Appareo pilots – General Avionics, Inc.

Pilots of Appareo: Matt Dondoneau

5 years ago
/ Aviation

One of the secrets behind how we create great aviation products for pilots is this: many of us are pilots ourselves! While only 0.5% of the U.S. population has a pilot’s license, more than 5% of Appareo employees do. That’s 10 times the national average!

Collectively, our pilots log hundreds of flight hours in their free time. Let us introduce you to one now: Matt Dondoneau, Aviation Key Account Executive.

Matt been a pilot for just under 20 years and describes it as, “absolutely defining my life.”

First introduced to aviation through the movie Top Gun, Matt attended the University of North Dakota when he earned a scholarship into UND Aerospace to pursue a degree in Aviation and Aerospace Engineering. After his first flight, he was hooked. Matt graduated with an Aviation degree but did not get his degree in Aerospace Engineering. His time and degree from UND Aerospace has been extremely helpful for his career at Appareo.

Matt started working at Appareo as the Key Account Manager for Aviation in March 2018. Matt describes his job as, “Acquiring new business and managing the relationships for Aerospace companies, whether it is an engineering project, OEM products, or both. I’m not responsible for the aviation products that Appareo sells directly to consumers, but I’m always on the hunt to find different ways to use those products in the industry.”

Throughout his career, Matt has been involved in nearly every aspect of professional flying, so when we asked him two big questions about being a pilot he had a lot to say.

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in nearly every aspect of professional flying, so finding a single proudest moment is really difficult. I’ve spent time flight instructing, flew charter and medevac, flown for Northwest and Mesaba Airlines, and also was the chief pilot of a corporate flight department that flew domestically and internationally. Each area of aviation that I’ve spent time in has its own prideful moments.

As a flight instructor, I was able to see the look on students faces as they flew for the first time. I also have been fortunate to teach my kids how to fly. Each one has flown a jet, including my youngest who first flew a jet when he was 6 (with dad’s help, of course)!

In the airlines, I was a test pilot for a new aircraft type and got to pick up brand new aircraft from the factory and put them through acceptance flights. Most people don’t know what “new airplane smell” is, especially in airliners. Flying in the corporate world was extremely exciting and allowed me to see the world, but it was an incredible experience the first time I flew non-stop across the Atlantic. Such a small fraction of pilots get to do that in their flight careers.

With all of the time spent in the air, I may still have to choose my medevac flying as the proudest, however. I experienced some terrible situations and saw some horrible things, yet there were happy moments. The most memorable instances were when your pager would go off at three in the morning and you’d find out a child on a heart transplant list finally got the call that a match was found. Often, when someone gets a call of an available organ, you have as few as 4 hours to pick them up and get them across the country and into an operating room. It is an incredible feeling to pick up someone that didn’t know how many tomorrow’s they had left and to get the opportunity to help them have a new lease on life. Some of those flights I’ll never forget.

How does being a pilot help your work at Appareo?

Aviation is an extremely complicated business. With the amount of jargon, requirements, and procedure, it really takes someone who has been there to understand a customer’s needs. Sometimes, the customer doesn’t even know what they need, but my background can fill in the blanks. Aerospace companies often can be difficult to navigate if you don’t talk the talk or walk the walk. I think my background lends itself to some instant credibility that would take longer to acquire without my time in the industry. I hope that my experience also helps others at Appareo understand what the customer is looking for, or why something is significant in aviation. Knowing the things I had access to in my flying days, but more importantly, the things I wish I had access to, is really exciting to bring to a company where we can bring those ideas to life.

https://www.appareo.com/2018/11/20/pilots-of-appareo-matt-dondoneau/

Pilots of Appareo: Nicholas Butts, Research Staff Engineer

6 years ago
/ Aviation

Appareo: 10x the national average

One of the secrets behind how we create great aviation products for pilots is this: many of us are pilots ourselves! While only 0.5% of the U.S. population has a pilot’s license, more than 5% of Appareo employees do. That’s 10 times the national average!

Collectively, our pilots log hundreds of flight hours in their free time. Let us introduce you to one now: Nicholas Butts, Research Staff Engineer

Nick and a Civil Air Patrol cadet after the cadet’s first orientation flight.

Nick joined Appareo in 2010 as a Senior Embedded Software Engineer. A few years later he took on a new role of Embedded Systems Architect, before moving into his current role as Staff Research Engineer in Appareo’s Department of Demystification. Outside of Appareo, Nick also serves as squadron commander for the ND046 Civil Air Patrol squadron in Fargo.

