff

	Smokey Bay Air		1-888-482-1511
	2100 Kachemak Drive Homer, AK 99603		907-235-1511
	reservations@smokeybayair.com		Fax: 907-235-1501

Meet our professional and experienced staff!

Claire came to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1966 with her family and, except for traveling, has been in this great state ever since. She graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with an AA Degree in Aviation Technology and an Airframe & Powerplant license. Claire holds a Commercial Single Engine and Multi Engine Certificate with an instrument rating. In the 42 years she has been flying in Alaska, she has accumulated over 10,000 hours of flight time and flown across in state in a variety of aircraft for several different air taxis. She started Smokey Bay Air in 1998.

A native of Alaska, Deb grew up flying with her parents and twin sister all around Alaska. Her parents, who are both licensed pilots, often flew the family to remote Alaska destinations for family outtings. Deb received both her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Business Studies from Uppsala Universitet, in Uppsala, Sweden. After college, her father encouraged her to become an Alaskan Bush Pilot. Deb has been flying commercially in Alaska ever since. Deb holds a multi-engine ATP certificate with commercial and instrument single-engine land and sea privileges and private and instrument helicopter privileges. She has 5,000 hours of logged flight time, almost all of which was accumulated flying in Alaska. Deb lives year round in Homer with her 5 year old son, Johnny.

Kelly grew up in Colorado and moved to Alaska with his girlfriend, Dorothy, in 2002 for a job in Denali National Park. From there they moved to Anchorage where Kelly worked for the Parks and Recreation Division of the Municipality of Anchorage for a couple of seasons before moving to Homer. Kelly attended Kenai Peninsula College at the Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer, obtaining a degree in General Business. He began working at Smokey Bay Air in May of 2006 and has been a full time employee since. He and Dorothy have built their own cabin in Homer and both enjoy spending time doing house projects and working on their land.

Bill is a licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization with over 45 years aircraft mechanic experience. In 1960 Bill started his mechanics career as an A&P mechanic for the Alaska Air National Guard and Cordova Airlines. In 1965 Bill moved to Kansas and started Sheldon Aircraft Service. Next he moved to Colorado and worked for Valley Airpark and again formed his own business in Colorado, again called Sheldon Aircraft Service. In 1983 Bill returned to Alaska and started Pennisula Aircraft Salvage and Pennisula Air Metals. He has been the Director of Maintenance for Smokey Bay Air since 1998. Bill is also a licensed pilot. He resides in Homer with his wife. They enjoy spending time with their kids and grandkids.

Richard is a licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization. He has over 15 years experience working on general aviation aircraft like our Cessna 206s. Richard graduated from George T. Baker Aviation School with top airframe and powerplant awards. He has maintained and worked on a variety of single engine, multi engine, utility and cargo aircraft. Richard has extensive experience working on commercial aircraft with heavy usage for charter, cargo, crop dusting and flight training. Richard moved from Florida to Homer with his wife in 2005 to work at Smokey Bay Air.

Sarah was born and raised in Pasadena, CA. She started flying gliders at 16 and attended flight school in McMinnville, OR where she earned her commercial, tail wheel, seaplane, and flight instructor ratings. She worked as a flight instructor, glider tow pilot, and apprentice mechanic restoring aircraft in Oregon. Sarah moved to Alaska in 2005 where she earned her Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics certification. Sarah began flying at Smokey Bay Air Spring of 2007. She lives in Homer with her dog Maggie and enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and playing banjo.

Stephanie grew up in Hopkins, MN and attended college at Wake Forest University in NC for a degree in history. After college, she worked at a gold mine in the Forty-mile region of Alaska. There she learned to weld, and operate and repair Caterpillar tractors. Her trip out of the mine after that first season; a thirty mile hike alone through the mountains to the nearest town; inspired her to become an Alaskan bush pilot. She has flown Twin Otters for skydivers in Mexico and Chicago, and she worked as a flight instructor in Minnesota, before accepting a pilot position at Smokey Bay Air. Stephanie holds a Multi-Engine and Single-Engine Commercial Certificate with Instrument Rating.

Tony came to Alaska in the summer of 2002. Born in Traverse City, MI, he came to Homer to commercial fish and fell in love with the town and the people. He fished for 4 seasons around Sitka, Togiak, and Kodiak Island. Originally intrigued by the spotter pilots of the herring fisheries, he attended aviation school between fishing seasons and is looking forward to adding some Alaska flight time to his log book. He’s excited to be on shore this summer and even more excited to be at Smokey Bay Air .

