Meet a otor
Pro John Stonecipher RPMN: What is your current position?
I’m president and CEO of Guidance Aviation. RPMN: Tell me about your fi rst fl ight.
Actually my fi rst fl ight was on a Douglas DC-9 in the very late 1960s. I was three or four years old and Mom and I sat next to Bob Hope. I remember him not as a celebrity, but just a funny man that entertained me on the fl ight. My fi rst helicopter fl ight was in a Bell 206. It was a local scenic fl ight in Los Angeles when I was about nine years old. Honestly, I think I was a little disenchanted. At that point, I had spent most of my childhood imagining high-speed chases and rescue work. It was a good experience though.
RPMN: When and how did you choose to fl y helicopters? Or did they choose you?
They chose me! As a young boy, I grew up in Pasadena, California. When asked, “Johnny, what do you want to be when you grow up?” the Pasadena Police Dept. red Enstrom helicopters chasing bad guys immediately came to mind. I’d reply, “I’m gonna be a policeman helicopter pilot!” At 18 years of age I was a licensed commercial helicopter pilot. By 19, I’d acquired my fl ight instructor rating and was actually getting paid to teach others how to fl y.
I started Guidance Aviation because
all I saw in the helicopter fl ight training industry was perpetual training without clear milestones, objectives or structure. Guidance Aviation was born of my belief
10 February 2015
in a better way. We have constantly improved, investing and re-investing in state-of-the-art equipment and avionics, aircraft, simulation, academics, tying all of it within a program requiring student dedication. We have integrated the discipline of an academy and the focus of college rigor.
RPMN: Where did you get your start fl ying commercially?
I was a helicopter fl ight instructor in Orange County, California.
RPMN: If you were not in the helicopter industry, what else would you see yourself doing?
At 21, I took a break from fl ying (I was going broke!) I went to a police academy and spent time as a Newport Beach police offi cer, but my true calling was helicopter aviation. Short of aviation calling me back, I’d likely have recently retired from the PD.
RPMN: What do you enjoy doing on your days off ?
Spending time with my wife, Amanda, and my three children: Merric (8), Johnny (5), and Julia Jeanne “JJ” (6). We love being outdoors, especially in the summertime on the houseboat we call “Miss Guided” up on Lake Powell. I also try to take some time to myself in Rehab each year. That’s the name of my fi shing boat in Mexico!
RPMN: What is your greatest career accomplishment to date?
There are many. Let me try to narrow it down to two or three.
Each and every student that solos, graduates, and gets employed in a cockpit is another of my greatest career accomplishments. I am incredibly proud of our industry placement. About 91 percent end up in a helicopter cockpit and get paid as a professional pilot.
I am proud of my staff . In 2013, because of their support, I was awarded the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Business Person of the Year in Washington, D.C. I was honored to be among so many great nominees and business owners representing all states throughout the nation.
Let me again emphasis that I could not have achieved this without the support of my family and the work of the Guidance team of professionals around me. Each one of them is a team player and leader. Each one of them is absolutely the best at what they do ... and they love doing it!
Professionally, the Guidance team is next on the list of my greatest accomplishments. What started out as one fl ight instructor, myself, and one helicopter in 1998, has become the leading helicopter fl ight training organization in the U.S., with 108 employees and at least 25 aircraft. Again, I can’t do any of this on my own. I credit this all to the incredibly talented people around me. I am also very proud to say that the majority of our employees, and 80 pecent of our student body, are U.S. military veterans. We have developed a culture at Guidance Aviation that is truly “veterans helping veterans.”
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