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.
Lorin began his journey in aviation in 2003 at the ALERT Academy in Texas, eventually obtaining his private pilot license, instrument rating, A&P license, and CFI/CFII.
Born in Northwest Indiana, Lorin moved to Fort Wayne with his wife and what he enjoys most about Sweet Aviation is the opportunity to share in the joy of flight with his students as well as guide them to becoming safe and proficient pilots.
Katelyn comes from a long line of flying enthusiasts. Her family were members of the Yankee Air Force and for a time were associated with the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville, Michigan. In addition, her grandfather worked in a B-24 bomber plant during WW2 and her father served in the Air Force where he worked on F-16s.
Katelyn attained her private pilot certificate from Purdue University and completed the remainder of her training at LIFT Academy. She recently attained her certificate to become an Advanced Ground Instructor as well. In addition, Katelyn also graduated from Ivy Tech Indianapolis with an associate’s degree in general studies and a technical certificate in business administration too.
When not at work Katelyn enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband Joshua and their children hiking through local and state parks.
Joe logged his first pilot in command time in 1979, since then he has flown 14,000 hours as a private, charter, and instructor. After retiring from Dana Corporation with 31 years of seniority he is finally working his dream job as a charter pilot at Sweet Aviation. He loves to help his passengers have a safe and stress-free trip every time.
In addition to being a charter pilot, Joe is also a single and multi-engine engine airline transport pilot, single and multi-engine instrument flight instructor, King Air 350 type rating.
Joe lives in Auburn with his wife of nearly 40 years Pat, their Golden Retriever, and a cat, and has two grown daughters. In his spare time he loves to run, lift weights, read military history, and of course fly.
A Fort Wayne native, Tyson first got his taste of flying at Smith Field with the Young Eagles. He followed that passion through high school, participating in programs that led him towards his A&P license. He later graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Professional Flight Technology while playing football for the Sycamores.
Tyson also has his private, instrument, commercial, and CFI/CFII certificates and is eager to share his passion for flying with the Fort Wayne community.
Dennis grew up watching planes depart at Fort Wayne’s Baer Field, which is now Fort Wayne International Airport. He made up his mind early on he would become a pilot. He earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Air Traffic Control and then went on to earn his Airline Transport Pilot license and become typed in multiple aircraft.
Dennis isn’t the only pilot in his family. His son flies for the U.S. Military, and his cousin has flown for many years. When not flying charter, Dennis likes to paint, sing in a choir, and participate in his church.
Growing up in Bolivia flying mission aviation airplanes, Paul’s passion for flying is vast. He earned his private, instrument, commercial and A&P licenses at the school of Missionary Aviation Technology in Michigan, later spending a few years working as a pilot and A&P in both Indonesia and Bolivia.
Previously, Paul worked in Indianapolis obtaining his multi-engine commercial and CFI ratings.
He enjoys sharing his unique experience and passion for aviation with others as well as spending time with his wife, Jami, and their four children.
For most of his life, James’ interest in flight had been mainly academic, as he served as a long-time physics and astronomy instructor in the Fort Wayne area. That changed in 2019, when he celebrated finally paying off his student loans with a quick discovery flight. That sparked a desire in him to master learning to fly. After his first solo flight, he knew he’d found his new career path. As a certified flight instructor for Sweet Aviation, he’s able to share his passion for aviation with others as well as the science behind it!
Since the age of six, Carter has had a deep rooted love of aviation. While in his senior year of high school in Danville, Indiana, Carter earned his private airplane pilot certification and has since obtained his airplane instrument rating, helicopter private pilot certificate, helicopter commercial certificate, and his helicopter certified flight instructor certificate.
Carter currently lives in Bluffton, Indiana and is working toward his degree in mathematics at Indiana University East.
Alex grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, and graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Alex completed his private, instrument, commercial (single and multi), CFI, CFII, and MEI at ATP in Richmond, Virginia. Alex is also a Staff Sergeant in the Indiana Air National Guard.
Alex loves sharing his passion for aviation and is continually looking for new ways to learn and grow as an instructor and a pilot.
After bouncing around between majors in college, Ryan happened upon aviation by accident on his commute through his grandparents’ small town in Northwest Indiana. One discovery flight is all it took for him to radically switch tracks to pursue flying. This is where he, “Caught the bug!”
