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Board of Directors

Officers

michael DunleVIe** PresidenT

BIO

Hap pool**
Vice President

BIO

David Fiore**
Sec. Treasurer

BIO

Vacancy
Appointment Pending

George Saunders** Director

BIO

Jake brubaker
Director

BIO

Rick McBride**
Director

BIO

A Special Thanks To Our Past Board Members For Their
Dedication, Time & Leadership

Emeritus Board Members

David Lohmann**
Emeritus Founding Director

BIO

George mcNeil**
Emeritus Founding Director

BIO

Paul M. Gordon** Director

BIO

Members & Volunteers

The Eagle Vail Valley is blessed with a multitude of aviation enthusiast and professionals.  The following is a growing list of those who agreed to dedicate their time to mentor the youth of our valley to pave a path of success with the multitude of careers available in aviation. Members and volunteers denoted by “**” are EAA members too. Certain members’ names are linked to further bios on LinkedIn, Facebook or otherwise.

P. Joseph Bonaconti

Jim crine

Frederick j. Eck (Jack)

mike ewers

robert heckendorf

Mike kline

Devin lane**

Stan mcelderry

Walt olsen**

Nicolas Piliero

tom pool

Andy sigfusson

Student Members

Eagle Aviators began its drive in 2022 to recruit Eagle Young Aviators!  Coming Soon Class of 2022-23 Members to-be-posted.

Student's name here

Student's name here

michael dunlevie** President

Flying in his father’s Beech Twin Bonanza before he could walk, Michael Dunlevie caught the aviation bug early.  His dad, a WWII B-29 pilot, came home to become a real estate developer building the community of Bermuda Dunes, California and the Bermuda Dunes Airport (KUDD).  Michael spent his teen years working the ramp and the counter inside learning all aspects of running an airport eventually obtaining his ticket becoming a certified pilot at 18.  After his father’s death in 2013 Michael took over the management of KUDD until it sold in 2021. 

Michael loves flying his Beechcraft M35 V-Tail Bonanza here in the mountains of Colorado as well as taking it on cross-country trips.  Based out of EGE, Michael continues to find new ways to explore his aviation skills through training in formation flying with the B2Osh group and, as pictured, training in a 737 Simulator in Dallas, TX.  Wishing to bring together the local aviation community at EGE, Michael created the “Second Saturday BBQ” on the Northside in 2021.  He is now looking forward to supporting our local youth in exploration of their shared passion in all aspects of aviation.

An attorney based in Eagle, Colorado , Michael has over 35 years of legal practice now guiding clients in all matters of real estate, business, transactional and litigation matters.  Since moving with his family to Colorado in 1997, Michael has contributed to building our local community through 20 years of service on the Board of Directors with the Vail/Beaver Creek Buddy Werner Ski Racing League as well as coaching and helping to run the races.  He is now looking forward to once again supporting our local youth in exploration of their shared passion for all things aviation.

Hap pool**
Vice President

Flying has always been in Hap’s family.  His father was a trained as a fighter pilot in WWII.  Hap learned to fly both a glider and an airplane as a teenager and became a licensed pilot in his late teens.  Although Hap went to the University of Vermont, his parents insisted he learn a trade.  While in college he became a licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic.

 Then life happened.  He was drafted.  He got married and started a family and worked in the oil and gas business as well as worked in the Investment Banking business for 20+ years.  Even with a full time job and raising his 3 boys, Hap managed to build and fly airplanes in his spare time.

Hap retired from the finance world and decided to fly airplanes for a living.  He flew for Frontier Airlines for 15 years and retired again.

This retirement lasted less than a year before he took a job as a corporate pilot flying a Falcon 2000 jet all over the world.

With his final retirement (we’ll see), Hap has worked diligently on rebuilding his Murphy Moose, the plane he chose to fly to and from fishing spots in for the next 20 years.  With “the Moose” now finished, and Hap still so passionate about flying and building airplanes, he decided to find a way to help the younger generation experience the wonder of aviation.  Hap is looking forward to teaching and guiding these young adults as they learn how to build and fly small aircraft.

David Fiore**

Told by a neighbor, a WWII vet and United Airlines B747 Captain in the Chicago area, “if you want to fly get a job washing airplanes.” At age 15 David did just that and obtained his Private Pilot, Instrument, Multi-engine and Commercial Pilot ratings all before the age of 19.

David went on to pusue a career in airport managment including positions at San Francisco Int’l Airport before returning to University of Denver College of Law. He has worked worldwide supporting aviation including on trade missions in Eastern Europe with the U.S. Dep’t of Commerce, US Trade and Development Agency in collaboration with the Amercian Association of Airport Executives.

David currently supports the largest integrated cargo airline in the world, FedEx Express working on strategic logistic supply plans coast-to-coast in the U.S.

David is married and his extended family includes 5 children (3 Eagle Vail High School Graduates) and 5 grandchildren.

George Saunders** Secretary

George Saunders is a retired American Baptist pastor who grew up in Rochester, New York, and served churches in Southern California and Indiana. He started flying 18 years ago with the Central Indiana Soaring Society.  At CISS he was a flight instructor, tow pilot, operations director and president. He and two friends completely restored a 1940 Piper J5 Cub.

