tyler

I first met Tyler in 2007 but I didn’t really get to know him until maybe a week ago. We make assumptions about people all the time based on just a few interactions. In my case, the few interactions I’ve had with Tyler in middle school have dictated my perception of him for over a decade. All of them are wrong.

Tyler is a glorified bus driver – he works for the airlines. He’s a charismatic guy with a strong jaw and a warm heart. In Tyler’s view, most pilots take themselves too seriously; he’s practically allergic to the special attention and prestige pilots receive and prefers to go unnoticed wearing Birkenstocks and comfortable clothes over his uniform. Nevertheless, when Tyler was a kid, the highlight of every vacation was flying. His family caught on and bought him a coupon to get an introductory flight lesson where he got to take control of the aircraft for twenty minutes in the air. From this point on he was hooked. Coming from a small town becoming an airline pilot seemed about as likely as landing on the moon. Tyler is grateful to a group of gay pilots that he got to know through his grandmother and became his mentors. They encouraged him to sign a document promising to pursue a career in aviation and showed him support during a critical stage of his development. He is also grateful to his dad’s best friend who was an incredibly important role model and taught him humility and that you can make something out of nothing.

Tyler lost his dad when he was a toddler. He has just a handful of memories of his father and growing up he was hyper aware of his peers interacting with their dads. He is incredibly observant and spends countless hours each year scouting deer. He’s an avid hunter and outdoorsman who feels most at home in the woods. On a recent backpacking trip with Tyler I had the good fortune of having some of his venison jerky. It was exquisite. Tyler processes the deer that he harvests entirely by himself – from start to finish. He loves his dog Sky, his family and close friends, and is one of the finest men that I know.

[80] July 31, 2021