Annual Southern Gentleman® Issue
Pilots experience the world from a distinctly different perspective. From up above, limits fall away, adventure awaits, and peace abounds for those who dare to seek it. Read on to learn more about four local Chattanooga pilots and their incredible stories from the sky.
By Lindsey Clute
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” – John Secondari
Photos by Final Flash Productions
Paul Rogers is no stranger to aviation. In fact, it’s been a prominent part of his life from the time he was very young. The trajectory of his life’s passion was first set in 1967 when he was introduced to the world of aviation by the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron. “My dad took me to see the Blue Angels, and that was pretty much it for me,” Rogers explains. “That really planted a seed in me.”
At age 16, he began flying, and one year later he earned his Private Pilot License. He joined the Navy in 1985, where he met his wife and received his Naval Aviator Wings, then served as a commercial airline pilot for Southwest Airlines for over 25 years.
“My most memorable flight was in the Navy, the first time I landed on the aircraft carrier Lexington,” Rogers shares. “I was 26 years old, and they let me fly a T2 Buckeye over the Gulf of America and land on a floating ship all by myself … Another highlight was my first night carrier landing, which was terrifying … Those night landings never got any easier.”
Rogers’ skillset has taken him on many adventures over the last five decades, and he has flown compact, rugged naval aircraft designed for training and combat, larger airliners like Boeing 737s, and small single-engine planes, including most Cessna models.
After fulfilling his professional commitments, he now flies for pleasure, enjoying the freedom his two planes – a 1965 Beechcraft S35 Bonanza and a 2020 Carbon Cub EX-3 – give him. While the Bonanza comes in handy for longer trips to visit family in Minnesota and Florida, Rogers has a special purpose for the Cub.
“My Carbon Cub was built in 2020 and is designed for short takeoff and landings,” he says. “I have competed with it in the National Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) competition. It’s a lot of fun for sightseeing and is capable of landing in short grass fields.”
In between solo flights, Rogers also enjoys sharing his passion with others. When he isn’t providing disadvantaged youth with free flights during Challenge Air events, he and his wife can be found traveling to visit their children and grandchildren or searching for their next favorite pancake breakfast.
Photos by Jimie Luangrath/Creative
Flying is a passion that fulfills one’s dreams and adds a sense of lasting accomplishment,” says Edward Lee Boyd. That passion comes from a lifelong fascination with airplanes that has allowed Boyd to embark on many memorable adventures above the clouds. After building model airplanes as a child, he progressed to U-control and remote-controlled aircraft before taking to the skies himself. Soon after earning his license in the ‘90s, he entered his first aerobatic competition and won the Grass Roots Flight Medal Award.
Over the years, Boyd has owned and flown a variety of aircraft, including a Cessna 150 Aerobat, multiple Starduster biplanes, an Oldfield Baby Great Lakes biplane, and a 46 Luscombe 8A Master. Today, Boyd owns three aircraft: a 1998 Piper Archer III, a Carbon Cub SS, and a Swick T. While his Carbon Cub SS is his favorite for its short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, the Archer offers something different – a reliable, lower-maintenance cross-country aircraft, which he’s flown with his wife from Long Island, Bahamas, to Big Bend National Park in Texas, Oshkosh, and other destinations across the country.
Meanwhile, the Carbon Cub has opened the door to a different kind of flying. A modern take on the legendary Piper J-3 Cub, Boyd’s 2012 model is customized with a P-51-inspired paint job and shark teeth, 31-inch Alaskan Bushwheel tires, and a Catto ground-adjustable propeller. He has competed in National STOL competitions for the past three years, taking first place in the Cub class last year.
That competitive spirit also connects Boyd with other pilots and backcountry enthusiasts. “Flying always brings new friends who share your passion,” he says. “A few years back, a group of us from Chattanooga, Dalton, and the surrounding areas who have bush-type aircraft started flying together, landing in random fields, mountain ridges, riverbeds, and anything else that challenged us. We formed a group called the STOL Bandits and have a great time flying together.”
Whether enjoying time with family in the Archer or seeking new thrills with friends in the Cub, for Boyd, flying is ultimately about being able to explore, challenge himself, and experience something new.
