At Sweet Aviation, flying is more than a hobby or even a career — it’s a lifestyle propelled by passion. Our dedicated team is committed to cultivating that passion in each customer, whether new to the skies or a lifelong aircraft enthusiast.
You may recognize Chuck Surack as the Founder of Sweetwater Sound, as the owner of luxury car dealership SweetCars, or as a community leader, serving on the boards of many local non-profit organizations.
What you might not know is that Chuck is a helicopter pilot and aircraft enthusiast. Inspired by his aviator father, Chuck has loved flying since childhood, even keeping his Boy Scouts Aviation merit badge to this day. His first flying experiences were in his dad’s Aeronca Chief based right here at Smith Field. Chuck would go on to own many other airplanes and helicopters, such as the Cessna 414, Cessna Citations, and the Eurocopter EC130, just to name a few. He loves flying and can often be found at the helm of a helicopter. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons and a daughter.
Tim started his journey in aviation over 36 years ago with an impressive array of flight experience ranging from service in the military to corporate flights. He also has thousands of hours of international, mountain, and overwater flights in helicopters and airplanes.
Tim graduated with a bachelors’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is a graduate of the FAA ATC Academy.
With well over 20 years of flight experience, Joel’s passion for flight knows no bounds. In 2002 Joel earned his private pilot certificate, later attending the International Air Land Emergency Resource Team (ALERT) Academy where he obtained his instrument rating along with his commercial and flight instructor certificates.
At over 5,000 hours of flight instruction, Joel now leads the staff at Sweet Aviation and passionately assists the aviation enthusiasts of Fort Wayne with reaching their dreams of flight. He is type rated in Sweet Aviation’s Cirrus Vision Jet, certified to fly client’s T-28, as well as highly skilled in aerobatic maneuvers in the Super Decathlon.
Originally from Cloverdale, Indiana, Michael graduated from Manchester University, later working in Indianapolis in international logistics.
That all changed for Michael after a helicopter tour around the San Francisco Bay Area. After that, he felt destiny pull him in the direction of aviation which led him to training at Sweet Aviation. He has since obtained his fixed-wing private pilot certificate and helicopter CFI rating.
When Michael has his feet on the ground, he operates a non-profit sports foundation as well as several other community focused ventures in Fort Wayne.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Sean graduated with honors from the US Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s in political science and a German language minor. He went on to serve eleven years on active duty as an Air Force Special Operations Pilot, logging over 2,100 hours of flight time including 1,000 hours of combat over Iraq and Afghanistan. For his accomplishments Sean was awarded a Bronze Star and eleven Air Medals.
In addition to aircraft, Sean is also passionate about his faith and earned his master’s in Theological Studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary while attending A&P school.
Sean enjoys spending time with his four daughters, as well as camping, traveling, and hunting.
Josh is from the Nashville area and recently moved to Fort Wayne to be closer to his family. Josh currently has his Airplane Single Engine Instrument rating for land and sea, and is currently working towards his Commercial Certificate with Sweet Aviation. Josh is very passionate about aviation and we are glad to have him on the team.
Isaak knows the fact he’s still able to pursue his aviation dreams today is nothing short of a miracle. He grew up in Fort Wayne and graduated from Leo Junior/Senior High School in 2018. But then, just a month later, he suffered a debilitating stroke. After spending three weeks in the hospital, Isaak recommitted himself to his dream of becoming a private pilot. Isaak required six months of extensive physical, speech, and occupational therapy until finally, physicians cleared him to pursue his passion once more. Isaak hopes to one day help fly missionaries across the world.
Originally from Nebraska, Brandon graduated from Indiana University and has called Fort Wayne home since 2004.
His passion for helicopters was ignited after college when he had the opportunity to fly in a UH-60 Blackhawk through the Army officer training battalion over the IU campus. Since that moment he focused on becoming a pilot.
Brandon earned his private, commercial, instrument, and CFI ratings through Sweet Aviation, and is working towards his CFI-I and ATP ratings. He may add fixed-wing ratings to his repertoire for fun in the future, but for now, he is very happy focusing on helicopters. His goals include: being a Sweet Helicopters charter pilot and a Samaritan/Helicopter EMS pilot.
Damien grew up in Texas, where he graduated with a sociology degree from the University of North Texas. He built up a small franchising company in the Lone Star State before becoming a Park District Commissioner for Paulding County, Ohio. However, his career path changed again when he became a student pilot at Sweet Aviation where Damien fell in love with flight immediately. He earned his private pilot license and now serves as a Customer Line Tech, helping customers and refueling aircraft. Damien is currently working towards his instrument and commercial ratings. His ultimate goal is to teach others to fly and inspire the same passion he feels for his craft.
Jason Smith is an instrument-rated commercial pilot from Fort Wayne. He graduated college with an associate of applied science degree in general studies and a bachelor’s degree in business. As a Line Services employee, he provides customer service to both local and transient pilots. When he’s not out flying or helping customers, Jason enjoys biking, exploring the outdoors, and tackling his own home improvement projects.
