LEARN MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR CHIEF AVIATION OFFICERS

Aviation runs deep in the Blake family dating back to the early 1900’s, including a World War I fighter Ace, a grandfather who was a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force, and his father who received his pilots license at the age of 16 in the state of Indiana.

As a graduate of Purdue University School of Aviation Management, Casey has two decades of extensive leadership experience in nearly every facet of the private aviation industry, including fractional ownership, whole aircraft ownership, jet cards, chartering, acquisitions and brokerage.

Casey is a passionate and energetic executive leader with broad relationships that allow him to guide individuals and companies through the ins and outs of all things private aviation. His proven ability to drive results and align team members in pursuit of exceeding expectations has positioned him to overcome difficult and complex business situations.

Casey is passionate about his faith, his loving wife, their four children and all things aviation – all while enjoying the occasional round of golf.

Paul washed airplanes in exchange for flight lessons as a teenager in Minot, North Dakota. He soloed at age 16, and added private, commercial, multi-engine, instrument, flight instructor, and airline transport pilot certificates and ratings by 23 years old.

A prayer later, Corporate Air offered him a job as a FedEx feeder pilot. And, while flying the feeder pilot routes, Paul graduated from Minot State University with a Bachelor of University Studies by attending classes via various campuses and independent studies by mail.

Paul learned from his pilot mentor, Paul Soderlin, a retired airline Safety and Standardization specialist, standard procedures for takeoff and landing airspeed selection called, “The Bug System,” and, “The Cockpit Set Up,” for cockpit preflight. Paul continued flying freight as an F27 captain with Mountain Air Cargo in Houston and Indianapolis, then later as a Chief Pilot for a mapping company in Missouri.

After a season of rigorous travels, Paul is excited to be “Back Home Again in Indiana” with Lift Aviation, where he loves serving Lift clients and team members, and is grateful to have more time for his family.

Flight has intrigued Heather since she was a little girl growing up in a small Missouri farm town. As soon as the opportunity presented itself in college to get in the air, Heather pursued skydiving. She packed student parachutes to afford to skydive – logging over 700 jumps and obtaining a D-License and Jumpmaster rating.

As a graduate with a master’s degree in Aviation Safety, Heather began working in aviation law dealing with transactions of business jets as well as FAA enforcement and Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) research. She received her pilot’s license and became a commercial pilot with an instrument rating during this time.

Heather then had an opportunity to work directly with clients flying privately. She enjoyed interacting with and serving clients at the airport by providing a high level of service to ensure their whole trip was exceptional.

Outside of aviation, Heather loves to spend time with her three children and is active with her horses and dogs.

Leslie’s fascination with aviation started at a young age. Her father was in the Air Force Reserves and held a private pilot’s license. He would frequently take their family for rides high above Clinton county where she grew up. Whenever her family vacationed, these trips often included stops at aviation museums, Air Force bases, and countless air shows.

That love for aviation was further kindled when Leslie met Casey at Purdue University. By tethering her love for aviation to his passion and drive in the industry, aviation has shaped their marriage and futures. Their kids didn’t stand a chance. Each of them are now developing their own love for all things airplanes.

In her free time, Leslie enjoys cooking, reading, camping, and hiking. She is devoted in her faith and deeply loves serving others, including her husband and their four children.