Wes comes from a family of pilots and grew up flying with his father in the mountains of Colorado. After spending three years in the U.S. Army’s elite 1st Ranger Battalion, Wes moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended the highly prestigious Spartan School of Aeronautics and the University of Tulsa. He graduated Cum Laude with a double major in International Business/Spanish, and a minor in Economics. Wes has flown planes as large as the Gulfstream III corporate jet to the small, but venerable, J-3 Piper Cub. Wes holds an FAA Multi-Engine and Single-Engine Commercial Certificate with Instrument Rating, as well as a Senior Parachute Rigger certificate. Although Wes has flown in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Mexico, he believes that Alaska is the most beautiful flying he has done in his lifetime.

Chris grew up in Boring, Oregon. (Yes it really is a place.) Chris began flying in 2001. He did most of his flying around the Cascade and Wallowa moutains of Oregon. For the past year he has been working as a banner tow pilot. He has flown modified Super Cubs from New York City to San Fransico for the largest aerial advertising company in the United States. The banners he has pulled are the biggest in the industry, measuring some 50x100 feet. He enjoys fishing and hunting and has dreamed of living in Alaska for as long as he can remember.

Sarah hails from the Show Me State where she graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in Communications. She moved to Homer in the fall of 2007 and is happy to be a part of the Smokey Bay team. Excellent customer service is her specialty. Sarah loves to spend free time with her dog, Oscar, and cultivating hobbies like fishing, hiking, playing dungeons and dragons, and reading.

Arley was born and raised in Homer, Alaska. He graduated from Homer High School in 2004. Arley grew up fishing the local rivers and Kachemak Bay, hiking and backpacking Homer’s beautiful landscape. Arley was raised on the hill overlooking the bay. His parents run a small bed and breakfast which introduced him to people from all over the world. He has traveled all over Europe visiting his mother’s relatives from Germany and his father’s relatives in Switzerland. Working at Smokey Bay Air, Arley hopes to be able to share his vast knowledge of Homer and the surrounding area to help ensure vacationers have wonderful memories of their Alaskan adventures.

Andrei was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. He moved to Maryland with his family at the age of 18. Andrei graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in Computer Science. He has flown commercially in the Grand Canyon, Texas, Western Alaska, South Central Alaska and in Denali National Park. Andrei holds a multiengine ATP certificate with commercial and instrument single engine land and sea privileges. He has 5,500 hours of flight time, more than half of which was accumulated flying in Alaska. Andrei enjoys scuba diving, hiking, camping and hitting golf balls at the local Homer golf course.

	Smokey Bay Air	1-888-482-1511
	2100 Kachemak Drive, Homer AK 99603	907-235-1511
	reservations@smokeybayair.com	Fax: 907-235-1501
	©2008 Smokey Bay Air. All rights reserved.
*Serving Kachemak Bay, Glacier & Volcano Tours, Statewide Charters, Bear Viewing, Fly-in Fishing & more*