This passion for flying only deepened upon enlisting in the Air National Guard at Fort Wayne’s 122nd Fighter Wing, home of the Blacksnakes. During his enlistment in the reserves, Ryan worked on his Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI licenses, all while holding a full-time job. Currently, Ryan is working to achieve bachelor’s degree from Liberty University’s aviation program.
Outside of flying, Ryan is a husband to a great wife, dog dad, major foodie and coffee fiend, musician, and thrill seeker of all things. Ryan believes you should love what you do even on the hard days.
Originally from Daytona Beach, Florida Austin always had a fascination for aviation but ended up pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training and Master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Florida. After working as an athletic trainer at the collegiate and professional sports levels for several years, Austin relocated to Fort Wayne and ultimately decided to pursue his passion for aviation at Sweet Aviation. Austin completed his private and instrument ratings through Sweet Aviation before finishing commercial, CFI, and CFII in Ohio and Mississippi.
When not flying Austin enjoys riding his motorcycle, spending time with family and friends, and watching any University of Florida Sports team.
Zach comes from a long line of pilots. His father, grandfather, and grandmother are all private pilots. Having grown up in Sylvania, Ohio Zach would attend Bowling Green State University where he would major in Business and Marketing Education. In addition, Zach would serve in the Ohio Army National Guard where he was a tank commander. Zach attained his private pilot license at Suburban Aviation in Lambertville, Michigan, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot License at ATP in Nashville, Tennessee, and CFI, CFII, and MEI Licenses at Midwest Corporate Air in Bellefontaine ,Ohio.
Connor was born in Germany as the son of an Army aviator and comes from a long line of pilots and aviation enthusiasts. He knew he wanted to be a pilot at a young age and after moving to Utah finally took the plunge into an aviation career. Connor did all his training in Salt Lake City before moving to Fort Wayne to join the Sweet Aviation team. He hopes to pass on his passion for flying to new pilots and continue to grow as a pilot and as an instructor.
Paul credits his high school aerospace engineering teacher for inspiring his passion for aviation. After graduation, Paul pursued an associate degree from Ivy Tech in applied sciences of professional flight. He then entered an accelerated, airline-focused program, FAA Part 141 and Part 61 training, all while also earning his private, instrument, commercial, CFI, and CFII certificates.
When not flying, Paul enjoys exploring the outdoors, fishing, and hunting. He cherishes spending time with his wife and family, traveling, and playing card games.
Fort Wayne born but Ohio raised, Chance’s passion for aviation took off at Smith Field. After taking a discovery flight, he began flight training at Sweet Aviation while still in high school. Chance went on to earn his private, instrument, commercial, CFI, and CFII certificates at Sweet Aviation. In the future, he plans to earn his multi-engine certificate as well as his bachelor’s degree in aviation management. Prior to joining the team of instructors here at Sweet Aviation, Chance spent four years in the kitchen & bath wholesale industry.
Outside of flying, Chance is an avid snowmobiler who enjoys winter getaways spent in northern Michigan. Chance is also a college football and basketball fan who enjoys watching the Purdue Boilermakers and Michigan Wolverines.
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 becoming a Sweet Helicopters charter pilot and a Samaritan helicopter EMS pilot.
Elizabeth’s interest in flight runs deep. She attended the Army Aviation Flight School at Fort Rucker as a commissioned officer where she learned to fly several different types of helicopters including the Blackhawk. Then, after a deployment to Afghanistan, she took the Captain’s Career Course back here in the US before ending her military service with a deployment to South Korea. Currently, she’s a flight instructor for Sweet Aviation where she helps our students learn and achieve their goals. When not flying, Elizabeth enjoys spending time rock climbing and mountaineering with her husband Daniel.
Rick’s done it all from Air Force pilot training on T-37 and T-38 aircraft, flying several planes in the American Airlines fleet around the world, to being a check airman and instructor and so much more.
Experience spanning nearly 50 years and an unprecedented passion Rick is the ultimate aircraft enthusiast. His early days were spent right here in Fort Wayne at Smith Field and his passion led him all across the globe.
Before Jacob discovered his love for aviation, he always felt as if something was missing from his life. He began his time in college unable to find a major he felt truly passionate about. By the time he entered the workforce, he still felt unfulfilled. That all changed when his friend offered to take him flying in a Cirrus SR20. After the flight, Jacob immediately began researching flight training and scheduled a meeting with Sweet Aviation. He completed his private, instrument, and commercial flight training through Sweet. Jacob then officially joined the team as a flight instructor.