His wife of 49 years, Nancy, is a retired Professor of Education.  They moved to Eagle from Indiana nine years ago.  They have two children and two grandchildren.  Their daughter and grandchildren live in Edwards; their son lives in Denver.

Jake brubaker
Director

Jake joined the Eagle Aviators Board of Directors in March 2024, almost twenty years after graduating from Eagle Valley High School. Inspired by his grandfather to help build an RV-7 kit plane as a young adult, Jake decided to attend Aircraft and Powerplant (A&P) school at night while working as a laborer during the day to support his family.  By 2023 Jake was awarded the Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 Award by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).  He received his Associate of Occupational Studies, Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician in 2011 from Red Stone College, is a licensed Inspector of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since 2019 and has worked for several Fixed Base Operators (FBO) before being appointed as Director of Aircraft Maintenance for Signature Aviation at EGE Airport.

Rick mcbride**
Director

Like so may others in his generation, Rick McBride developed a passion for aviation at an early age.  Rick is a fourth generation Coloradan growing up among a large family in Northern Colorado.  He and many of his cousins all shared the aviation passion building plastic and balsa airplanes.  Rick also developed a strong desire to serve in the US military.  As a teen he was active as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol.  He was also a cadet in High School Air Force Junior ROTC.  As fate would have it, he enrolled in Army ROTC at CU where he earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant of the Army Corps of Engineers.  Rick remained in uniform for 27 years culminating his uniformed service career as a Colonel and the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington DC.  After his retirement, he chose to continue serving in a civilian capacity for ten more years.  Rick’s final assignment was to serve as the Engineer for the US European Command in Germany.  He and his wife Julie retired upon return from Germany and settled in Eagle in 2018.

During college and early in his Army career Rick was involved in model aviation.  It was during that time that he also earned his private pilot’s license and became involved in aircraft restoration and aircraft experimental aircraft building.  In the late 80’s, after a partial refurbishment of a 1953 Piper Tri-Pacer, Rick began what was to become a central passion for aircraft building.  He began construction of a Van’s RV-6 in 1988 finishing in 1992.  After the bug bit he continued building more airplanes.  He has since finished and flown a Van’s RV-8 (which he still flies), two Rans S-7S Couriers, a Van’s RV-10 and most recently a Rans S-21 Outbound.  Rick has also focused on his flying skills by earning instrument, commercial and rotor-wing certificates.  Rick is also a long-time member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association.

It was just after Eagle Aviators started that Rick found out about the program from an article in the Vail Daily.  Seeing an opportunity to continue to feed his aviation passion and also share with others his love of aviation and aircraft building, Rick volunteered with Eagle Aviators beginning in January 2023.

david lohmann**
emeritus founding Director

David Lohmann was one of the driving forces to establish Eagle Aviators with a target to attract Eagle Young Aviators (EYA) with a vision is to expand programs that teach the next generation of Vail Valley youth Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) skills necessary to advance a career in aviation by forging partnerships with local, state and federal government and agencies; trade organizations; businesses and donors; our local high schools and community colleges. 

Before Eagle Aviators was able to establish itself as a legitimate entity, David allowed the Eagle Aviators (a/k/a Young Eagle Aviators) to be formed as an operational component of the non-profit he founded Pacific Policy Research, a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization. The Board of Directors and charter members wish to forever express our gratitude for David’s vision, contributions and dedication to this great cause!

George mcNeil**
Director

George has had a lifelong love for flying. His first flight was with a WW II Navy pilot in an Aeronca Champ at a grass airstrip when he was seven years old. His training began at the same airport when he was thirteen. Private, Commercial, Instrument, Certified Flight Instructor and Airline Transport ratings followed. He spent six years in the Air Force as an aircraft commander, instructor and flight examiner in the C-141 Starlifter.  He then went on to a fifteen year career as a pilot for Eastern Airlines. Following an academic hiatus to get a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, he renewed his interest in Aerobatic flying. In the ensuing years, he has flown a variety of light planes at the Eagle County Airport, including a 1947 Stinson, a Pitts S2B, an Extra 300L, an Aviat Husky and an Extra 330LX. He is currently building a Just Aircraft Highlander kit plane.

Paul M. Gordon**
Director

Early in Paul’s career as a line service technician and senior office manager of the Newport Jet Center in Orange County California, he helped start a brand new fixed base operation (FBO) business. At the time he learned about everyting from Flying, fueling, aircraft towing to spreadsheets and basic office managment.

Paul established roots in at Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) in 1993 working his way up the chain from Customer Service, accounts payable, GM for La Quinta Airservice and Customer Service Manager of the Vail Beaver Creek Jet Center.  By 1998 he became the General Manager and ultimately the President and CEO of the Vail Valley Jet Center, LLC at EGE.

Paul led the transformation as Vail Valley Jet Center integrated to become a part of the world clas Signature Aviation portfolio of FBOs. Locally Paul is on the Board of Directors of the Vail Valley Foundation and a former member of the Vail Valley Partnership Board of Governors. He is also a member of AOPA, NBAA, NATA Association Member, Experimental Aircraft Association and the National Space Society Member.

Most importantly, Paul is a devoted husband and proud father of four daughters and three grandchildren.