	Claire came to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1966 with her family and, except for traveling, has been in this great state ever since. She graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with an AA Degree in Aviation Technology and an Airframe & Powerplant license. Claire holds a Commercial Single Engine and Multi Engine Certificate with an instrument rating. In the 42 years she has been flying in Alaska, she has accumulated over 10,000 hours of flight time and flown across in state in a variety of aircraft for several different air taxis. She started Smokey Bay Air in 1998.
	A native of Alaska, Deb grew up flying with her parents and twin sister all around Alaska. Her parents, who are both licensed pilots, often flew the family to remote Alaska destinations for family outtings. Deb received both her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Business Studies from Uppsala Universitet, in Uppsala, Sweden. After college, her father encouraged her to become an Alaskan Bush Pilot. Deb has been flying commercially in Alaska ever since. Deb holds a multi-engine ATP certificate with commercial and instrument single-engine land and sea privileges and private and instrument helicopter privileges. She has 5,000 hours of logged flight time, almost all of which was accumulated flying in Alaska. Deb lives year round in Homer with her 5 year old son, Johnny.
	Kelly grew up in Colorado and moved to Alaska with his girlfriend, Dorothy, in 2002 for a job in Denali National Park. From there they moved to Anchorage where Kelly worked for the Parks and Recreation Division of the Municipality of Anchorage for a couple of seasons before moving to Homer. Kelly attended Kenai Peninsula College at the Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer, obtaining a degree in General Business. He began working at Smokey Bay Air in May of 2006 and has been a full time employee since. He and Dorothy have built their own cabin in Homer and both enjoy spending time doing house projects and working on their land.
	Bill is a licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization with over 45 years aircraft mechanic experience. In 1960 Bill started his mechanics career as an A&P mechanic for the Alaska Air National Guard and Cordova Airlines. In 1965 Bill moved to Kansas and started Sheldon Aircraft Service. Next he moved to Colorado and worked for Valley Airpark and again formed his own business in Colorado, again called Sheldon Aircraft Service. In 1983 Bill returned to Alaska and started Pennisula Aircraft Salvage and Pennisula Air Metals. He has been the Director of Maintenance for Smokey Bay Air since 1998. Bill is also a licensed pilot. He resides in Homer with his wife. They enjoy spending time with their kids and grandkids.
	Richard is a licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization. He has over 15 years experience working on general aviation aircraft like our Cessna 206s. Richard graduated from George T. Baker Aviation School with top airframe and powerplant awards. He has maintained and worked on a variety of single engine, multi engine, utility and cargo aircraft. Richard has extensive experience working on commercial aircraft with heavy usage for charter, cargo, crop dusting and flight training. Richard moved from Florida to Homer with his wife in 2005 to work at Smokey Bay Air.
	Sarah was born and raised in Pasadena, CA. She started flying gliders at 16 and attended flight school in McMinnville, OR where she earned her commercial, tail wheel, seaplane, and flight instructor ratings. She worked as a flight instructor, glider tow pilot, and apprentice mechanic restoring aircraft in Oregon. Sarah moved to Alaska in 2005 where she earned her Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics certification. Sarah began flying at Smokey Bay Air Spring of 2007. She lives in Homer with her dog Maggie and enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and playing banjo.
	Stephanie grew up in Hopkins, MN and attended college at Wake Forest University in NC for a degree in history. After college, she worked at a gold mine in the Forty-mile region of Alaska. There she learned to weld, and operate and repair Caterpillar tractors. Her trip out of the mine after that first season; a thirty mile hike alone through the mountains to the nearest town; inspired her to become an Alaskan bush pilot. She has flown Twin Otters for skydivers in Mexico and Chicago, and she worked as a flight instructor in Minnesota, before accepting a pilot position at Smokey Bay Air. Stephanie holds a Multi-Engine and Single-Engine Commercial Certificate with Instrument Rating.
	Tony came to Alaska in the summer of 2002. Born in Traverse City, MI, he came to Homer to commercial fish and fell in love with the town and the people. He fished for 4 seasons around Sitka, Togiak, and Kodiak Island. Originally intrigued by the spotter pilots of the herring fisheries, he attended aviation school between fishing seasons and is looking forward to adding some Alaska flight time to his log book. He’s excited to be on shore this summer and even more excited to be at Smokey Bay Air .
	Wes comes from a family of pilots and grew up flying with his father in the mountains of Colorado. After spending three years in the U.S. Army’s elite 1st Ranger Battalion, Wes moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended the highly prestigious Spartan School of Aeronautics and the University of Tulsa. He graduated Cum Laude with a double major in International Business/Spanish, and a minor in Economics. Wes has flown planes as large as the Gulfstream III corporate jet to the small, but venerable, J-3 Piper Cub. Wes holds an FAA Multi-Engine and Single-Engine Commercial Certificate with Instrument Rating, as well as a Senior Parachute Rigger certificate. Although Wes has flown in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Mexico, he believes that Alaska is the most beautiful flying he has done in his lifetime.
	Chris grew up in Boring, Oregon. (Yes it really is a place.) Chris began flying in 2001. He did most of his flying around the Cascade and Wallowa moutains of Oregon. For the past year he has been working as a banner tow pilot. He has flown modified Super Cubs from New York City to San Fransico for the largest aerial advertising company in the United States. The banners he has pulled are the biggest in the industry, measuring some 50x100 feet. He enjoys fishing and hunting and has dreamed of living in Alaska for as long as he can remember.
	Sarah hails from the Show Me State where she graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in Communications. She moved to Homer in the fall of 2007 and is happy to be a part of the Smokey Bay team. Excellent customer service is her specialty. Sarah loves to spend free time with her dog, Oscar, and cultivating hobbies like fishing, hiking, playing dungeons and dragons, and reading.
	Arley was born and raised in Homer, Alaska. He graduated from Homer High School in 2004. Arley grew up fishing the local rivers and Kachemak Bay, hiking and backpacking Homer’s beautiful landscape. Arley was raised on the hill overlooking the bay. His parents run a small bed and breakfast which introduced him to people from all over the world. He has traveled all over Europe visiting his mother’s relatives from Germany and his father’s relatives in Switzerland. Working at Smokey Bay Air, Arley hopes to be able to share his vast knowledge of Homer and the surrounding area to help ensure vacationers have wonderful memories of their Alaskan adventures.
	Andrei was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. He moved to Maryland with his family at the age of 18. Andrei graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in Computer Science. He has flown commercially in the Grand Canyon, Texas, Western Alaska, South Central Alaska and in Denali National Park. Andrei holds a multiengine ATP certificate with commercial and instrument single engine land and sea privileges. He has 5,500 hours of flight time, more than half of which was accumulated flying in Alaska. Andrei enjoys scuba diving, hiking, camping and hitting golf balls at the local Homer golf course.