When not at work, Jacob enjoys spending quality time with friends, family, and dog. He’s also a big fan of hockey. You’ll regularly find him on the ice rink either playing or officiating.
Airplanes and travel have always been a source of wonder for Griffin. Griffin studied Airline Management at Purdue University and later attended flight school at ATP. After graduation, he chose to return to his hometown of Fort Wayne to help Sweet Aviation customer achieve their own flight goals. He takes pride in delivering quality flight and ground instruction for anyone seeking their private pilot certification, instrument rating, or commercial pilot certification. When he’s not up flying, Griffin loves to attend Purdue basketball games to cheer on his Boilermakers.
Bob is no stranger to the aviation community in Fort Wayne having been an instructor in the area since 1987. He enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for aviation with others, volunteering with the EAA Young Eagles, Scouting’s Aviation Explorers, and the Civil Air Patrol.
Bob is rated for single-engine land with instrument and commercial privileges plus glider and multi-engine endorsements.
Cameron has had a passion for aviation from a young age. Inspired by two family Navy pilots, he went on to earn an Aerospace Engineering degree from Virginia Tech. After graduation, he enjoyed a stint as a flight test engineer flying on Rolls-Royce’s 747 flying test bed and Boeing’s 787-8 flight test fleet. While working, Cameron completed flight training in a variety of places — Indiana, Texas, Washington, and Ohio, and earned his sport, private, instrument, commercial, and CFI certificates.
When not flying, Cameron enjoys spending time with his beautiful and talented wife and awesome kids. They love traveling, camping, and hiking together.
Ezra was born and raised in Fort Wayne. His passion for flight first sparked in elementary school when he watched the movie Top Gun. Then, as a freshman in high school, he took his first flight in a small plane right here at Sweet Aviation. Ezra went on to study professional flight at Purdue University, graduating with his CFI. He joined the Sweet Aviation team in the summer 2023. As a flight instructor, he hopes to inspire in others the same, incredible passion for flight he has.
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.
I’ve been married for 13 years with five kids. My path to aviation began more than a decade ago in efforts to provide a better life and future for my family. After spending the first couple of years in general aviation for a small private company, I moved on to the airlines where I would spend the next seven years with SkyWest Airlines. I began as a mechanic, then spent about four years in avionics, and finished my SkyWest career as a night shift maintenance supervisor. Eventually, I returned to the general aviation world to leave the first shift life, spend more time with the family, and work closer to home. Since then, I have earned my Inspection Authorization which opened the door to better opportunities leading me to Sweet Aviation. I am excited to see where my career leads within the company.
Taylor grew up living in Arizona and after finishing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, she worked in education and other behavioral health related positions. Her interest in aviation was sparked with a discovery flight in a helicopter in 2019 and after moving to Fort Wayne in 2021, she began working at Sweet Aviation as a customer service representative to help others gather the resources needed to achieve their aviation goals.
In 2023, she pursued her flight training at ATP Flight School in Indianapolis and wrapped up CFI/CFII in Mississippi. She is so excited to continue to help students achieve their dreams and share the passion for flying within the Fort Wayne community. Aside from aviation, Taylor loves composing music, trying new cuisine, and going on fun adventures wither husband and family.
Ian is a Fort Wayne native who’s responsibilities include repositioning aircraft, assisting customers, and helping coordination between students and their flight instructors. He became interested in aircraft after attending a local airshow, and one day hopes to become a pilot himself. In his free time Ian enjoys scuba diving.
After his first discovery flight with Sweet Aviation, Derek knew he had found his calling and a team he wanted to work with. Previous to Sweet Aviation, Derek spent six years traveling the country climbing as an arborist and also worked at the Nashville International Airport. He is the father of four beautiful children and is also a musician who loves to perform and bring people and communities together.
Tim has had a longtime love for flying after obtaining his private pilot license in 1987 at Smith Field. He has since owned several different single and twin-engined airplanes and has logged over 3,450 hours of total flight time.
Tim is also a mission pilot with the Civil Air Patrol and a volunteer piloting Young Eagle flights and flying rescue dogs to their new foster homes for Pilots ’n Paws.