What motivated you to pursue your pilot’s license and how long have you been flying?

Both of my parents have their pilot’s licenses. My dad did a lot of flying in the 70’s and 80’s and I remember flying with him as a kid. Growing up I had hopes of flying in the Air Force, but my vision was not good enough to fly. So as I grew older my hopes of flying for the Air Force diminished and was replaced by other interests. In high school, I was more interested in tinkering with electronics and computers. My parents, being concerned that I might not graduate from high school, made me a deal. If I got a 3.5 GPA in my senior year of high school, they would pay for my pilot’s license. That was the motivation I needed to study and do my homework. I ended my senior year with a 3.48 GPA, so my parents said they would pay for 50% of my pilot’s license. That summer I started flying with the local town dentist (my flight instructor) and completed about half of my training. The next summer I finished my pilot’s license.

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

I was very proud of myself for completing my instrument rating. Being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life and my instrument rating was the second hardest thing. I’m also extremely proud of my work on Stratus 2. That has been the highlight of my engineering career.

How does being a pilot help your work at Appareo?

It really helped with Stratus 1 and Stratus 2. I understand how pilots would use the product and what features pilots would value.

https://www.appareo.com/pilots-of-appareo-nicholas-butts-research-staff-engineer/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Pilots of Appareo: John Evans, Ag Support Specialist

6 years ago
/ Aviation

Meet John Evans, Ag Support Specialist

We have pilots in every aspect of our business. Let us introduce you to one now!

John Evans has been with us since 2015, supporting Intelligent Ag Solutions, our joint venture with AGCO Corporation. Intelligent Ag develops technologies to help farmers make the most of their equipment. Smarter farming doesn’t have to be complicated, and Intelligent Ag is dedicated to producing innovative products that make it simple to maximize profit margin.

What motivated you to pursue your pilot’s license and how long have you been flying?

The movie Top Gun and my parents. I’ve always had an interest in airplanes/aviation, and getting my pilot’s license was something I wanted to do. I had intended on becoming a professional pilot (I attended the flight school at UND), and even though I really enjoy flying, the lifestyle of a career pilot was not for me. I have not flown much in the last few years but I do intend on getting back into flying soon.

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

Obtaining my Flight Instructor Certificate (CFI).

https://www.appareo.com/pilots-of-appareo-john-evans-ag-support-specialist/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Pilots of Appareo: Zach Peterson

6 years ago
/ Aviation

One of the secrets behind how we create great aviation products for pilots is this: many of us are pilots ourselves! While only 0.5% of the U.S. population has a pilot’s license, more than 5% of Appareo employees do. That’s 10 times the national average!

Collectively, our pilots log hundreds of flight hours in their free time. Let us introduce you to one now: Zach Peterson, Aviation Sales Manager

Zach’s love for aviation started from his father. “My father is a CFI and has been flying for over 50 years. He continues to be my CFI to this day,” Zach said.

The biggest thing Zach loves about his job is that he and his team are all pilots. “We share a love for flying and get to serve and be involved in the aviation community every day. What’s not to love?”

Zach says this about the key to Appareo’s success:

“The passion, commitment, and raw talent within Appareo is unlike anything I’ve encountered before. Being a part of that is not only a privilege but something I look forward to every morning. I believe this is a common sentiment throughout the company, and it is the driving force that propels us forward as an organization.”

When asked about the future of Appareo, Zach said, “What excites me most is that Appareo’s future is not limited or constrained. As a company, we are flexible and dynamic in a way that allows us to visualize a future that is not bound by the technology available today, but instead to focus on how we can make new technology a reality.”

https://www.appareo.com/pilots-of-appareo-zach-peterson/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Tag Archives for " Appareo pilots "

Pilots of Appareo: Matt Dondoneau

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

How does being a pilot help your work at Appareo?

Pilots of Appareo: Nicholas Butts, Research Staff Engineer

Appareo: 10x the national average

What motivated you to pursue your pilot’s license and how long have you been flying?

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

How does being a pilot help your work at Appareo?

Pilots of Appareo: John Evans, Ag Support Specialist

Meet John Evans, Ag Support Specialist

What motivated you to pursue your pilot’s license and how long have you been flying?

What was your proudest moment as a pilot?

Pilots of Appareo: Zach Peterson