||| FROM ROBERT WAUNCH for AIRHAWKS FLYING CLUB |||
The first special event celebrates our very first Airhawks student, Josh Izakson, who participated in our initial introduction class, the Basics of Flight, in 1995. Josh received a scholarship to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado and graduated in 2004. He is now retiring from the US Air Force at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma.
Colonel Izakson flew 3,300 hours as an E-3 Sentry pilot, earning three Air Medals as well as multiple campaign and commendation medals. He also flew six deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle and numerous counter drug operations during his 21-year career.
But that’s not the end of his flying career. Josh will now be transitioning to commercial flying from Dallas, Texas with American Airlines.
Our second special event will be the graduation and commissioning of Ensign Jaydon Krisch Derr at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering with a Minor in Spanish.
After a short summer break, Jaydon will proceed to Pensacola, FL to begin his Naval Aviation Training. Although Jaydon is already a rated pilot, he will be learning an entirely new way of flying in much higher performance aircraft. We’re hoping that ‘maybe’ someday we’ll be able to watch him perform at SEAFAIR as a Blue Angel.
All the members of the Airhawks Flying Club are very proud of these two gentlemen. We wish them good luck in their new aviation careers and look forward to their visits back to Orcas.
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