“I enjoy flying for its freedom and escape,” says Boyd. “Stress and challenges fade away, and all that’s left is a sense of achievement. Whatever type of flying you like – cross-country, aerobatics, backcountry, seaplane, etc. – there’s always a new adventure and a new place that flying can take you.”
Photos by Jimie Luangrath/Creative
For Chris Stimson, flying is a profession, a personal passion, and an important connection to history.
Following a childhood where he was regularly exposed to aviation by his father, an American Airlines captain, Stimson’s own relationship with flight began by experimenting with gliders at age 11. At 16, he transitioned to airplanes, setting the course for a career that would take him around the world.
As a pilot for UPS, he’s spent his career flying some of the world’s largest, most advanced aircraft. But his current personal plane, a 1944 Beech Staggerwing D17S, dubbed “Tweety Bird” for its vibrant yellow hue, transports him to an earlier era in aviation history.
With its distinctive staggered wings, polished presence, and nearly eight decades of history, the vintage plane offers a tangible connection to an era when aviation was still defining what was possible. Manufactured as a luxury plane during the Great Depression, the Staggerwing served the military during World War II before becoming one of the most coveted vintage aircraft in the world.
“It was an airplane that was ahead of its time,” Stimson explains. “It’s design is unique – the top wing is set behind the lower wing. This wasn’t standard for the day. All biplanes at that time were the opposite … This design gave the Staggerwing enhanced aerodynamic characteristics not found in other airplanes of its vintage.”
Today, Stimson is helping keep the Staggerwing’s legacy alive, turning heads at every airport and frequently attending aviation events to reconnect with longtime friends and make new ones through their shared passion.
“All these experiences are directly related to the love I have for aviation,” he says. “I am blessed to be able to enjoy one of my great passions in life, both professionally and personally.”
That passion has immersed him in new cultures, shaped his perspective of the world, and given him a sense of purpose.
“Flying is challenging and rewarding and has allowed me to see and experience this world fully,” Stimson concludes. “It has offered me excitement, adventure, and has allowed me to take a skill I crafted and enjoy that in many different ways.”
Photos by Final Flash Productions
It’s the mid-1970s on a farm in Illinois. A small grass strip runway stretches out beneath the Midwestern sky. Nearby, a young Randy Hirsch watches as his grandfather and uncle take flight with Sam, his grandfather’s dog, and “barnstorm” around the farm in their experimental aircraft.
“Grandpa was a regular at the EAA Airventure airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and I got to tag along with him a few times,” Hirsch recalls. “Those early experiences really made an impression on me, and aviation has been a lifelong passion ever since.”
Now a longstanding pilot, Hirsch has flown a variety of planes, from numerous Cessnas to multiple Piper Cherokees and a Texan T-6. His two current treasures include a 1948 Ercoupe 415-E and a 2013 Mermaid M6, an amphibious light-sport seaplane, both of which he has restored and renovated as an FAA-certified Airframe and Powerplant technician.
As a historic plane, Hirsch explains that the Ercoupe has a fascinating backstory. “Following World War II, these planes were marketed as personal transportation and sold directly on the showroom floor at Macy’s in Manhattan,” he shares. “Now, there are about 2,000 left with roughly half those still flying.”
With a simplified two-control system, the Ercoupe replaces traditional rudder pedals with a single steering wheel. “You taxi on the ground the same way you steer a car,” Hirsch explains. “You can also fly the Ercoupe with the windows down, open-cockpit style, which makes for great fun in warm weather!”
Flying also provides opportunities for spending time with his wife, Stacie, and their five children. From sightseeing trips and fly-in breakfasts to school drop-offs and visits with the grandparents, aviation has been woven into their family life. Hirsch also enjoys peaceful solo flights, early morning trips, and sunset views over the valley.
“I love flying for the sheer joy of it,” he says. “The control in three dimensions, the perspective of life from an open cockpit 2,500 feet above it all, the feeling of a water landing done just right, the sunset view over the river, and the clouds blanketing the valleys in the early morning light as you skim above the mountain peaks. The beauty and freedom of flight just can’t be beat!”
