After earning a B.A. in Psychobiology from Hamilton College, I pursued a career in aviation and currently fly the Boeing 737 for US Airways, Inc. After becoming politically active in the early 1990s, I founded and direct two non-profit political organizations, and have served as president of a third.

Areas of knowledge

·         Aviation: As a twenty-five year air carrier pilot, Federal Flight Deck Officer and flight instructor with ten additional ratings, I write about threats to aviation safety and security and lampoon the many absurdities of air travel.

·         Politics: As a political activist whose twelve years of experience includes four enacted laws and several elected legislators (including one congressman), I speak with authority on legislation, politics and elections.

·         Guns: My capacity as a gun rights advocate gives me expertise on gun control issues. As a firearms instructor who has been certified by the National Rifle Association and the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, I know firearms and laws governing self-defense.

Writing credits

Newspaper columns: 

·         My credits include fifty-plus newspaper columns, spanning ten years, published in The Charlotte Observer, the Raleigh News & Observer, the Durham Herald-Sun, the Greensboro News & Record, the Asheville Tribune, and elsewhere.

·         As a winner of the “Observer Community Columnist” competition in 1997 and 2000, I've written monthly columns for The Charlotte Observer, representing a perspective I describe as “somewhere between paleoconservative and Libertarian.” I built a dedicated readership, some of whom said they bought the paper primarily for my column.

Magazine articles:

·         VENT Magazine published my 5,000 word article on aviation careers entitled “Off to a Flying Start.”

·         Carolina Journal published my 1,500 word article entitled, “What you know about guns is wrong.”

Interviews, speeches & media

·         I’ve been interviewed and quoted by dozens of newspapers, and radio and television stations including CNN, BBC, National Public Radio and the Associated Press.

·         Lengthy, debate-style interviews include NBC-17 in Raleigh (“At Issue”), Carolina Public Radio (“The State of Things”), and the two largest talk radio stations in the state: WBT in Charlotte (hosts Mike Collins and Keith Larson), WPTF in Raleigh (hosts Tom Joyner and Kevin Miller), as well as many others.

·         Numerous speaking engagements for universities and non-profit or political organizations include the John Locke Foundation, Campbell University, and the Libertarian Party state convention.

·         I often address committees of the North Carolina House and Senate on pending legislation.